I’m a huge fan of TED! I recently stumbled across this great TED talk given by Seth Godin. He talks about what it takes to stand out in your market.
I love how it almost all comes down to how remarkable your product or service is. Is it worth making a remark about? Are your customers going to tell their friends and family? Watch the video below and give us your two cents!
I found this information to be helpful. I’ve been wondering lately how best to structure the content for my upcoming info products. Is there a particular framework that you like to use with your info products? Let us know by leaving a comment below!
“An information product or program often uses a combination of frameworks. Here are six of the most common (there certainly may be variations on the themes below):
Problem/Solution. State a problem and then present solutions to the problem. The Magic of Conflict: Turning Your Life of Work into a Work of Art by Thomas F. Crum is written in this framework. He presents a number of problems that people face in their life and at work and presents solutions to those problems using the philosophical principles of the martial art of aikido.
Numerical. Create your product as a series of keys or lessons. A well-known example of this would be Stephen Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.
Chronological. Some products need to be presented in a particular order because that is the only way it would make sense. As I mentioned above, Step A must come before Step B, as in Your Pregnancy Week by Week by Glade B. Curtis and Judith Schuler... ” [Read More]
Most webmasters are obsessed with acquiring more backlinks. Visit any internet forum about SEO or internet marketing and you’ll see countless threads about how to get more backlinks. What most don’t understand is that a proper backlinking strategy begins and ends with your unique selling proposition (USP).
You must ask yourself… “Are you worth recommending?”
Forget about building up backlinks to improve search engine rankings! If you offer something that is worth recommending, you’ll be receiving so much word of mout traffic that you really won’t need to rely on search engines anymore.
“One way is to be the very best at everything you do.
Another is to be obsessive about delivering value – all the time.
And have a story that spreads – often one that is tied to your purpose.
Watch this powerful video presentation at TEDtalk by Simon Sinek called “How Great Leaders Inspire Action”. It’s about the Golden Circle, and finding your WHY…a simple, effective way to get your prospects eager to do business with you.
Once you’ve reached this stage, one other thing matters. You’ve got to give your eager, interested prospects a COMPELLING REASON why they should buy from you, rather than anyone else.
And that means positioning and defining yourself in a unique way that sets you apart from the competition. In other words, you need a USP (Unique Selling Proposition).
Why Should Customers Buy From You?
The vast majority of businesses do not have a good, compelling or unique reason. Understand that this differentiation should confer an advantage from the perspective of the BUYER.
Saying you’ve been in business since 1932 isn’t really a benefit that’s immediately perceived – unless you can translate that into a benefit, as in:
‘Tailors for well dressed gentlemen since 1932. Our skilled designers have always been on top of current trends.’
The message to grab here is that conveying your uniqueness to your prospects involves a degree of EDUCATING them about yourself, your business and what you do to benefit them. Without the information, they will hesitate to make a buying decision. When they see all the facts, they’ll see the reason why what you’re offering is a wise buy.
Rolex Watches And Internet Marketing
Many years ago, I saw a magazine ad for a Rolex. In great detail, the ad explained what went on “beneath the dial” with beautiful pictures showing dozens of interlocking ratchets, with wheels within wheels. Each tiny, perfectly handcrafted element was responsible for a critical function. They all integrated perfectly, worked in synchronicity, coordinated wonderfully.
How did prospective buyers know all that? Because marketers TOLD THEM the story. Explained how their watches worked. Highlighted the benefit from such precision technology so that prospects were convinced that they wanted to own a Rolex, a masterpiece based on such technological excellence.
Schlitz beer ramped up from #5 in the U.S. market to capture the #1 slot after a skilled copywriter named Claude Hopkins decided to tell the story of how exactly they brewed beer. Strangely enough, the story was NOT unique. All beer manufacturers use nearly the identical process.
I just stumbled across this great tip today. I remember answering a few questions on Facebook myself, but I never really thought about using it for market research purposes. This may not work too well for those who have yet to build a following on Facebook, but the way that Facebook Questions works makes it so you don’t need to have thousands of fans in order to get a lot of people answering your question either.
The Facebook Help site says, ‘Facebook Questions lets you ask any question and get quick answers from your friends and other people on Facebook.’ Questions is designed so that anyone on Facebook can help you find the answer. So when you ask a question, it is shared in News Feeds. If your friends answer or follow that question, it will be shared with their friends getting your business in front of many other people that might not know you.
How Can I Ask a Question on Facebook?
You can ask a question from a few different places:
- From your Profile: At the top of the page, next to where you would normally share a status update, select the “Question” link. Then enter your question and add poll options if you wish. Click “Ask Question” to share it.
- From your home page: At the top of your News Feed, next to where you would normally share a status update, select the “Question” link. Then enter your question and add poll options if you wish. Click “Ask Question” to share it.
- From your Questions page: Click “Question” next to “Share” at the top of the page. Then enter your question and add poll options if you wish. Click “Ask Question” to share it.
What Kinds of Questions Can I Ask?
You can ask any type of question, but Questions was designed to help you get fast, short-form responses. For example, you can use Questions to get recommendations from your friends (What are your favorite iPhone apps?), learn more about the people around you (What was your favorite movie as a child?) or start discussion about current events (How can I help the earthquake victims in Japan?).
Anyone on Facebook may participate in a question you ask, but answers are always filtered to show responses from your friends first. So, even if many people have responded, you will always see what your friends have said first. You can access the responses from everyone else by clicking “Others” within the “Posts” section of the question.
How Do I Create a Poll or Ask a Polling Question?
If you’d like to create a traditional poll where you specify all the options up front and other people may not vote for more than one option, click “Question” at the top of your home page or profile. Then..”
Times are tough for a lot of people right now. This is why it is crucial that you work smarter instead of harder. Below are a few ideas to get you started making money on-line using your website or blog.
1. Promote a product-One of the easiest ways to get started making money on-line is by becoming an affiliate of a particular product and then using your website or blog to promote it. Becoming an affiliate simply means for every product you are responsible for selling, you get a commission.
Your job is to send folks to the affiliate website which will then work to sell the visitor the product. It can be hard work, but once you get the hang of it, you can make some consistent money using this technique.
2. Build a list-This goes a long with promoting a product, but takes it one step further. You see, it’s a proven fact that most people will not buy what you’re selling upon first visit. However, if you’re offering something for FREE then many more people are going to take action, even if it means they have to enter their email address.
This of course gives you the opportunity to follow up with your prospect via email and build a relationship while simultaneously soft-selling them, which will undoubtedly have a positive impact on your bottom line.
3. Sell Advertising Space-Website traffic is valuable, and if you are getting lots of visitors to your site, businesses will pay to get in front of that crowd. Simply charging others to advertise on your site is a great way to monetize your online efforts. Banner or text ads sell easily on website that has consistent traffic.
4. Promote Yourself-If you offer professional services, another great way to monetize your blog or website is to sell yourself. Let others know about what you do and how you can help them. Many people have used their personal blogs and websites to develop significant client bases just by showcasing their talents and services and letting others know how they can be hired.
5. Charge Subscription Fees-A website worth visiting on a regular basis just might be one worth paying for. Depending on the type of content you are offering, your core audience may wish to pay to become an exclusive member of the site. This can be done by offering upgraded features that are only available to those that pay and will help to give paying members the feeling of being in a special club. A membership based website can, in time, turn into a significant source of ongoing revenue. Keep the content fresh and active and your members happy and reap the rewards!
6. Build it, Sell it!-Some people like to have the job done FOR them…so, building a website or blog and developing regular traffic and then selling the website or blog is a great way to earn money on-line. Depending on how in depth and content rich the site is coupled with how many regular visitors it gets will determine the price but websites that are built and sold regularly command thousands of dollars to interested buyers.
Times are tough for a lot of people right now. This is why it is crucial that you work smarter instead of harder. Below are a few ideas to get you started making money on-line using your website or blog.
