marketing tip

It’s All About the Benjamins: How to Make Money with an eBook

by Paul Joseph December 5, 2011 Featured

You have dreams.  Dreams of fame, a publishing career, and a Bill Gates-sized bank account.  You’re convinced that writing an eBook will earn you the big bucks. Publishing an eBook is just as much about marketing yourself as it is about writing.  (And you, Donald Trump wannabe, have no problems chatting yourself up.  This will be a piece of cake!) An eBook is an easy way to gain an audience and establish yourself as an expert; it can also be a moneymaker for the entrepreneur-in-training.  How do you make the leap from eBook author to bestseller? Writing Your eBook Your first focus should be the work itself.  You’ve no doubt picked a topic you know well, one which you could talk about in depth with other people.  (If you didn’t, count on being poor for a while!)  Your eBook needs to do three things for you: 1. Explain ideas clearly to your audience; 2. Add something new to the discussion; and 3. Be edited well. Your eBook should capture people’s attention with its subject matter, but the ideas contained within its pages are meaningless if your readers cannot understand what you’re saying, or have no idea how to apply your theories in real life.  Examples, brevity, and language free of jargon will go a long way toward this. You also want to ensure that you add something new to the topic being discussed, whether that’s a new way of viewing the subject or a new use for the information.  For example, if you are a niche expert on organic fabrics and most items on the subject revolve around how to make fashionable clothing from it, you may opt to write about how sustainability and fashion interact, or how organic fabrics can be used to make upholstery. Before you publish your eBook, ensure that your piece has been thoroughly proofed.  This means covering basics like grammar, punctuation, and spelling – your audience needs to take you seriously – but it also refers to getting feedback from secondary readers.  Ask friends, family, or colleagues you trust to read your eBook.  Select readers who will be honest and tell you that your book is loaded with run-on sentences, or that your second chapter seems a little skimpy.  You want your name to be associated with quality content.  (Don’t mention the ice chalet you plan to buy in the Alps with your earnings.) Marketing Your eBook Once you have self-published your eBook, you will need to get the word out.  Your work will be available online, so take advantage of this outlet.  There are many online communities out there with people who will help, or offer advice, for free.  Search for forums, blogs, and other websites that focus on your eBook’s subject – these people will be interested in helping you, and they’ll have great suggestions on ways to get the word out.  Schmoozing helps you here as much as it helps you anywhere! Build a reputation for yourself as an expert.  You can do this in many ways, from posting on the aforementioned websites (high-traffic sites will serve you best) to working with a company that will help you establish yourself as a specialist.  Many, like Digital Talent Agents, will utilize your expertise to find footholds across many media outlets. You can, of course, do some media marketing yourself.  (Let’s pretend you’re not doing this all day as it is, Richie Rich.)  Social media marketing and press releases are two things you can do on your own, and these are also two methods that allow you to use your current list of contacts to spread the viral word with simple links and documents.  Adding a link to your email signature is another efficient way to let your network know you’ve published a book – and you never know how many times your signature may get forwarded. You can go a step further and create excerpts of your eBook as marketing tools.  Writing an article or creating a short video that touches on the content of your eBook is essentially giving your customers a preview of your eBook; whetting their appetite is a great way to encourage a purchase.  The best commercials convince you to go see a new movie; think of your free articles and videos the same way. These are all very cost-efficient methods of selling your product, but this means nothing if your eBook isn’t readily available.  Try to post your book on as many sites as possible; good options include Amazon, iBookstore, Smashwords, and Us.  Remember your rights and responsibilities as an author – you own a copyright to your work, and so do others.  Some sites, like Amazon, spot-check books to ensure copyrights aren’t being violated.  Read up on Digital Rights Management to educate yourself on your rights. Success is Possible While these methods may seem simple, they work.  One well-known example of a successful eBook author is Amanda Hocking, a twenty-something who couldn’t find a publisher for her paranormal series for young adults.  She self-published her novels as eBooks and sold 450,000 copies of the books in one month. John Locke is another notable example; he sold one million dollars’ worth of eBooks in a 5-month period and landed himself on the New York Times Best Sellers List.  Why can’t that be you? As a self-publisher, putting your book together will not cost very much; however, completing the book doesn’t get you past the finish line.  As an unknown author, marketing yourself takes time and effort, but there’s a big payoff at the end.  And don’t forget – once you’re a success, you can count your money in that ice chalet while you write your next eBook. Nicolas Gremion is the founder of Paradise Publishers Inc. He started online in 2006 with a single website, www.Free-eBooks.net . His newest venture is Foboko.com to serve the popular desire people have to be published. Read more about Nicolas here .

Tagged as: business, business-ideas, entrepreneur, entrepreneurship, internet marketing, marketing tip

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Attracting Your Ideal Customer – Every Time

by Paul Joseph November 28, 2011 Featured

We often see entrepreneurs using what I would call a “shotgun approach” for their marketing efforts. They have the “throw enough [mud] at the wall and something’s bound to stick” philosophy. Not only is that an expensive tactic, it’s also not nearly as effective as targeting your ideal customers. When you organize your marketing (and your business itself) around your ideal customer set, you have an opportunity to truly speak to that audience in terms they understand and are likely to respond to. Casting a wide net – marketing to the public at large, in hopes some of your ideal customers will take notice – requires you to either craft your message in more general terms or risk alienating a large percentage of those who see it. How can you attract your ideal customers every time your message is sent out? Below are three keys to help any business focus their marketing on the group they most want to reach. 1. Identify your market. Who makes up your target market? It always concerns me when someone answers that question with something like, “Anyone and everyone.” Whatever you’re selling, you have a target audience for your product or service that’s made up of a much narrower group than that. And identifying that target group is the first step in any effective marketing plan. This step isn’t just about demographics though. Sure, knowing the age, gender, income level, and geographic location of your target market is important, but the deeper level of understanding you have of your customers, the more focused and effective your marketing can be. What are their pain points? Where do they hang out? What do they like to do? What are they complaining about? Get to know your current customers and create a profile of your ideal customer – who, by the way, should also be someone who buys frequently, and with little hesitation. 2. Find yourself. When they hit a certain age, many people begin to ask, “Who am I really?” And many go off to “find themselves” to answer that question. It’s time to perform a similar exercise for your business. You don’t have to climb a mountain in Tibet and talk to a guru though. This quest is about identifying the personality of your company and those traits that make it stand out from the crowd. Once you’ve figured out exactly who your ideal customer is, you have to give them a reason to choose you over your competition. Their decision will depend on your ability to communicate your uniqueness, and the better you know “who you are,” the easier it will be to do that. 3. Communicate clearly. You know who your ideal customer is; you know who you are. Now it’s time to communicate what you’ve learned. Whether you plan to use social media, radio, billboards, or an email campaign, you should be communicating the same message: If you’re this person (ideal customer) Looking for this (your product or service) From a company like this (“who you are”) Then we’re a perfect match! (buy now) Of course you’ll rarely communicate that message in those terms exactly, but whether it’s a full page ad or just an image with a few words of text, the point should be clear: You know your customers and what they want, and you’ve got it! What other tips do you have for targeting the perfect audience for your business? Share your insights in the comments and on our Facebook page ! Matthew Toren is an Award Winning Author, Serial Entrepreneur, and Investor. He Co-Founded YoungEntrepreneur.com along with his brother Adam. Matthew is co-author of the newly released book: Small Business, Big Vision: “Lessons on How to Dominate Your Market from Self-Made Entrepreneurs Who Did it Right” and also co-author of Kidpreneurs .

Tagged as: business, business planning, customers, entrepreneur, entrepreneurship, marketing, marketing tip, sales

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Niche Marketing: The Only Way to Fly

by Paul Joseph November 21, 2011 Featured

People are different – and that’s fantastic news. Not everyone has the same favorite color, likes the same food, enjoys the same activities, or laughs at the same jokes. Thank goodness that’s the case, or life would be pretty boring. But not only would life be boring – there would be no need for more than a few entrepreneurs in the world. If everyone’s needs and preferences were identical, the only reason to start a business would be to introduce a completely new concept, and there aren’t many of those. So we’re fortunate to live in a world where people have a diverse range of needs and wants, because it allows for all kinds of business opportunities. And if you know how to focus in on a particular need or want, your opportunity for success is great indeed. No Need for Total Uniqueness One of the best things about finding a niche to market to is that you don’t have to invent something brand new or come up with an idea that no one has ever considered before. It’s possible to approach an established product or service in a way that simply speaks better to a certain group and do very well. For example, how many self-proclaimed ‘social media consultants’ are there in the world? About 8 million? If you really know your stuff when it comes to social media marketing and would love to make it your business, you might become discouraged thinking that the market is flooded. But what else do you know a lot about? Were you an insurance agent, real estate agent, or hotel manager before having the idea to consult about social media? If so, you can bet there are niche markets in those industries waiting for the right SMM expert to tap into them. The Power of the Internet The internet has obviously revolutionized business in many ways. One of the most significant and exciting developments of internet commerce is a company’s ability to easily reach millions of people around the world. What this means for niche businesses is that even if you cater to a relatively narrow audience, chances are that audience is still comprised of thousands or even millions of people you have access to through the web. If you were selling an instructional DVD on yodeling and had to stick to your local market, you might have a hard time making a living. On the other hand, if you can reach your target audience online, chances are good you’ll do pretty well! Micro-Niching Takes it to the Next Level Let’s say you have your instructional yodeling DVD all ready to launch online, and you discover that yours is one of a hundred such products that are already well established in the internet yodeling community. (You can bet there is an internet yodeling community.) Are you sunk? No. There could still be an opportunity in a micro-niche. Focus on stay-at-home moms or teens that want to learn how to yodel, or develop a program just for yodeling seniors. The point is there are an infinite number of niches and micro-niches just waiting to be tapped. So instead of trying to compete with every other Tom, Dick, and Harry or trying to be everything to everyone, narrow your focus and broaden your horizons! Matthew Toren is an Award Winning Author, Serial Entrepreneur, and Investor. He Co-Founded YoungEntrepreneur.com along with his brother Adam. Matthew is co-author of the newly released book: Small Business, Big Vision: “Lessons on How to Dominate Your Market from Self-Made Entrepreneurs Who Did it Right” and also co-author of Kidpreneurs .

Tagged as: business, entrepreneur, entrepreneurship, marketing, marketing tip, marketing-strategies, small-business

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Marketing: Money Drain or Money Fountain?

by Paul Joseph September 28, 2011 Featured

Marketing is an essential part of running a business, often overlooked or poorly implemented due to busy-ness of the Owner, this gets looked upon as money draining out of the business. On the other hand, if done right and implemented properly, marketing can reverse the drain and have a fountain of cash and clients flow in. When it comes to marketing, the sky is the limit, there are so many options and such a wide range of price tags and effectiveness. What works for one business may not work for another, what works for one location may be a total waste of money for another. So, here’s a list of tips to help you market your business better and make sure your marketing dollars are running a money fountain and not being drained away: Stop doing what you are doing , whether it’s flyers, print ads, direct mail, or whatever it is that you’re marketing your business with. Don’t do anything just because competition or others are doing it. Assess your marketing efforts and expenses and identify what works for your business and what doesn’t! Cut back on all that’s not working for you and double down on what works! Simple. Be Memorable: In the crowd of so many businesses, products, services, how does your business stand out? Why should someone remember you once they walk out of your store? Why should they talk about you and spread the word? Give them a reason! Start with being different, talk-able, and laughable! People remember funny stuff and talk about it, even if they have nothing to do with it. Identify the appropriate humor for your audience and integrate it in to your marketing! Be memorable! Offer Freemium: This is a strategy as old as business itself. Give something for free so that your customers can try it and eventually start buying it. Software and web based businesses do it the best by offering a free plan with limited features and a paid plan with much more features. Starbucks does it by giving bite size cakes and shot size drinks whenever they introduce a new drink or bakery. Find out how you can offer your product/ service in a freemium model and test it for a couple of weeks to see if it works for you! Leverage Social Media : Should I use Facebook or Twitter or LinkedIn or what? What and how should I be promoting my business via social media? Seriously, I just can’t stop being surprised every time people ask me such question! Be who you are and do what you do. There is a reason why it’s called ‘social’. It’s the same people, same society, only the medium has changed. How do you treat people and friends in real life, treat them the same way because the number of friends and followers you are boasting about, each one of them is a flesh & blood real person behind it, and so don’t treat them as numbers’ trophy. Identify where your target market in hanging out the most and communicate with them there. Groupon/ Daily Deal: Careful, this is the steroid of marketing! This is a very powerful & expensive way to promote business or bring new customer in. It works but just like steroids, if not used properly, it can bring some serious harm. Simply put, you have to be ready to work at a 25% price point (you’ve to offer a minimum of 50% discount and then share the total revenue with the deal site at a 50-50 basis) and the 75% that you just ‘invested’ in customer acquisition can easily go to waste if you don’t convert the deal-shoppers into full paying & returning customers. On the plus side, this marketing is 100% effective for bringing people in, since they already paid for it. Do any of these sounds like they could help your business? Have you tried any of these before, what was your experience? What are you doing for marketing your business, please share via comments below and help fellow business owners. Devesh Dwivedi, an entrepreneur since 14, has founded, co-founded, and advised multiple businesses. Read more about Devesh here .

Tagged as: business, business planning, entrepreneur, entrepreneurship, marketing, marketing tip, marketing-strategies

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5 Common Marketing Myths – Busted!

by Paul Joseph August 16, 2011 Featured

With all the information that’s coming at us from all directions these days, it can be difficult to discern which marketing methods are effective, from those that aren’t. This is especially true when you consider the myths that are perpetuated by many small business owners – and even some so-called marketing experts. Some people look at marketing as a necessary evil, while those at the other end of the spectrum think it is the be-all, end-all of running a business. To truly maximize your marketing and get the most from it, you have to treat it with the importance it warrants, while at the same time, not allowing it to take over all your time and energy. Below are some common misconceptions about marketing and why it’s a good idea to leave them behind. 1. Marketing is only an expense. If you were to spend your money on marketing without doing any prior research, then it most likely would be nothing but an expense to you. The secret to successful marketing is to develop an effective marketing method. This will include a set of strategies and tactics that will generate results and positive return on investment. Once you’ve developed an effective marketing method for your business, you will know how to gain maximum profits from investing whatever your budget will allow. Also, many entrepreneurs think that the marketing tactics used by large businesses will work for their small business. The fact is that small businesses need to produce even better marketing campaigns than their larger counterparts for the simple fact that they can’t afford to make the mistake of paying large sums of money on marketing ideas that won’t work for them. Small businesses need to get it right the first time. When they do that, the money they spend will truly be an investment – not just an expense. 2. Marketing means being pushy and overbearing. Take a look at the most effective marketing campaigns out there. You’ll notice that none of them are pushy or overly salesy. It’s a false assumption that pushy people are the most effective sales people. Why is this? They spend far too much time in manipulating people into thinking that buying from them is the best way to go. This can lead to feelings of uneasiness and even buyer’s remorse. More times than not, it can leave the buyer feeling like they want to run away and never look back. Nobody enjoys feeling pressured into doing things. It’s a fact that those who take the time to do more listening than talking make the finest sales people. They actually take the time to truly listen to what it is that their customers are expressing. They develop relationships with their prospective customers and take the time needed to properly educate them on the best methods for their type of business. This method lends itself perfectly to social media, which allows a company to engage in a two-way conversation, rather than just blasting out a marketing message. 3. The results of good marketing can be seen immediately. Marketing success is not something that will happen overnight. It’s more like a snowball effect. It can start out fairly small, but with a little bit of time, it grows and grows. In order to keep the momentum going, you need to put forth consistent effort. Effective marketing requires constant attention. If you notice that after a reasonable amount of time, your marketing methods are not bringing you the results you’d hoped for, it is time to take a closer look and decide which elements are simply not working. Then continue to adjust and reevaluate. But don’t expect a stampede of customers right away, whichever methods you use. 4. Marketing is too costly. The only type of marketing that is too costly is the type that doesn’t work. There are countless ways to market your small business with minimal cost. The key is in understanding exactly what will be required for each marketing campaign. This is where a lot of people take a wrong turn, and it’s no wonder their marketing isn’t producing the results they were hoping for. Too many times their message is confusing, too strong, not strong enough, or is reaching the wrong audience. Once you’ve got the proper formula figured out, marketing is not only economical but profitable. Now, if you go with a high-priced marketing agency to take care of your marketing needs, then marketing might be too expensive for you. But there are alternatives to going this route. By reading books, taking training classes, attending marketing seminars, and even enrolling yourself in online courses, you can cut your marketing costs pretty drastically. Of course, this takes some time, but once you’ve got the basics down, there’s no reason it should dominate your work. 5. Once a customer base has been established, marketing can stop. A common mistake that some businesses make is to focus their time solely on new customers when their marketing campaign has been a success. The problem with this way of thinking is that there will inevitably come a time when business will slow back down. If you aren’t consistent with your marketing – even during times of increased business, you may very well find yourself back at square one. Avoid this scenario by keeping your marketing consistent and focused, even in good times. Think about it – even the largest corporations, like McDonalds and Wal-Mart, continue to spend on advertising, even though everyone has heard of them. Conclusion In order for your business to become successful, marketing must be consistent and strategic. While marketing, when done properly, will bring new customers in, it’s up to you to do what is necessary to keep the momentum going. By giving prospective customers reasons why they should spend their money with your business, you’re also giving them a reason to keep coming back. Remember: Effective marketing is not only about your product or service and your price. It’s also about the attitude and experience that you have to offer.

Tagged as: business, entrepreneur, entrepreneurship, internet marketing, marketing, marketing tip, marketing-strategies, small-business

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