Friday, December 04, 2009

Don't Become Invisible

Steve Schneiderman here. Hope all is well on your side of the
screen. Things have gotten unexpectedly busy this time of year.
Usually during tough economic times, companies tend to reel in
their budgets in an attempt to save some money for next year's
expenditures including taxes. Oddly I am seeing a reversal in
this trend. I am thinking it is because people have been
postponing investments in their business -- like marketing --
until they weathered the 2009 storm. If they are still alive, and
many are not, then they can most likely afford to start some
projects now.

Traditionally, closed-minded companies will reel in the funds on
all marketing and training and events. This is, however, the
wrong thing to do. If 99% of your competitors are reeling in the
dollars, they are essentially removing themselves from the
consumer spotlight. This means a huge opportunity for the wise
company who actually invests in marketing and training and events
because they will have less visible competition. I don't know
about your specific job/company, but it is something you need to
consider. When times are bad, invest in marketing to capture the
spotlight. Don't become invisible for a protracted period of time.

Last time I wrote to you, I asked you to spend some time,
in preparation for the new year, to consider your strengths and
weaknesses. Have you done this exercise yet? If not, do so now.
It's that important. Many of the people who I meet have a very
poor sense of self. They are not introspective nor do they
challenge themselves. They tend to define themselves in very
simple terms (I am an accountant, a lawyer, fill in the blank)
and merely plod along, year to year, without making any real
strides in their career or personal growth.

I know this process can seem daunting, but the easiest way to
start is to simply pick three things you do well and three things
you need work on. Also list three things you like about what you do
and three things you hate. Then beneath each of these mini lists,
list the steps you need to take to improve and be happier. This
is not rocket science. In some areas it may be simply a question
of reading some books or taking a course or getting some coaching
or mentoring. In other areas it may be delegating or outsourcing
those tasks to another. The key thing here is to TAKE ACTION!

Many people write to me about creating mini sites for their
digital products. If you have a body of knowledge -- subject
matter expertise -- unusual experience -- you should be
considering how to monetize this knowledge and how to position
yourself as a SME -- subject matter expert. Writing an ebook,
creating a series of audio files or producing a more elaborate
video series are all fine ways to accomplish this. Doing this
will generate passive revenue and help you to gain visibility.

I always suggest using this combination of tasks to accomplish
this:

1. Define your subject matter expertise.
2. Produce your digital product(s).
3. Craft a compelling sales letter.
4. Create a squeeze page to capture first name and email address for
future marketing efforts.
5. Create a mini site focused on the features, advantages and
benefits of your product(s).
6. Integrate an autoresponder like GetResponse.
7. Write a series of 10 moor re emails to send subscribers back to
your site.
8. Write a press release and distribute it.
9. Promote through blogs and social networking and article
marketing.
10. Measure results and tweak.

Oddly enough, task #4 -- create a squeeze page -- is frequently
omitted from most people's game plan. They prefer to send people
directly to their mini site's sales letter. But consider this:
what do you when people arrive at your sales page and do not buy
from you. Without capturing their basic contact info via a
squeeze page, you have no way of marketing to them and getting
them to return to make the sale. Thus a squeeze page is critical
and if you are not using one, then you are missing the boat.

Here's a new product from my friend, Max Rylski, that makes
crafting and implementing a squeeze page quick and easy:

http://www.resellerproducts.com/supersqueezepagepack/

Go check it out. For $27.00 it will easily save you hours and
help put you on the right road to email marketing.

Until next time,

Steven

P.S.: Give your friends a cost-free subscription to my
newsletter as a Christmas gift. Click the link below to forward
this newsletter to them. They will thank you for it!

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