As most of you know, our GPS Coaching program has been a smash success…
Hundreds of entrepreneurs just like yourself are finally blowing through their constraints and moving towards record profits in their business.
One of the most popular segments of the program is the annual Q and A sessions, where I get on the phone and let GPS members fire away with any questions they may have regarding marketing and business building.
And so far, we’ve had some killer sessions–so good in fact, that we’ve decided to let our blog readers in on them.
Over the next few days and weeks, we’ll be posting some of the best questions along with my answers. So without further adieu, let’s dive into the first question…
CALLER: You’ve normally used the "blogging and report" style of launch in the past with great success. But you mentioned earlier that you may use a different style in the future. Can I ask what you’re planning to do differently?
RICH: First off, there are a lot of benefits to incorporating a blog with the release of a report. Because many people won’t link to an opt-in page. But they feel safer linking to a blog page that talks about the report.
So I’ve benefited greatly from people linking to these types of blogs. And the result has been a tremendous amount of traffic to the download page coming from these links.
Plus, there’s the added benefit of the positive comments on the blog about the report. Like I talked about in the Attention Age Doctrine 2, these comments get spidered by Google and turn up high in the rankings for related keywords–which gives us more exposure, driving even more traffic and more downloads. Very, very powerful.
However, to answer your question, we’re going to test a different method in the future–one that I think will be highly successful. And here’s how it works…
In our research, we’ve found that the Web 2.0 community is fine with registering for a toll, application, or template, but they’re just not crazy about opt-in boxes.
So I’m going to take the report and give it away for free with no opt-in whatsoever. All you have to do is download.
Inside will be a variety of links to shortcuts, templates and tools that are closely related to the content and offer an "expanded version" of the report.
To get to these goodies, you have to click on a link that takes you to a different page. When you do, you’ll see the "extra". But then the page quickly grays out and a light box will appear, saying you have to be a registered user of the site to access it.
For example, in the Internet Business Manifesto, I could easily add a link in the report that takes you to a spreadsheet or a program that helps you establish the value of your time by imputing a few numbers. But you must register to have access.
Now, I know what you’re thinking: Won’t forgoing the opt-in substantially reduce the size of the list you’re trying to build? Personally, I don’t think so. And here’s why…
This new method will allow you to get greater penetration into the market because your report can be in more places. Plus, you can give your affiliates copies of the report with their affiliate links imbedded, which can even widen the net further.
My belief is that this could actually result in more opt-ins. And in talking with my good friend David Merriman Scott, author of "The New Rules of Marketing and PR", he agrees. In fact, David estimates that we may get up to 50 times more downloads with this new model.
Now, I don’t know if that’s going to happen (I’d LOVE it if it did!). But what I do know is that by not requiring an opt-in and having the affiliate links embedded in the report, I can go to practically any blog that makes money with Adsense and have them give it away for me.
And even if we do a remotely poor job, they’ll still make money by allowing people to download our report. Because people will stay on their site longer, increasing the chances of getting clicks on Adsense and other affiliate offers. So they get to give away something valuable for free AND make a few bucks while they’re at it.
Hope that answers your question. Let’s move on to the next caller…
Pretty cool, huh?
We’re still tweaking the details, but we’re very excited about utilizing this model and seeing what result it brings.
In the meantime, let me know what you think of it in the comments below, okay? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
To Higher Profits,
Rich
P.S. Keep an eye open for more Q and A posts in the future. We’ve got some REALLY good stuff lined up.
And don’t forget to add your comments below regarding your thoughts on this new direction we’re taking. I’ll be watching…and who knows? I may just chime in from time to time.
Looking forward to your feedback…
As i'm writing this we have received a whopping 723 replies. That's a tremendous response, and we thank you for it.
And when we began poring over your answers, a few things popped out at me...
--I was FLOORED by how many people were having the very same problems. And the most incredible part was, it didn't matter whether they were newbies or internet marketing veterans--they were STILL having the same issues. Just think about that and keep it in mind for now.
--I was also amazed at how many people are working harder than ever, yet still seeing little or no results. They're spending more of their time working on their business--sacrificing the important things in life like family--yet not getting near the return on their investment they expected.
And finally, one thing became perfectly clear.
I was right.
(Note to self: print out this blog post and show to Debi. I don't get to say this around her very often.)
It's obvious that many of you struggle with a plethora of issues. And I know for a fact that they've been responsible for the demise for hundreds--if not thousands--of promising businesses.
But I DO NOT want you to be another casualty. So here's what we're going to do...
On Tuesday at 2pm, I'm holding a special replay of the mega-teleseminar with a few of my high profile coaching clients that will be on Monday because the Monday call is full.We're going to address some of your issues directly and reveal exactly how to eliminate them once and for all. There's a reason why people who have had an online business for 7, 8, even 10 years are having the same issues as people that have been online for 6 months and it's probably not what you think because It has not allways been like that. Because things have magnified--even in the short 2 years since I released the Internet Business Manifesto. And you need to know which strategies and tactics are pulling in profits right now...and which ones aren't. Finally, I'll be gazing into my crystal ball and giving you my predictions again on where I think our industry is heading--and how you can cash in BIG on these upcoming trends. And who knows? Maybe you'll get a sneak peek inside my newest report. Can't promise you anything, but I've been known to overdeliver from time to time. ;) So go here now and get signed up. And do it quickly... Because this thing is filling up FAST. I'll see you there... To Higher Profits,
Silly question, right?
Well, before you dismiss the question…. let me ask you this:
um…ah…um… Yeah, I know… It was on the tip of your tongue.
The sad truth is – most online marketers can more accurately explain what a medical doctor is than an entrepreneur, even though they aspire to be one.
The fallout from this lack of clarity is the primary reason why so many wanna-be entrepreneurs end up broke, frustrated, and confused. More to the point… they end up opportunity-seekers, the polar opposite of strategic entrepreneurs.