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  • Consumers Love “How to” Articles, Ebooks and Reports

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    It’s no secret really.  People buy “How to” information in every niche, sub-niche, and marketplace there is.  Why?  I believe it’s because the human mind is curious and always seeking to find a new way of doing things.

    The reason I wanted to address this topic is simply because consumers search for, purchase, and read (or watch) “How to” information in their subject of interest without the usual apprehension and hesitancy that they might otherwise experience with a regular report, ebook, course, or video.

    Consumers understand the structure and format of “How to” articles and reports.  They have seen and already consumed them often and I believe, subconsciously, they expect the format to provide them with the information they are seeking. They know that they are going to get a step-by-step or natural progression of instructions that will lead them from where they are to where they want to be.

    Providing “How to” information to your audience can be the very basis of your business.  In fact, there are very popular services online like Lynda.com (recently sold to LinkedIn), Teachable, and Udemy that allow experts to offer courses of instruction to targeted prospects in order to teach consumers “How to” do various tasks and solve problems or fulfill desires and dreams in the consumer’s life.

    If you are not offering “How to” information to your audience and subscribers, you should be!  The “How to” format or model seems to be universally accepted across all subjects and topics and it has some advantages over other alternatives.

    • “How to” information is relatively easy to outline, write, and publish.  As the creator of much “How to” information, I can tell you that it is a very intuitive and easy format to produce.  If you can create a list of steps in outline format, starting at the beginning and moving from one step to the next logical step through to the end of the sequence, you can create “How to” information.
    • “How to” information lends itself to all types of media … from articles, to short reports, to white papers, to infographics, to ebooks, to video, to audio, and podcasts, membership site content, and just about every other publishing format there is!
    • “How to” information allows the reader to quickly move through the information and spend more time on those steps that need further focus or less time on points that he has already accomplished or that he currently understands.
    • “How to” information is easy to “put down” and then come back to at a later time.  Steps can be checked off or highlighted as they are accomplished.  The information doesn’t need to be totally consumed in one sitting because the reader can simply leave the material and return later to continue progressing through the information until the end.
    • “How to” information lends itself to browsing and skimming.  It is an easy format to follow and to “pick apart” for highlights, key thoughts, important instructions, and quick consumption if that is the desire of the reader.
    • “How to” information lends itself to easy and enticing marketing.  Think about all the books and reports and articles you’ve seen over your lifetime that were titled “50 Ways to …” or “The 10 Best …” or “The Top 5 …”  Well, you get the picture I hope.  It’s easy to title your information and if you’re dealing in a marketplace of rabid fans and consumers, you have a ready-made template for your information.
    • “How to” information lends itself to lead magnets, teaser copy, summaries, and other snippets or shortened versions of the full “How to” information.  It’s very simple to include 1-3 ways, or steps, or tips, or tricks in order to entice the reader to want to see more … which can lead to a curiosity about the full document and process.
    • “How to” information can be published in many different formats (all at the same time, if desired) including on a blog, in a newsletter, in an email series, in membership sites, in books, reports, videos, podcasts … well, in just about any type of media there is!

    Here are a few suggestions about how to find information and examples of this type of writing in your niche.

    Go to Amazon books and look at the titles in any niche.  There is an excellent probability that some of the most popular books will include some variation of this format:  “101 Ways to ______________.”  or  “10 Steps to _____________.”

    Try all of these descriptors:

    • Ways
    • Steps
    • Ideas
    • Secrets
    • Facts
    • Things
    • Reasons
    • Basic
    • Rules
    • Tips
    • Best
    • Popular
    • Easy
    • Tricks
    • Hacks
    • Little know
    • Undiscovered
    • Brand New
    • Amazing
    • Fool proof
    • Proven
    • Professional

    Well, hopefully you get the idea of the various ways of setting up your “How to” information steps and instructions.  There are many more things you might say to introduce what you are going to “teach” or expose in your information.

    The Internet is the perfect vehicle for sharing your knowledge, your expertise, and your instructions if you desire to base your business on providing information to consumers in your niche.  It allows anyone with an Internet connection and a little bit of technical savvy to record and publish their “How to” material so that it can be presented to millions of people across the globe!

    The Internet plus your valuable “How to” niche information can become the basis of a home-based business that will provide a very nice full-time income for its owner.  It’s a tried and proven business model that anyone can dive into!

    To your online business success,

  • Membership Sites – When is This Business Model Effective?

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    I believe there are natural and logical reasons to have a membership site (also called a subscription site or continuity site) based upon the needs and desires of your audience and the niche you are in.  Subscriptions or recurring payments are not the best model to choose simply because you would like a monthly income stream you can count on.

    Private recurring payment sites have been around for quite awhile. Most are set up with membership site software or plugins that perform the magic of keeping non-members out while still allowing paid members access to all the content, downloads, and other resources offered by the site owner. Some premium software packages include lots of additional capabilities like a community forum, image gallery, built-in emailing, affiliate program, member profiles and other bells and whistles.

    Costs for a membership site will vary significantly depending upon the complexity of the site, whether the software is self-hosted or hosted remotely on the vendor’s servers or in “the cloud,” and other considerations. You could pay a one-time fee of $25 for a WordPress plugin to build your membership site or $997/month for a hosted enterprise solution. There are even some “free” alternatives; but I normally wouldn’t recommend them because they often place vendor ads and limitations on your content pages.

    Good subscription software is set up to handle recurring payments, new member set-up and welcome, lost password recovery, dripped content (which is scheduled content which appears on a pre-set time schedule), emailing to members, ways for members to interact, downloads of digital products, product payment transactions, automatic monthly billing, and other features all without a lot of site owner intervention.  Having said that, don’t assume that membership sites are “hands free” solutions that handle all the owner’s daily tasks – far from it.

    Be aware that membership sites can be set up for a specific number of weeks or months or they can be set for unlimited recurring periods (typically months) into the future until the member requests to leave and have his payments stopped.

    Membership sites are often touted as the best business model on the planet! Why? Promoters say they are easy money. The pitch goes like this: “You sell a membership once and stand to gain monthly additional payments (in theory) forever.” What could be easier, right? But people who promote the membership model in this way often don’t mention one huge downside. Most membership site owners will tell you that the average member only stays with the site for 3 or 4 months and then they quit. To be honest, I have never seen any valid or certified stats to confirm the average online membership length (if there is such a thing), but what I have shared is what I have heard from a number of successful membership site owners that I know personally.

    Some membership site owners keep their average member much longer than 3 months.  Obviously, there are a number of factors related to average length of stay (sometimes referred to as “churn” – the process of signing new members to replace current paid members that leave).

    Some members will attempt to join a site, download everything, then either request a refund or quit the site after the first month’s payment. To combat this “hit and run” behavior, many membership site owners will “drip” content over time so that a member only gets specific pre-determined content each month … he will not have full access to everything all at once.

    What does this turnover mean for the site owner? Of course it means that the owner must be constantly replenishing paid members that leave if he wants to maintain his/her monthly income from the recurring payments. He must constantly promote his site for new subscribers.

    In order to combat this attrition or turnover, some site owners offer fixed one-time pricing for a set period of time or year long (or greater) membership terms at a good discount in order to persuade new members upfront that they should join at the lowest price available and stay for the duration of the period.

    I believe that the best way to keep members for longer periods is to make the site experience a very user-friendly one, make the price very reasonable (so the cost-benefit ratio is outstanding), and deliver benefits (content, interaction, downloads, site features, customer service, etc) that are unique and highly valuable in the eyes of the members. Think about it … if the content and experience at the private site is relevant to the desires of the member, and if all the benefits are unique, highly prized, and not to be found elsewhere … why would the members want to leave?

    Long standing members will be those who are highly targeted to the niche of the site. Rabid and fanatical members who love the subject of the membership site will be the core element of the membership program. It’s why some niches don’t really lend themselves to this business model – the people in the niche are luke-warm about it or they are only casual participants. You want avid, “converted,” and life-long nichers that are in this marketplace everyday if possible.

    So what kind of niches and member audiences lend themselves to the membership business model?  I believe that membership site platforms are a logical solution for these situations:

    1- A niche where there is ongoing and important news, events, happenings, changes and the need to contact members with ongoing updates. Examples of this type of niche would include a stock market advisory service or a daily discount site where new offers come out continually.  Members can visit the site whenever and as often as they like for the latest news!
    2- A niche where there are a ton of downloads that will be of interest to the members like a cooking site where new recipes are given or a sewing site where there are lots of patterns and advice (instructions) to consume.  With the membership platform, the owner can give members access to a huge amount of information and let them choose what suits their fancy and when they want to consume it.
    3- A niche where the members would like continual on-going training or help in learning a new skill or mastering a process. Examples might be a site that gives ongoing tutorials of Photoshop tips, or a site offering guitar lessons, or a site on how to run your small business or an on-going series of different yoga exercises.  Many of these sites use video tutorials to show the members how to accomplish things.
    4- A niche where a particular skill or hobby is a passion for the members – it is an important part of their daily lives and they want to stay abreast of everything about the niche. Examples might be serious runners, professional photographers, genealogists or scrapbookers.  Skill and hobby sites are often “hangouts” for their members who come to both learn and engage with others in their niche.
    5- A niche where professionals or serious participants might gather as part of an organized group, like an association of local business owners, a local charity, a club, a group of drama enthusiasts, or a volunteer organization.  The membership site is not for just anyone – members gain access because of the credentials or their current employment or service status.
    6- A niche where the impetus is on community and the social side of membership. Such groups like local senior citizens, Harley Davidson motorcycle owners, cruise ship travelers, trailer and RV owners, etc, often come together at membership sites to gain new friends, talk about their common passion, exchange useful consumer information, and share their own experiences in the niche with other like-minded people.
    7- A niche where there is a monthly (or at least steady periodic) need to provide information or a product.  You’ve seen services and web sites of this type – “Book of the Month Club,” or “Weekly Games for Moms with Active Kids,” or “Song of the Day.”  It makes sense to gather a private audience into a membership site in order to deliver regular periodic treasures or products that are meant only for paying subscribers.

    There are surely other reasons to have a membership site as well. What I’m suggesting is that certain niches and types of audiences lend themselves to subscription sites better than others. This is where the business model (membership platform) really shines.  Without a membership platform, think of what a business person would have to spend in time, money and energy to gather a audience of (say) 1,000 people, subscribe them to the service, keep monthly payments coming in, keep up constant contact with them, and provide content, engagement, assistance, products and marketing.  The automation of the membership platform allows the solo entrepreneur to manage all of these things from his software dashboard and still keep his sanity!

    Here’s a caution:  I don’t think just extending the offer of one product after another to your audience is the way to run a subscription business. It’s not a reason, in my opinion, why your members will keep coming back to the site. Ditto for worthless general and “found anywhere online” information like rehashed PLR content. Consumers don’t like to be continually sold, day after day, and they will see through your “membership” idea if all you do is hammer them with dubious paid offers under the guise of a niche community.

    Another caution is this:  sometimes consumers come online to find a specific solution to a curable problem.  If that is the kind of information you offer, a membership site is probably not right for you.  Once the problem is fixed, or solved, or cured . . . then what?  Why does the site member need you further?  What else do you have to offer that he is passionate about?

    TIP: Even though you may currently not have a subscription site, it’s time to think about offering a private membership  when your customers and prospects begin asking for “premium” content or they want access to a higher level of what you have already given them. When the niche information on your blog or at your web site is not enough to satisfy some customers, or maybe they want direct help or access to you and your brain, then the natural extension of a blog site or information business is a paid private membership site with more in-depth premium content that those willing to pay will enjoy. Coaches and mentors can often benefit from giving this added help based in a membership site.

    I think it is a gamble to go to the effort of setting up a membership site if you first don’t know whether there is a real interest in what you’re going to offer to the niche participants. Do some focused targeted online research, listen to your audience, ask them if they would like to see a members only area and if they would be willing to pay for it. I hope this all makes sense to you.

    To your online business success!

    Steve Browne

    www.stevebrownedirect.com

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  • A Power of a Strong Call-to-Action

    www.SteveBrowneDirect.comMarketers have long understood the value and importance of a strong and powerful Call-to-Action (CTA, for short).  It’s not enough to simply present an offer and leave the final decision on what to do to the prospect.

    The CTA is actually a command, a motivation to take some action, and an invitation to take another step in the sales process.

    Successful marketers understand the power of guiding the prospect toward making a purchase once the sales offer has been presented in full.

    I would like to offer some ideas or suggestions on how the make you next CTA a more powerful sales agent.

    First, be sure that your CTA is direct, specific, and detailed enough that there’s no question about what action you want the prospect to take next!  Credibility and believeability are important so think about using any supporting material you can think of . . . like statistics, percentages, endorsements, testimonials, etc.  Your prospects will see you as a more credible marketer when you use supporting data and facts that make your case stronger.

    Second, coupons, sales, and freebies can be a part of any CTA.  They usually increase the perceived value of an offer.  They often motivate people sitting on the fence and not able to make a decision.  A flash sale, a one-time coupon, and even quantity discounts can be just what a CTA needs to move a non-committing prospect.

    Here’s an example:  instead of simply ending your sale page with “Click Here” or “Buy Now” . . . you might want to say something like “Get this Free training that has been increasing my sales conversions by 50% this past month!”  Or something similar – be creative and come up with your own hot idea to add value and power to your next CTA!

    Third, add the principle of urgency to your CTA.  Many would-be purchasers are in a hurry, a rush, or are anxious to get on with life.  If you don’t give the prospect good reasons to buy now . . . he probably won’t buy at all.  But here’s a caution – most marketer’s overdo this principle and insult the intelligence of the buyer in the mean time.  We all hear many marketing messages on every form of media telling us that we have to act fast before the offer is gone forever!  People see right through fake or false urgency and when they do . . . often they feel manipulated and not inclined to buy from this merchant.

    If there is a buying deadline, tell prospects exactly what it is (i.e. Friday at 10:00pm Eastern time.)

    Instead of saying “download your free copy” of something, provide a specific number or quantity that will be available.  You might say it this way:  “Hurry, there are only 25 copies being given away!”  It’s important that the marketer follow through and be truthful about the CTA happening as stated.  Don’t give away 50 copies if you said you were going to give away 25.  Be honest and up-front as some people will check to see if you are good for you word!

    Fourth, be sure to make the CTA simple and uncomplicated.  Only promise one offer, one gift, or one solution at a time.  Too many results complicates the CTA and sometimes confuses the buyer.  If you want to add additional “goodness” to any offer, do it after the fact (for example, on the download page or as a “surprise unannounced bonus.”  It’s best to keep the CTA short and hard hitting.

    Fifth, only give one command in the CTA, otherwise you stand a good chance of making it boring and not so urgent.  Don’t ask the prospect to do more than one thing – like visit multiple web sites, remember multiple facts, or take a series of actions.

    Sixth, make the CTA stand out!  Boring, run-of-the-mill, vanilla or “lazy” CTAs don’t cut it these days.  We are all bombarded with hundreds, even thousands of marketing messages each day and it is easy to a prospect to filter out or ignore bland CTAs.

    Often the design or graphical elements used in the offer’s CTA can make it really pop and be something that is difficult to ignore.  It can grab attention and direct a prospect to take quick action.

    There is a big difference between a small narrative link that is black and says “Click Here” compared to a large red button, a pretty model pointing to it, and a CTA that entices the prospect to “Download 101 Tips Guaranteed to Triple Your Online Sales.”

    Seventh, be extremely clear and straightforward in “commanding” the prospect in whatever action you want him to take next.  Remember, one action only per CTA.  Make the CTA easy to understand, easy to execute, and easy to justify as being the next logical step in the buying progression.

    Eighth, keep track of all your CTAs and split test them so that you can compare their performance based on facts rather than hunches!  It will pay you dividends to track how well various CTAs perform and keep a swipe file on hand so you can use the best ones over and over in your marketing.  Just use split testing and keep all other variables of the offer constant.

    I hope these eight suggestions will make sense to you.  Crafting a powerful and valuable CTA is not really a difficult thing.  CTAs can make a noticeable difference in your marketing results so don’t underestimate their power!

    To your online business success,

    Steve Browne

    www.SteveBrowneDirect.com

  • Five Ideas to Get Clicks to Your Affiliate Link

    www.SteveBrowneDirect.comNo matter what type of affiliate product or service you’re selling, you’re probably always looking for ways to get your offers in front of more prospects . . . and you’re looking for ways to get folks to click on your affiliates links.

    It is often said that marketing is a numbers game – the more targeted prospects who see your offers, the more money you make.  Of course, that’s assuming that your have a great product to promote and that you have compelling reasons why the prospect should click on your link now.

    With that in mind, here are five killer tips for getting others to click your affiliate links . . .

    1.  Buy and Use the Product You’re Going to Be Promoting

    It should come as no surprise that most affiliates never purchase or have any experience with the product they are promoting.  It’s simply lazy marketing to slap on an affiliate link to an email and hope that someone clicks and buys the product.  How can an affiliate give a good and truthful recommendation to a product without owning it and trying it out?  Seems rather logical doesn’t it?  Truth be told, the vast majority of affiliates are much more concerned about their potential commission than the best interest of their customer.

    2.  Build Trust First

    People buy from those they know, like and trust.  So if you’re a virtual stranger who’s asking people to click on your affiliate links, guess what happens?  Usually, not a darn thing!  No one clicks because no one that sees your link trusts you.

    Instead of hitting your prospects cold, you need to publish a newsletter and/or preferably a blog, too.  By doing this, your prospects get to know you with each issue you send out or article you post.  You’ll also build trust with your audience by providing free, quality solutions to their problems, questions, and desires.

    3.  Pre-Sell Your Products

    Even if people know, like and trust you, they’re still not going to rush to click your affiliate links unless you give them a good reason to do so. What that means is that you need to pre-sell your affiliate offers before you send your visitors on to the vendor’s page.

    Here are three ways to do exactly that…

    a.  Do a product review or comparison.  If you want to sell a single product, then you can do a product review.  This is where you share the good points (benefits) of the products, the product’s flaws and your “verdict” (whether you recommend it or not).

    Tip:  If you just want to offer the product benefits, then you’re basically writing a sales letter.  Now that’s OK, but don’t confuse it with a product review.  A review is an honest assessment of the product, including product flaws.  However, don’t be afraid to share the flaws, as doing so makes people trust you more – and that greater trust increases your conversion rate.

    Alternatively, you can compare two or more similar products – flaws and all – and let your readers know which one you recommend.

    b.  Share a case study.  People want proof that a product works.  One way to offer proof is by sharing a case study of what types of results you or someone else got by using the product.

    c.  Build anticipation.  Another way to get people to click on your affiliate links is by building anticipation and curiosity.  You can do this over a series of emails.  Alternatively, you can also do it in just one email, where you get people curious about the sales page.

    4. Add Value to Your Offers

    When you’re an affiliate, you’re in direct competition with other affiliates who are selling exactly the same product.  One way to virtually eliminate the competition is by adding value to the offer – that is, you offer a related bonus product or service to those who purchase the item through your affiliate link.  Make the bonus offer relevant and useful to the product being promoted if at all possible.

    Examples:

    • You offer a free sales letter critique to those who buy a copywriting course through your link.
    • You offer a free blogging course for those who purchase a traffic-generation course through your link.
    • You offer a free exercise book and a free recipe book to those who purchase a diet course through your link.

    5.  If You’re a Serious Affiliate . . . Build an Email List in the Niche

    It’s no secret that the best affiliates tend to focus their promotion efforts in a few targeted, and often related niche marketplaces.  Why do they do this?  One reason is that they understand the specific marketplace and the desires of prospects in it.  They know the types of products that sell well, they know how and where to contact prospects, and they know the various vendors that are selling successfully.  Here’s another important reason:  they can promote and sell related items to the same prospects that have purchased previously in the niche.  That strategy is a whole lot easier and more productive that finding new buying prospects.  So these successful affiliates build niche mailing lists and often have great targeted audiences that they can tap into with related offers.  It’s a huge advantage over other affiliates that are simply prospecting for first time buyers!

    In summary:  You can get more clicks to your affiliate links and more money in your pocket simply by doing these five things:

    • Buy and use the product you’re going to be promoting.
    • Building trust in your prospects first.
    • Pre-sell your products.
    • Add value to your offers.
    • Build an email list in the niche.

    Apply all five of these tips ASAP and see if you don’t start enjoying more sales, too!

    To your online business success,

    Steve Browne

    www.SteveBrowneDirect.com

  • How to Turn Targeted Prospects into Loyal Subscribers

    www.SteveBrowneDirect.comYou’ve created a blog or a niche website with quality content that your prospects want.  You’ve included a compelling sales page and an order button.

    Now what?  How do you convince your prospects to become subscribers and customers of your niche business?

    There are many creative and unique ways to do it, but often the tried and true proven techniques that other successful online business owners have used for years are the place you should start.

    1. Specialize and Focus Like a Laser

    It seems almost counter-intuitive – you’d think that if your site would appeal to as many people as possible, you’d get more members.  But usually it doesn’t work that way.  Instead, you’ll get more members once you focus your site’s topic and all your marketing materials like a laser on one niche only.

    Example:  Let’s say your site teaches people how to build a website.  You should focus on one niche, such as “web design for ebook marketers” or “web design for private practice doctors.”

    Think about it . . .

    Let’s say an ebook marketer wants to learn how to build a site.  Is he going to go to “Joe Blow’s Web Design” membership site . .  or to the “Web Design for Ebook Marketers Site?”  That’s right, he’s going to choose your site because it’s geared specifically to his needs.

    2. Give a Free or Low-Cost Sample

    You can get more paying customers and members if you first give people a free or low-cost trial membership (such as $1 for one week).

    Doing so gives people a chance to get a look at the inside of your site to see if it’s right for them.  Since you collected their credit card info before they joined the site, you can automatically start their paid subscription once the trial is over (of course begin fully transparent about how your offer works, when they will be charged, etc).

    3. Share the Benefits

    As mentioned previously, you’ll need a sales letter to help turn prospects into members.  While you’re sharing all the benefits of your membership content in general, don’t forget about the benefits of the membership site itself.  For example:

    • Small price.  A monthly fee (such as $10 or $20 or even $50 per month) sounds small compared to a one-time fee such as $297.  As such, you can get more members by focusing on this small recurring fee.  You may even break it down further by reminding your prospects of the daily cost (e.g., “just 75 cents a day – about the price of a candy bar…”).
    • Not overwhelming. If you have a training site and you’re tackling a big topic, let prospects know that they won’t get overwhelmed since you’re offering a step-by-step course in weekly installments.

    4. Let People “Peek” Inside the Site

    Whether you offer free trials or not, you can get more members simply by letting prospects “peek” inside the site.  There are multiple ways to do this, including (but not necessarily limited to):

    • Providing partial content, such as the first paragraph of an article with a link or a description of report with a link.  When people click on the link, they’re encourage to become a member.
    • Screenshots of the inside of the site, which shows the materials available, a listing or relevant content, the community forum, etc.
    • Video of the inside of the members-only area of the site.  Just use screen recording software like Camtasia and record yourself “touring” the site.  It’s a very compelling way to introduce what you offer.

    5. Create an Enticing Squeeze Page

    You can’t just put up the words “free newsletter,” post your subscription form and expect a rush of new subscribers.

    Instead, you need to create a squeeze page, which is sort of a sales letter for your newsletter.  This page should include the usual parts of a sales letter such as the headline, the bulleted benefit list and a strong call to action.

    Here are two additional tips:

    • Answer the “what’s in it for me” question (WIIFM).  From the second your reader lands on your squeeze page, he’s going to wonder, “what’s in it for me?”  Your headline should answer that question by promising a big benefit.  Every line of your copy should continue answering that question until your prospect is convinced he needs to join your list.
    • Make it reader-oriented.  Your letter should use the word “you” as much as possible (otherwise the reader will lose interest).  If you have statements that include the word “I,” see if you can rewrite them using the word “you.”

    Example:  “I’ll show you how to train your dog.”

    Rewritten:  “You’ll discover how to train your dog.”

    6. Offer a Freebie in the Form of a “Lead Magnet”

    Yes, your newsletter is free.  But you need to offer a little extra bonus to entice subscribers to join right now.  This extra bonus might be something like:

    • Free access to a membership site.
    • Free ebook or special report.
    • Free access to tele-seminar.
    • Free audio recordings.
    • Free video.
    • Free software.
    • A free multi-part e-course delivered by autoresponder. (This is one of the best freebies, because it trains your subscribers to read your emails!).
    • Other free tools, help or resources.

    7. Provide Social Proof

    Your prospects may not believe or trust you if they don’t know you well.  If they don’t believe you, they’ll guard their email addresses and click the back button.  That’s why you should include proof such as endorsements, testimonials, screenshots, video, pictures and other evidence that your claims are true.

    Examples:

    • You might provide “before” and “after” pictures on a bodybuilding site.
    • You might provide video proof of your Clickbank account to show that you know what you’re talking about in terms of affiliate marketing.
    • You might add testimonials from your customers showing how you gave them expert training in your membership site.

    8. Arouse Curiosity

    One of the best ways to boost your conversion rate is by arousing your prospect’s curiosity about your newsletter and/or your freebie offer.  You can do this in your headline as well as in your list of benefits.

    Examples:

    • “Discover a sales letter trick that doubles your conversion rate overnight – see page 18 to learn this surprisingly simple trick!”
    • “You’ll find out what five words you can say to a marketer that will virtually guarantee he’ll agree to your joint venture!”

    9. List Your Policies (Terms & Conditions, Privacy Policy, Earnings Disclaimer, etc)

    You should include a link to your privacy policy on your newsletter subscription page.  Most people won’t read it; but, it can boost your conversion rate for those individuals who are concerned about how you’ll use their contact details.  Be sure to let subscribers know you won’t trade, sell or otherwise share their information.  You want to reduce the risk a prospect feels when volunteering his private information.

    10. Make Individual Contact or Follow-up

    Most marketers won’t do this . . . but if you can (especially if your list is small and in the early stages), it will endear your subscribers to you because most of them will never have another business owner personally follow-up with them without being asked to do so.  Personal contact is not “business as usual” on the Internet!  Don’t be afraid to show your customers that you’re a concerned and caring individual.

    Well, there you have it – 10 proven ways successful marketers get more people to join their email list.  Naturally, just knowing these tips won’t grow your list.  So start applying them today, because the sooner you do, the sooner you can reap the rewards!

    To your online business success,

    Steve Browne

    www.SteveBrowneDirect.com

  • Ten (10) Ideas for Getting More Subscribers

    www.SteveBrowneDirect.comThere’s a fortune that lays hidden in your mailing list.  The bigger your list, chances are the bigger fortune for you to tap.

    That’s why these 10 ideas or tips for getting more mailing list subscribers are almost as good as money in the bank!

    1. Include a call to action (CTA) at the end of your blog posts

    Let your visitors know that if they like your blog posts, they’ll love your newsletter content.  That’s because you save some of your best niche tips, tricks and secrets for your loyal subscribers.

    To get more subscribers, include a link to your landing page at the bottom of your posts, along with a reason to click on that link.

    Example:  “Discover 101 more weight loss tricks for free – click here!”

    2. Encourage a viral effect

    You can get more subscribers simply by including a note at the bottom of every newsletter where you encourage your existing subscribers to forward your email (or newsletter) to their friends, family and colleagues who could benefit from the information.

    Example:  “Do you know someone else who could benefit from these dog training secrets?  Please forward this email to them – they’ll thank you for it!”

    3. Use your forum signature file to get new subscribers

    If you’re visiting busy niche forums, include an ad and a call to action in your forum signature.

    Example:  “Free report reveals the health secrets your doctor doesn’t want you to know!  Click here to claim your copy now…”

    4. Point your Twitter followers to a free report

    You can use Twitter.com as well as other social media sites (like Facebook.com) to grow your list.  Simply point your fans and followers towards your squeeze page to pick up a free and valuable niche report.  Include this link on your profile page as well as in some of your posts (“tweets”).

    5. Embed your links in your products

    Sometimes people share your digital products with their friends.  Sometimes they give away or sell pirated copies of your product.  Either way, you can benefit from this if you include links to your squeeze page in your paid products.

    6. Drive traffic to your landing page using videos

    You can create YouTube.com videos for the sole purpose of driving traffic to your newsletter sign up page.  To get the best results, include a call to action at the end of your video where you promise viewers they can get the second part of the video – for free – when they join your list.

    7. Tap into Quora to get new subscribers

    Make relevant content contributions around niche topics with the purpose of driving visitors to your landing page or web site.  In other words, all your content and social media links should point to your landing or squeeze page (depending upon your purpose).

    8. Co-promote with others in your niche

    Here you can swap endorsements with your partners.  You can post your endorsements on your respective blogs as well as in your newsletters and subscriber emails.

    9. Unleash the power of content marketing

    This is one of my strongest suggestions:  create a multi-part article or report series around your niche topic.  Then upload Part 1 to the article directories (such as EzineArticles.com, GoArticles.com and IdeaMarketers.com) and upload the rest of the series to your autoresponder.  Use your article byline to encourage people to get Part 2 of the article by clicking through to your squeeze page.

    10. Form a newsletter co-op

    Do a co-registration deal with one or more authoritative people in your niche.  That is, when a prospect is joining your partner’s newsletter, they also get the option of joining your newsletter at the same time (simply by checking a checkbox).

    Summary:  You can use each of these ten ideas to get dozens, hundreds or even thousands of new subscribers.  Just imagine how big your list will be once you apply all these methods and do it consistently over time!

    To your online business success,

    Steve Browne

    www.SteveBrowneDirect.com

  • Learn This Invaluable Skill Regardless of Your Niche

    www.SteveBrowneDirect.comThere are many skills that come in handy for small business owners. I’d like to take a minute to share what I feel is one of the most helpful and valuable skills anyone can develop with some practice.

    I am the first to suggest that if a business owner doesn’t personally possess a skill, he can outsource to find it, take on a partner who has it, or simply study and learn and practice until a skill becomes part of his talent.

    But if you know how to do this, you will have all the content, products, and online help a business owner could ask for.

    Anyone can do it. Most newbies avoid it. It takes some effort, but it gets easier every time you do it. It’s a skill that has literally made people millions! Seriously.

    We learned it’s basic steps in elementary school (if you paid attention), practiced it a lot in high school, and refined it in college.

    Here’s a hint if you haven’t figured out what this skill is:

    According to Samuel Johnson . . . “Knowledge is of two kinds. We know a subject ourselves, or we know where we can find information upon it.”

    The answer is of course . . . drum roll . . . research!

    Nowhere is the lack of this skill (or at least the willingness to do it) more evident than in many people’s failing businesses.  Often owners and webmasters avoid it at all costs.  Certainly research takes some effort, knowledge, and patience.  But I believe even those who aren’t experts in research have a distinct advantage over others that don’t or won’t do any research.

    In the business world, knowledge is power!  Knowledge and understanding of the niche marketplace, of consumer preferences, of cutting edge techniques and strategies, and of news, events, and the competition all increase the business power of an entrepreneur.

    Let me tell you this (of which I’m 100% certain):  those business owners that do their market research (or have someone on staff do it) will have a distinct advantage over competitors that don’t do research.

    I believe that, in many instances, small businesses fail because the knowledge and understanding of the solo operator about his/her own niche market is not sufficient … or is just plain out of touch with reality.  Smart research helps to eliminate that problem.

    Research has many “pluses” (things beside owner knowledge):

    • You get a more sure and detailed answer to your questions
    • You benefit immensely just from the actual process of “digging” for an answer
    • You become exposed to both (or many) sides of a question or issues so as to enhance your total understanding
    • You learn a lot about related or peripheral issues that affect the subject so that you are better informed
    • You learn what doesn’t work or what has failed in the past (things about the subject to avoid)
    • In the end, you become a better business owner because of what research has exposed you to

    You will never be at a loss for content, blog posts, articles, information products, or help in solving a problem because knowing how to do research means the knowledge of others will always be available to you (especially when you draw a blank and don’t have clear ideas of your own).

    How do you do research?  Excellent question.

    Why don’t you go research that subject.

    After you’ve had a chance at personal discovery, I’ll come back with a few ideas and tips of my own.

    To your online business success,

    Steve Browne

    www.SteveBrowneDirect.com

  • Products Not Selling?

    www.SteveBrowneDirect.comImagine this…

    You create your amazing product.  You put up your sales page and order button.  Then you unleash your advertising skills to get your offer in front of as many people as possible.  And then . . .

    Nothing.

    No sales.  Well, maybe a tiny trickle.  But not the flood of PayPal or Clickbank notifications that we you were expecting.

    Avoid this nightmare by following these simple and proven tips for getting others to buy your products.

    1. Get the Offer in Front of Targeted Audiences

    First things first:  get your offer in front of laser targeted prospects.

    Example:  If you’re selling a dog training book, don’t email your marketing list and expect to make sales.  Instead, get your offer in front of people who are likely to buy (e.g., people who need to train their dogs).  Of course this strategy requires that you have researched the marketplace so you understand where your specifically targeted prospects can be found.

    2. Craft a Compelling Sales Letter

    Next, you need to create a sales page that persuades your prospects to buy your product.  This means your sales letter ought to have an attention-getting headline, an opener that hooks the prospect and engages his/her emotions, a bulleted list of benefits, proof that your claims are true and a motivating call to action.

    3. Give a Bonus

    You want to give your prospects a good deal, so that as they read the sales letter they’re thinking, “Wow, I can’t believe I get all this for just 50 bucks” or whatever.  Then you really thrill them by throwing in a valuable, tightly related bonus.  This small act turns a “good deal” into a “no brainer” and it can entice fence sitters to take action because of the bonus that competitors don’t offer.

    4. Offer a Guarantee

    Your prospects are worried that your product won’t work for them.  So put their worries to bed by offering a risk-reversal – that is, a satisfaction guarantee.  Unconditional, strong and long guarantees usually deliver the best conversion rates to you.

    5. Create a Sense of Urgency

    You need to have a strong call to action at the end of your letter that tells your prospects exactly what to do next (e.g., “get out your credit card and click here to get started now…”).  But you also need to give your prospects a good reason to act NOW, otherwise they may leave the page and not come back.

    The solution?  Create a sense of urgency by:

    • Reminding the prospect that his pain and his problems will be over when he buys the product.
    • Offering a limited-time discount or bonus offer.
    • Offering a limited quantity of products.
    • Offering a bonus or discount to the first few dozen or hundred people who order.

    6. Close the Sale Via Multiple Contacts

    The vast majority of your prospects won’t buy the first time they see your sales page, especially if they don’t know who you are (or they weren’t referred by a trusted friend or third party).  As such, you can increase your conversion rate by getting your sales letter visitors into an autoresponder series of at least seven messages.  This series should build trust by offering a good content, while including promotions to close the sale.

    7. Test and Track Your Results

    Finally, testing and tracking your sales letter, price, and ad campaigns puts more money in your pocket.  It helps you figure out what part of the process gets more people to buy your product.  That way, you can focus on those parts of the process that give you the highest profits.

    You just discovered seven surefire ways to get people to buy more of your products.

    Don’t pick and choose the methods you like best.  Instead, incorporate all seven ideas . . . and enjoy the results!

    To your online business success,

    Steve Browne

    www.SteveBrowneDirect.com

  • Gathering Your Blog Audience

    www.SteveBrowneDirect.comIf you’ve ever created a blog before, then you know that the saying, “build it and they will come” just isn’t true – at least not for blogs!  However, there are some smart and practical ways you can get more people interested in visiting your blog by following these five suggestions which have been proven by successful blog owners over and over again.

     1.  Pick a topic in a niche that has good demand

    What is the sense of blogging on a topic that no one cares about?  If you’re blogging for fun or just blogging to fulfill a desire to write and publish your feelings . . . then go ahead and blog about whatever you want.  But if your intent is to help other people in a specific niche and get paid for your value, you need to focus on a topic that is currently in demand.

    The topic of your blog doesn’t need to have massive demand.  In fact, many of the most successful blogs are in very tight niches where you would not suppose there is major demand.  But for a moment, consider the “reach” of the Internet . . .

    “Internet users. As of June 2018, 55.1% of the world’s population has internet access. In 2015, the International Telecommunication Union estimated about 3.2 billion people, or almost half of the world’s population, would be online by the end of the year.”   Source:  Wikipedia.org

    Even some minor niches have enough targeted prospects to make for a good sized audience for a blogger!

    2.  Offer high quality content

    By “high quality” content, I mean you should blog about topics that are relevant to the wants and desires of your audience.  To find out what they want, follow these steps:

    • Find out what types of information products they’re already buying – then write blog posts on the same topic.
    • Use a keyword tool (like WordTracker) to find out what topics people in your niche are looking for.
    • Drop by busy niche forums and other blogs in the niche to see which topics are generating the most views and discussion.
    • Survey your readers to find out what they want.
    • Visit Amazon books to see what niche topics are popular and selling well.
    • Visit the “Dummies” book site and see if there are books on the niche topic
    • Visit your local bookstore or Magazines(dot)com and see if there are magazines devoted to the topic

    3. Update frequently

    Sometimes people start a blog, post a flurry of articles and then abandon the blog for months at a time.  If you allow dated posts, then your visitors aren’t likely to come back again if they notice that you don’t update regularly.

    What you need to do is commit to posting to your blog at least once a week.  If you don’t want to be chained to your blog like this, then create the content ahead of time and automatically “drip” it to your readers.  Alternatively, hire a ghostwriter to both create the content and post it.

    Point is, you need to post often to keep your blog from looking like a deserted island.

    4. Create regular features

    Here’s a great way to turn a one-time visitor into a repeat visitor.  Specifically, by creating “regular features” and multi-part blog posts that your visitors can look forward to.

    Example:  Maybe you create a seven-part article about how to make money with pay per click marketing.  Maybe you space it out so that you’re posting one or two articles per week.  You can bet that your readers will return at least once a week just to finish reading the series.

    Another way to get more visitors is by creating a regular feature, such as a “tip of the week” feature or even a “questions from our readers” feature.

    There are lots of other ways to add regular features – brainstorm and get a little creative and you will find some great ideas.

    5. Write about hot topics

    One way to get a surge of traffic and increase in your blog popularity is by writing about hot or even controversial topics.  You can include relevant keywords and “ping” the blog directories (like technorati.com) to make sure that those who are searching for the hot topic see your post.

    Another way to leverage a hot topic is by joining in on the blogosphere conversation.  Simply find a popular blog discussing a hot topic, and use a trackback to add your response.

    6. Get someone influential to endorse your blog

    Finally, you can get others to visit your blog by first getting someone influential in your niche to endorse you (and your blog).  You can do this indirectly, such as by offering to be a guest author on the other person’s blog.  You can also ask your joint venture partners to directly endorse you on their blogs and in their newsletters (and you’ll return the favor).

    It’s free advertising.  In addition, it’s also extremely powerful because you’re using social proof to increase your readership.

    There you have it.  You just discovered five smart and proven ways to get others to visit your blog – and to visit it again and again!  Your next step is to take action on these suggestions.  Starting today; apply these tips . . . and keep an eye on your traffic logs!

    To your online business success,

    Steve Browne

    www.SteveBrowneDirect.com

  • Mentor or Coach? Which Do You Need?

    www.SteveBrowneDirect.comI can tell you how to get any successful business owner to mentor you!

    It’s very simple . . . don’t ask him to be your mentor or coach. If you do, he will nearly always turn you down.

    Let me explain by first clearing the air a little about online mentors and business coaches.

    To me, at least, mentors and coaches are not the same thing. I realize, however, that the two terms are confused and used interchangeably online all the time.

    I believe a mentor is a friend, a teacher, a supporter, and an advisor.

    I believe a coach is a something different. To me, a coach is a private tutor or trainer, someone who is typically retained under contract to give one-on-one direction and specialized training fit to the needs of the client in order to get that client to a higher level of output or performance. A coach is also a motivator and a cheerleader that sees the client/coach progress as a team effort.

    Certainly, I acknowledge that there is some cross-over in the roles and functions of mentors and coaches.

    Why does all this matter? Let me explain my thinking here.

    If you want to hire someone to help you individually in your business, IMO, you should go out into the marketplace specifically looking for a successful business owner that does paid coaching.

    If you ask most successful business owners to be your mentor they will almost always turn you down. They will worry that if they become an “official” mentor:

    • it will become a major time drain for them – time away from their own business
    • they may not be able to provide you with what you really need
    • they will let you down when they can’t constantly hold your hand
    • you are just one more “iron in the fire” that complicates their business day
    • named association with you may not be in their best interest
    • they may not appreciate your valued time by being themselves lazy, unteachable, or unwilling to follow the advise that you are genuinely giving – in essence, they are a waste of your time.

    Can you hire or pay a mentor to do that? IMO, you are confusing terms again and what you really want is a paid coach. When compensation, or contracts, or specific time commitments, or performance measures are involved, we’re in the realm of coaching.

    So if you want a mentor (a teacher or advisor), here is what I suggest:

    1. Befriend a wise and successful business owner but don’t abuse your relationship by expecting handholding, specific time commitments, or special “preferred” status of any kind
    2. Be willing to observe how your mentor does his business without personally taking up his time. Watch and learn how he runs his business, dissect his selling system, his lead generating activities, his funnels, his web site, his email list, his newsletter, his follow-up. If you can, buy his product(s) and become his subscriber and see what he does for you, his customer.
    3. Offer to help him in any way you can with no reciprocation needed (or expected) on his part
    4. Cultivate your relationship in various professional ways without being a stalker, a groupy, or like a clinging child under foot. Offer to give him time in your specialty, take him to lunch occasionally (if you are nearby), give him credit for your successes, support his business.
    5. Very important: don’t abuse your relationship or “expect” anything beyond friendship.

    I have often heard people describe how much their wonderful mentors have helped them, but if you were to ask that mentor what they had done, they may looked puzzled . . . as though they hadn’t really done anything special for that person except to be a friend.

    If you ask me to be your coach or mentor . . . I will say “No thanks – nothing personal , but I turn down all such requests.” But I am happy to talk to friends about business, my own experiences, and what I believe or have learned about best practices, tools, and approaches in IM. I even try to help strangers when I can (ever read any of my blog or forum posts?).

    Is this post making sense?  I hope so.  Contrasting views are always welcome.

    To your online business success,

    Steve Browne

    www.SteveBrowneDirect.com