Internet Marketing has many moving parts

I always feel that Internet Marketing feels like a machine with many moving parts. Each one needs the other and one needs to be put in place before the other can do its job.

The main problem, as I’ve encountered it, is where to start. Which part needs to be put into place first? At times I’ve started with an idea and then expanded it– here’s my subject for which I’ll write an e-book. But then I realized before I could write the e-book, I’d need to know who I was writing it for, that is, who was my target market; and what problem did they have that my e-book would be the solution to; and what keywords would my target market use to find my e-book, that is, the solution to their problem? So… writing the e-book was not the first moving part. Doing the research was.

And then I realized I would have to put up a sales page to sell my e-book and I’d need to have a URL, a hosting site, and some software or template to create the sales page. And now most Internet marketers don’t send prospects directly to a sales page but to a squeeze page. So I’d need a URL, hosting site, and software or template for the squeeze page. AND– I’d need an autoresponder program to collect names and e-mail addresses of everyone who signed up on my squeeze page.

So… the first moving part needs to be finding the right autoresponder program. And believe it or not, that’s where I got stuck for several months–finding the right program. I wanted to buy my own software, but the programs I looked at were not compatible with my current website. So I looked at some of the common autoresponders like aweber and getresponse, but I didn’t like the double opt-in feature because I didn’t want to lose half my existing list.

I also needed to find a program that I could use myself in case I didn’t have a virtual assistant, which I do at times, and not at other times. I haven’t yet found a program in which I can insert my e-zine because I don’t know html–yet! And I haven’t had the time to learn it.

So today, I’m still without an autoresponder program. I have an Excel spreadsheet extolling the pros and cons of over a dozen autoresponder, e-mail, and shopping cart programs. And that’s where I’m stuck, and that’s my first moving part.

So, while I figure out which program I will use, I have decided to move forward on another moving part, because I feel this will be sorted out eventually, but in moments where I feel inspired I can start working on my info-product. Although, I’m a little stuck as to how to select the best subject and format–but more on that in the next blog!

Happy info-products,

Andrea

www.WritersWay.com

Take my survey: tell me what you think

Okay, so you know I’m a ghostwriter and I complain all the time that I write ebooks and information products for my clients, but have no time for myself. Well, I’ve been eeking out a little time here and there and came up with an idea for an ebook, ecourse and other products teaching people to create info-products.

I pitched the idea to a successful online Internet marketer and she didn’t like my idea or business title. Ouch! I got depressed for a while. I thought, oh no, back to the drawing board. I’d already bought domain names, designed my logo, planned my product funnel and started writing my ebook through Donna Kozik’s write-a-book-in-a-weekend class.

Finally, I decided to run a survey. I’ve never created a survey before but I’d taken enough of them. I signed up at Survey Monkey which I’d heard about. It’s a free survey tool that allows you to create a survey and drive people to the survey to get their opinions. Then you usually offer a gift for taking the survey.

I set aside 2 hours on a Saturday afternoon, sat in the library (I found out now why people take their laptops to Starbucks, although I prefer my library: fewer distractions, although I found plenty of distractions at the library!). I completed the survey and then turned it over to my VA (virtual assistant) to complete and mail out to my list and post on my social networking sites. I also decided to post it here on my blog so anyone who feels inclined to put in their 2 cents, can give me their opinion.

Basically the survey asks people, who might fit into my target market, if they have ever wanted to write a book, but didn’t, and what was their biggest obstacle and what might help them overcome it. Also I included some potential names for my business to get some feedback on that.

If you have 3 minutes and want to help your busy ghostwriter blogger friend  here, hop over to http://tinyurl.com/dgjja2 and let me know what you think. I have 2 cool free reports you can choose from as a gift.  I haven’t read any responses yet, but my VA tells me I’ve had a high response rate. I highly recommend running one of these surveys if you get stuck anywhere in your creative process.

Happy info-products,
Andrea

Andrea Susan Glass
www.WritersWay.com

Learning Internet Marketing From the Best

Andrea & Adam

Well—I’m back from Adam Urbanski’s 4-day intensive Info Profit Success Bootcamp. And what a whirlwind 4 days! If you’ve ever been to a 4-day seminar you’ll know what I mean. It’s like being in an alternate universe where everyone talks the same language, everyone has the same goals, everyone is in this insular environment removed from the outside world. Like I said, it’s an intensive because it’s intense! And I needed a week to come back into the world and integrate what I learned.

Mostly, I gathered a ton of resources and tools to build a successful Internet marketing venture. Then I met a ton of great people with whom I made connections–either to learn from them, do joint ventures with them, or just build a relationship and see where that goes.

I equate an Internet marketing business to a machine with many moving parts. Yet, in order for the machine to work properly, you have to do first things first (so says bestselling author Stephen Covey). But figuring out what to do first is always a challenge.

For me, it’s determining my niche market and niche topic. So I finally decided I’d put together a survey and get some answers. I’ll have that link posted in the next blog if you’re interested in participating. Next I know I have to build a list. First things first means getting a good autoresponder/email program to collect names on my www.WritersWay.com website and put up a squeeze page to collect names for my new Internet marketing business. And the very next thing is to start creating info-products.

After that it’s producing products, selling and promoting products, building traffic, following up, etc. A bit overwhelming for me. But one great success of the bootcamp is I hired a Virtual Assistant to help me with some of the moving parts.

I’ll keep you posted as I progress. And let me know how you’re doing as well.

Happy info-products,
Andrea

Andrea Susan Glass
www.WritersWay.com

What should I write about?

It seems this is the most common question I get when people approach me about writing a book or ebook? They may have a topic in mind but don’t think they know enough or could be considered enough of an “expert” to have the nerve to write a book. I once read that if you know more about a subject than someone else, you’re an expert.

As far as what you should write about, that will be determined by the purpose of your book. I generally ask potential clients to complete a questionnaire I’ve devised, and the first question is: what is the purpose of your book — for you? The second question is: what is the purpose of the book — for your reader? I find not too many authors answer these two crucial questions before embarking on the sometimes arduous journey to writing a book.

Now if you answer these questions, the journey will be less arduous, and you’ll be clearer what to write about. For example, if the purpose of the book is to attract clients and serve as a lead generator, the topic will be the area of expertise or knowledge surrounding the service or product you provide. The book will position you as a specialist in this industry and serve as a lead generator. It could also serve to build your brand.

If the purpose of writing a book or ebook for you is to solve a particular problem you find common to a target market you serve or would like to serve, then the subject for the book is about your solutions and the benefits for the reader. The benefits the reader will get is also the answer to the 2nd question.

And if you’d just like to do research into a subject area that’s new to you but you’ve always been interested in it or curious about it, then write about that. If you want to add more products later, you can build a whole business around this new subject. It’s called building a brand or a platform, and it’s quicker to do online than in the offline world.

So, now do you know what you should write about?

Happy info-products!

Andrea

Andrea Susan Glass
www.WritersWay.com

Write a Book or E-book to Promote Your Business

Books

How are you promoting your online business these days? Blogs are great! Articles are effective too. And social networking is all the rage. But have you explored the power of writing a book or e-book or other information products?
As a small business owner, online marketer, or service professional you must promote yourself by standing out from your competitors. Writing a book or e-book is a prefect way to do that. A book positions you as the expert, you become the go-to person in your industry, you’re the specialist for your targeted niche, and you can now call yourself “author.”
A book or e-book can also provide passive profits for your Internet marketing business or real world service business. Your information products sell 24/7 while you sleep, travel, or write the next book! And it becomes a powerful promotional tool to attract more clients. Here are some of the many ways you can use your book or e-book to promote your business:
 Give away an e-book on your website when someone opts in to your mailing list
 Create a joint venture where you use your e-book as a bonus item
 Offer a free book when you give a talk or an e-book when you give a teleclass
 Give your e-book away as a viral marketing tool with links to your website inside
 Donate your book as a raffle prize at networking events
 Sell your books at charity events and donate a portion to the charity
 Take a booth at a trade show or industry conference and give books away as a lead generator
Be certain the book or e-book you write is on a subject in line with your knowledge and expertise so you can build your brand identity. Start writing your book, e-book, or other info-product and watch the clients flock and the profits soar.

Happy info-products!

Andrea Susan Glass
www.WritersWay.com

Are you learning Internet marketing from the best?

Marketing Mentors

I must apologize if anyone was reading and enjoying my blogs, since I haven’t posted a new one in a while. As a professional ghostwriter, I spend most of my time writing for others–blogs, articles, books, and e-books. Unfortunately that means I have little time to write for myself. But I want to turn over a new leaf and do my best to post at least once a week.

The reason I decided to start today, other than it being Monday, is that I’m excited about a new step I’m taking in my Internet marketing education. If you’re like me, you probably get a ton of e-mails and e-zines from a variety of so-called Internet marketing “gurus” who claim to be making more money in a month than most of us make in a year. I don’t know how many of these claims are true since I have no way to check. But, like you, I’ve felt overwhelmed by the mass of information coming to me to help me become a successful Internet marketer–some of it contradictory to each other.

So I finally got smart and did what a lot of the successful people I actually knew who were really making that kind of money do. I chose one person and decided to follow him. It was an accidental choice, actually. I was at a trade association networking event for professional coaches and the speaker was Adam Urbanski. I’d been on his list before but got off of the list a while back. What I was impressed with was Adam’s straightforward, no hype delivery of high quality, valuable content I could put to use immediately.

He also turned out to be the mentor of one of the people I knew who was doing very well with her Internet marketing of a business somewhat similar to mine. So that was enough proof for me. When he sent me a follow up e-mail about his next bootcamp–with an irresistable offer–I said an unequivocable YES! The event was being held only one hour from my home, a close friend offered to put me up so I could avoid hotel costs, and I was able to take a client with me to get in on the unbelievable 2-for-1 price offer.

Since I signed up, Adam has been sending me valuable articles and MP3s and he’s started holding pre-bootcamp teleclasses. I’ve made small strides by buying some new domain names for my new Internet marketing business venture, I’m cleaning up clutter so I can be ready to take action after the bootcamp, and I’m starting to get serious about so many of the little tasks that seem to be necessary–like getting an autoresponder and clarifying and finding a target market–to build a successful Internet marketing business.

If anyone reading my blog is at all interested in finding out more about Adam’s bootcamp and other wonderful products, check him out through my affiliate code at The Marketing Mentors and click on seminars and workshops.

Happy info-products,

Andrea

Andrea Susan Glass
www.WritersWay.com

The latest in interactive e-books

As a writer and editor of e-books and traditional books, I’m always excited about any innovations in my field. And now I’ve seen a multi-media book that is truly amazing. The book was written and created by Loral Langemeier who is a New York Times best selling author and the Dr. Phil Show;s Money Expert. Get Off Your Lazy Assets employs audio and video inserts in the book when you buy the e-book version. It shows that our talents are assets and when we turn those talents into value and leverage that value by enrolling resources, we can connect those resources with opportunities.

She shows readers how to uncover their 9 assets. She says, “When you uncover your skills, adjust your attitude, translate your talent into a valued currency, claim a vision, get clarity, build and engage a community, take leadership, and take control and action, you can reach financial freedom and create abundance.

I’m really excited to take part in Loral’s launch as one of her bonus items. You can download a free chapter of this amazing book or just buy it on my recommendation!

I hope you enjoy this multi-media experience and start working on your hot new e-book! Remember, I’m here to help.

Happy info-products!

Andrea

Andrea Susan Glass
www.WritersWay.com

SEO is Crucial to Internet Marketing Success

I’m taking a fantastic class in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) from David Riklan, the founder of www.SelfGrowth.com, the largest website on self improvement. If you are involved in Internet marketing in any way, you will need to know some SEO. Even if you hire someone to do it, you should understand how it works.

I’m enjoying taking this class with David because my primary target market is the self improvement industry. I love ghostwriting and editing for self improvement or personal development professionals. I’m even developing my own info-products (FINALLY!) for this market.

I was somewhat overwhelmed by all the information David revealed to us in six classes—some of which I already knew but was not implementing or not getting results with. I understand keywords, writing good content, article submission, directory submission, links, PPC, and metatags. We did a lot of visiting sites and searching in Google during the class. I was able to see how many sites linked to mine and how high I was in the search engines. I was amazed to find I came up in the TOP TWO in both Google and Yahoo for “personal development ghostwriting” and “professional development ghostwriting.” Now I just need to see how many people are actually searching for those terms.

One of the main reasons I took this class was to direct more traffic to my website and blog, and then convert visitors to either buyers or to join my list. Also to get ready to direct visitors to my sales page when I finish developing my info-products. But I also took the class because I wanted to learn all the SEO tricks, since most of them involve writing. Now I know the kinds of writing I can do to help people get higher rankings. When I write website content, blogs, articles, and emails, for example, I will now keep in mind all the SEO strategies.

How is your traffic? How is your conversion? Are you using all the SEO techniques that you need to? Keep learning. Internet marketing is an ongoing education.

Happy Info-products!

Andrea

Andrea Susan Glass
www.WritersWay.com

Blog posts made easy

In my last post, I mentioned meeting a blogging expert, Bridget Ayers, and unfortunately I’ve been so busy with client projects I haven’t had any time to follow through on her suggestions. One that I do recall, however, without looking at my notes, is that she advised me to use a lot of bullets. She said people like “how to” lists in blogs. I write a lot of those for my clients, but I’ve never thought about doing that for myself. Hmmmmmmm…….. I wonder what that’s about.

So I thought I would do one of those lists today, though it actually takes me more time to compile a list than just write free flow like this. Anyway, let’s see how it goes.

Top 10 Tips on writing blog posts–quickly & easily!

1. brainstorm a list of a titles you can use for about one month’s worth of blog posts
2. group the titles into categories and stick with one for several posts before switching categories
3. gather any content you’ve written before in articles, reports, web content, etc. and dump it into your blog post Word doc
4. set a schedule as to which days you will write and stick to it
5. or do a marathon writing session and publish your posts on your schedule, or set them up for automatic posting
6. don’t be a perfectionist when you write your posts; just be friendly and informative as if you’re talking to a friend who is interested in your topic
7. listen to feedback in your comments to sense what’s working and what’s not, and to choose your next batch of topics
8. browse competitors‘ blogs and make yourself stand out from the crowd; develop a personality and a following
9. check your statistics to see who’s coming to your blog and from where
10. always stay true to who you are and what you’re about–and most of all the audience you serve and their needs and interests

There, that wasn’t too hard. Hope I made some sense and you learned something too!

Happy info-products,

Andrea

Andrea Susan Glass
www.WritersWay.com

There’s more to blogging than meets the eye

I recently met a lovely young woman at a networking event, and we got together a few days later to share ideas. Bridget Ayers of www.GetSmartWomen.com is a sharp gal, expert in the ways of blogging and social media, not to mention a technological whiz! It’s not often you meet someone so knowledgeable at such a young age. Our time together was rich with sharing ideas and tips on both sides—Bridget with her blogging and social media knowledge, me with my mission to turn everyone’s’ expertise into info-products.

Bridget’s main site is a membership site for entrepreneurial women who are serious about attaining financial independence, realizing their dreams, and living their passion. Her resources for members only include discussion groups, a resource library, skill-building articles, downloadable products, video and news updates, interviews with industry experts, tech tools, and weekly tips and tricks. What I gained most from my meeting with Bridget, was her valuable knowledge of blogging. I’m a total newbie at this and am thrilled to get 10 or more visitors a day and an occasional comment.

Bridget gets an average of 2,500 visitors a day at her fascinating blog, www.TheGetSmartBlog.com. She filled me in on clues on how to grow my blog presence through sites like www.MyBlogLog.com and www.BlogCatalog.com. With our laptops at the ready, she walked me through these two sites showing me how to build community. Yes, bloggers have communities too just like the social media sites, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and all the countless others. She looked at my blog and showed me all kinds of tips—things even a techno-phobe like me could do. I plan to implement some of them as soon as I have a spare moment, and report back to my blog audience—which I hope will be ever growing as I turn Bridget’s wise advice into action.

Happy blogging & happy info-products,

Andrea

Andrea Susan Glass
www.WritersWay.com