Essay Online

When you think of making money writing, you often think of freelance writing, ghost writing, and writing novels… all of which you can do on the internet. However, I’m wanting to talk about the hidden opportunities for good writers in internet marketing (no, forget blogging).

Information is the key to the internet, whether selling tangible or digital goods. To answer your question, yes, people buy ebooks all the time. They don’t even mind paying for those physical books bound together by a wire. This is because it’s all about information. People are starving for it.

If you can write well, you can make money online. As for internet marketers, the way we run our entire operation is with the written word. We set up our websites with content, we drive traffic to our websites by submitting our articles in mass, and we write sales copy for our products and reviews for other hot products. We even write series of e-mails that are automatically sent via an auto-responder.

The big hype over the past few years has been on blogging. Writers are slaving away at their blogs as we speak, as 1 is created every second according to Technorati. Truth is very few bloggers are making any kind of serious money while many internet marketers who can write are banking. Instead of slaving away at blogs, most of us write articles and submit them massively throughout the web for backlinks.

If you’re not a great writer, however, you should take up blogging while at the same time studying internet marketing, so you can hone your craft. If you have writing skills, immediately begin IM. I suggest diving in at the forum that’s been online since 1997, WarriorForum.com.

For the rest of this article I want to reveal 5 things you can do with writing skills to make money online just to prove my point.

#1.

Write a review of a product, join the maker’s affiliate program in order to earn commissions, buy webspace and PHP redirect using your affiliate link, spin your review article, and submit the spun versions to various ezine directories on the net while using your link to your website in the resource boxes.

#2.

Buy private label rights material on a hot subject, edit it completely and create an ebook with it inserting an affiliate link within, create a website to promote your ebook, use some of your PLR to write articles then massively submit them to ezines.

#3.

Buy webhosting and a short punchy .com domain name, find a free template by searching Google, buy 25 PLR articles and rewrite them to make them unique, put the articles on your site, and sell the website along with its contents at Sedo.

#4.

Write content, put it in a zip file, and sell private label rights to your content at your website over and over using PayPal.

#5.

Write an ebook, create a squeeze page at your site, register your ebook at ClickBank, drive traffic to your sales page and squeeze page with articles and affiliates, market your ebook through a series of emails via an auto-responder.

We all know that audio can be a powerful way to engage your audience, but can it really help you make a book sale? You bet it can. Here are some ways you can use audio to help sell your book:

1. Audio book samples: do a reading from your book, maybe a chapter or two and load it onto your website (if you don’t think you’re a good reader, have someone else do it or hire some voice-over talent)

2. Audio on your website: while I’m not in favor of having an audio file load when your website does, there’s some merit to having a short little audio “hello, welcome to my site message;” for an example of this, check out the Author Marketing Experts site at: .amarketingexpert.com/# (scroll down to A Word From Penny).

3. Daily/weekly Podcast: Podcasting is powerful, there’s no two ways about it and it’s here to stay. Creating your own podcast that you update daily or weekly is a great idea and a terrific way to draw some interest to your book. (we have a great article on podcasting, if you’d like a copy feel free to email us at: infoamarketingexpert.com)

4. Teleclasses: I’ve personally done teleclasses for years and I love them. They’re not only a fantastic way to promote your message, but you’re also educating on your topic which is always a great idea. Remember: record every teleclass you do so you can use it as another sales item on your website.

5. Audio series: consider creating an audio series based on your book’s topic. Remember though, if you’re just rereading the content from your book then these cd’s aren’t necessarily an added value item but an audio book. Your audio cd needs to be different from your book in order to entice the reader to buy it in addition to the book. So, for example, if you finish your book and you say, “gee, I wish I had included a chapter on XYZ,” now you can create that additional chapter (or chapters) in your audio series.

6. Freebies: offering any of your audio products as a freebie to add value to a sale is a great idea. Something I’ll do at the end of a speaking gig is offer a free audio cd to anyone who buys a book after my session!

7. Speak up! It’s not always about a recorded product or podcast, get out and talk about your topic in front of a crowd. Passion sells, and if you speak passionately about your topic, your audience will resonate with your message and (hopefully) book sales will follow.

8. Book trailers: well, maybe that’s cheating a little, technically it’s audio and video, but we’re still talking about hitting the same sensory targets. Book trailers are hot, if you don’t believe me just Google them and see what I mean. Getting your book into a visual medium can be powerful. Don’t believe me? Check out this trailer about my book: Candlewood Lake: .redhotinternetpublicity.com/bt.html

9. Radio is another powerful way to sell books. Keep in mind that one radio show often doesn’t sell books but doing many shows might. Also, if you’re going to do radio, get some media training so you’re spot-on in your presentation and can relay your most important points in succinct, bulleted, benefit-driven points. These will help engage the listeners and encourage them to buy.

10. If you’re going after radio, don’t forget Internet radio. While the podcasting craze is taking over a lot of the Internet radio territory, there are a still a lot of shows out there in need of guests. Also with Internet radio you tend to find more niche topics so you can really target your shows and your readers!

Using audio to promote your book is a powerful way to gain additional reader attention. Not only that, but you never know who will respond better to audio than to a printed review, ad, or article. Putting the audio element into your sales arsenal can make for a powerful partnership, and the good news is that every day, audio and the creation of audio products becomes more accessible.

If you want to sell something on the internet you might need to write a salesletter. A salesletter is a one page website which tells people about your product, and why they should buy it.

You could study a few books to learn how to write great salesletters, but if you are a beginner you might get confused in this way. It’s a better idea to buy one good book and try first learning from it. Then you might get another book. But it takes time, so in the meantime you can read this article and it should be enough to write a good salesletter. To be successful at internet marketing you need to first learn a little bit, and then take action. You will learn by doing it. It’s the best way to learn. So let’s learn the basic steps of writing salesletters.

First, read some other salesletters about similar products as yours. Of course, don’t copy or plagiarize, but you get some good ideas and get inspired.

Second, write an interesting headline. The headline is very important. If the headline doesn’t catch people’s interest, they won’t read your salesletter, however interesting it is.

Write the headline in red, black or blue and use bigger font than for the rest of the page.

Third, tell a story. Tell about some problems people have in your niche. Then tell them how the thing you are selling can solve their problems.

Fourth, using bullet points or lists, tell people about all the benefits of your product. Write about as many benefits as you can.

Fifth, finish your newsletter calling for action. It means that you need to tell people to “buy now”. You need to tell them also why they should “buy now” Try to find some good reasons why they should act now. Otherwise people will procrastinate.

You can also make your salesletter better if you use the word “you” often. Use it more often than “I”, “we” or “us” combined.

Make your salesletter simple. The background should be white. Most of the text should be black. Use other colors to emphasize certain phrases.

Use a lot of “buzz phrases”, in proper context, that are important to your niche. Make these words more visible by highlighting or underlining them, or make them bold, italic, etc. But don’t overemphasize. Be selective. Emphasize the most important phrases only.

Don’t use caps too much. Don’t use too many images either. Better none, than too many.

Offer money back guarantee. It will increase your sales conversion.

To make people “act now” offer some bonuses.

Be honest; don’t over-exaggerate the benefits of your product.

Don’t try to make your salesletter perfect at first. Just write it, and then you can work on improving your salesletter.

To learn more about INTERNET MARKETING go to: .internetgoldmethod.com You will get a FREE e-book “Perpetual Profits” and an access to a lot of internet marketing educational resources.

Anxious to get started writing your sales letter? Good. I strongly urge you to begin with a plan. With a simple plan or outline in place, you’ll be armed with all the essentials you need to create a powerful and persuasive piece.

It doesn’t matter what your writing project is &ndash book, report, or sales letter. Planning makes life easier. It organizes your thoughts. It gives you a roadmap to follow so you’re never stuck at a dead end. A sales letter plan forces you to think things through up front — before you write — making the actual writing much easier and giving it a smoother flow.

It doesn’t matter what your writing project is &ndash book, report, or sales letter. Planning makes life easier. It organizes your thoughts. It gives you a roadmap to follow so you’re never stuck at a dead end. A sales letter plan forces you to think things through up front — before you write — making the actual writing much easier and giving it a smoother flow.

When you get right down to it, a sales letter plan helps you:

• Gather Important Information

• Organize and Assess All Available Data

• Assemble Key Sales Letter Components

• Prioritize Benefits Based On Their Appeal To Prospects

• Confirm That The Important Ingredients Are All Present Before You Begin

A sales letter plan simplifies the actual writing. It gives you concrete material from which to work. It naturally dictates the direction you take, and it enables you to follow along a roadmap to the successful completion of your sales letter.

The more detailed your plan, the easier it is to write compelling sales copy. With a plan, you’re never left wondering what to write next. All the essential information is right before your eyes — making it quicker and easier to form interesting and persuasive copy.

“When it comes to writing copy, far too much attention is paid to the actual writing and far too little is paid to ferreting out facts about that which the copywriter is trying to sell.”

Gary Halbert

Planning isn’t just a means to an end, however. Yes, having a completed sales letter plan in front of you is very important. But the hidden value of your plan lies in the thinking processes that go into completing it. As even the most basic of plans takes shape, you’ll discover valuable ideas, key points, and concepts to employ. A plan literally forces you to think things through ahead of time.

After you’ve used this method to write a few sales letters, you’ll see how getting it all recorded on paper helps you tremendously.

Crafting a sales letter plan does take time — perhaps this is why so few do it. But the time and effort expended always pays a worthwhile dividend. A plan gives you direction, power, and focus. It puts you on a straight path towards your goal.

making similar claims, find a unique, underused advantage and base your headline on this particular point. Doing so gives you an authentic and original position in the minds of your consumers.

Simplify life by offering a solution that’s both quick and easy to apply. With time being the most precious current resource, anytime you can offer a time saving bonus feature in your headline, you should do so. Your prospects and customers work long and hard. They’re pulled this way and that way. By the end of the day, they’re exhausted &ndash physically and mentally.

Now imagine your prospect scouring the Internet for information on a particular topic. Various solutions are available but most require an investment of time and energy, something that’s in short supply. Suddenly, your headline leaps off the screen, offering a near-instant solution that’s virtually effort free. Your headline is too tempting to ignore. So your prospect is captivated from the start… giving you a much better chance of making the sale.

Now if you can guarantee a particular result, that’s even better. But if you’re going to mention your guarantee in the headline, it should be a powerful, ‘no holds barred’ type of guarantee — a guarantee with teeth.

In short…

The most important thing a headline delivers is a relevant benefit — preferably a benefit no one else can match. Add fast action, convenience and a guarantee.

Big New Benefit + Quick & Easy Solution + Guaranteed Results = Powerful and Appealing Headline

Here are a few examples of strong headlines with a combination of appeals:

“How To Create Your Own Hot, Best-Selling Information Product On Your Favorite Subject In Less Than 3 Hours &ndash Guaranteed 100%!”

“Want To Write Copy That Can Make You Rich? Here’s My GUARANTEED, Market-Tested, A-Z Formula For Writing Words That SELL — Plus $979 Worth Of FREE BONUSES — If You’re One Of The First 47 People To Respond To This One-Time-Only Offer!”

“Sell More Suits At Full Price TODAY Than You’ve Ever Sold In A Single Day Before! Remarkable Quick New ABC Technique Fills Your Store With Customers Eager To Buy More Suits, Shirts, Dress Pants, and Ties Than Ever… And At Full Price &ndash Guaranteed!”

Offering free content on yours or others business Web site is a crucial part of Internet marketing. In fact, that’s how Internet marketing got started, which is why everyone wants and expects something for nothing on the World Wide Web. They’ve always been getting it.

The public has come to expect Internet information to be free, and those most-often searched keywords are what will take consumers to your Web site. Once you’ve determined the most visited keywords in your industry, you’ll want to write or find articles that incorporate them.

If you’re not a good writer, or you don’t have the time it takes to write articles, you can use the articles of others. You can offer local writers or industry experts to contribute articles in return for their bio which gives their own site and business credibility, branding and traffic. Or you can buy articles from people you don’t know. One way of doing this is through an article membership site. Here you’ll find articles on just about any subject, with new ones added all the time.

There are many sites that offer articles and memberships to help your Internet marketing. The catch, however, is that each invariably limits its membership ranks so that the Internet marketing articles don’t get published too often. You may have to do some searching, or some waiting, to get a membership in the Internet marketing article membership site of your choice.

Once you are a member and you find the articles you want to publish your Internet marketing work is not done, however, You have to do some rewriting, making it not only fresh and unique to your site, but also giving it a little tweak so it talks directly about your industry, and, if possible, about your products or services.

You may find an article or articles that particular fit your Web site and your business but the keywords you need aren’t found that densely in the article. So you’ll need to do that. That’s fairly easy to do, and far easier than sitting down and writing your own article.

Never take an article from an article membership site and publish it verbatim. This is destructive to your Internet marketing concept. You want to make it yours &ndash your voice, your personality and your products. You might even find a lengthy article that you could use as a tease, publishing the first part and then offering the conclusion next week. You might also publish a newsletter &ndash a great Internet marketing tool. You start the article in the newsletter and refer readers to your site for the conclusion.

Whatever you do, make it yours. Your Internet marketing will succeed as a result.

So you’re published! Congratulations! Now if you’re like most authors you may be asking yourself, now what? There are so many ways to market yourself, so many in fact it’s sometimes tough to know which one you should chose. Now without getting into all your choices, let’s look at some basic things you can do to surround yourself with enough education and experts so you never have to wonder: I’m published, now what?

1) Find some good books to bury yourself in.

2) There are a lot of marketing choices and if you’re not sure which one to chose here’s a tip: if it seems to good to be true it probably is. Stay away from hype because hype rarely pays off. Ask for references, talk to other authors.

3) You can find a lot of information online if you’re willing to do some research. Whether you’re looking for promotional ideas or people to help you promote your book you should definitely Google them first and see what you can find.

4) Find someone you trust to talk you through the process. Whether you hire someone or met someone in your writing group, find someone you can bounce ideas off of who knows the industry and understands current book marketing trends.

5) Don’t live in a vacuum. Get out and meet other published authors. Go to writers conferences, check out your local PMA listings (Publisher’s Marketing Association) and consider joining them on a national level. Also SPAN (Small Press Association of North America) is another fantastic organization to join. Both of these places offer a monthly newsletter with tips, articles, and advice columns.

6) Do some online networking via publishing and book marketing forums, here are a few for you to get started with:

Pub-forum &ndash .pub-forum.net

Publish-L &ndash .publish-l.com

Smallpub-civil finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/smallpub-civil

Ind-E-Pubs &ndash covers ebooks .ind-e-pubs.com

POD publishers finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/pod_publishers

7) Subscribe to some great publishing newsletters, there’s a lot of information out there and a lot of it is packed in some of the best newsletters you’ll ever read:

Dan Poynter’s Parapublishing Tips: .parapublishing.com

Readers and Writers .writersreaders.com/

John Kremer: .bookmarket.com

Brian Jud: .bookmarketing.com

Book Marketing Expert: .amarketingexpert.com

Get your book reviewed: maybe this sounds like a no-brainer but you’d be amazed how many authors forget this step but it’s important and here’s why: people like what other people like. What someone else says about your book is a thousand times more effective than anything you could say. Do reviews sell books? Well, yes I believe they do and here’s why: if your book is up on Amazon or some other online portal and no one’s talking about it a potential new reader might not be motivated to buy. Readers rarely buy “naked” books.

9) Outline a few goals and hit the promotional “road”: keep it simple and keep it realistic. Long, complicated, and involved marketing plans are not only tough to stick to, they’re probably gonna cost you a bundle.