Web Design Discussion

To create a successful ebook marketing campaign, you need to be consistent. You can’t write one article or submit to one ebook directory and expect to make lots of sales. Marketing is a daily commitment.

If one ebook marketing strategy doesn’t work for you, move on to another until you begin seeing results. You may have to combine several marketing methods to be successful.

*Joint Ventures: Team up with other ebook authors or ezine publishers or webmasters to cross promote each other’s products or services. Agree to send referrals to each other and recommend each other’s products.

*Use an excerpt from your ebook as an article and submit it to as many directories as possible. Be sure to mention your ebook in your resource box.

*Search out quality targeted ezines and purchase solo or top sponsor ad spots.

*Submit your ebook to as many ebook directories as you can. The more links to your ebook, the better.

*Write a keyword rich sales page and optimize it for the search engines with meta tags and page title.

*Offer two or three free bonuses with your ebook. make and offer that is very hard or impossible to refuse.

*Ask a few people to write reviews for your ebook in exchange for a free copy. Post the reviews on your site.

*Offer a free report as a lead-in to your ebook. People love free information and if you offer a quality report that gets them interested they very well may want to buy your ebook.

*If you publish an ezine, ask other ezine publishers to swap solo or top sponsor ads. I prefer top sponsor ads but many marketers have said that solo ads get the most results.

*Start an affiliate program and offer people a percentage to sell your ebook. One of the best places to do this is Clickbank. For a small fee you can set up your affiliate program and increase your sales many times over.

*Offer the first chapter or two as a freebie. Be sure and leave them wanting more.

*Visit message boards or join discussion groups to learn marketing strategies that have worked for other publishers and authors. If it works for them, it can work for you as well.

Let me know which strategy works best for you

One of the best ways to generate immediate traffic to your ebook web site is to send press releases. Writing a press release is different to writing an article or web copy content. It should include content that is newsworthy such as a story about your product and what it will do for the customer.

Benefits of Press Releases

1. Attract lots of visitors

Online press release sites get sent to thousands of outlets. This may include Google and Yahoo news sites which receive thousands of visitors a day.

2. Boost search engine traffic

If you optimize your release for the search engines by including your main keywords it will get indexed by them. This generates lots of incoming links to your web site that will boost your rankings.

3. New contacts

Sending your press release to many news media outlets could result in huge promotional opportunities.

4. Saves time

The time invested in creating and sending a press release will result in attracting lots more traffic than writing an ad or an article.

5. Tracking

Most online press release sites allow you to track the number of people that have read it. This allows you to monitor its effectiveness.

How to Write a Press Release

It’s very important to write your press release correctly so it won’t get rejected. Here are several articles how to write one:

http://www.publicityinsider.com/release.asp
http://www.wikihow.com/Write-a-Press-Release
http://www.ehow.com/how_8793_write-proper-press-release.html

Press Release Websites

www.PRWeb.com
www.prnewswire.com
http://www.prleap.com
http://www.i-newswire.com

Press Release Software

http://www.pressequalizer.com
www.prwizard.com

*****************************************
If you want to attract a continuous stream of NEW visitors to
your website without spending a dime on advertising pick up a copy of
my new ebook”Article Marketing Strategies“…
to receive immediate and long-term traffic.

Herman Drost is the Certified Internet Webmaster (CIW)
owner and author of Web Site Design, Web Hosting, SEO

One of the best ways to generate immediate traffic to your ebook web site is to send press releases. Writing a press release is different to writing an article or web copy content. It should include content that is newsworthy such as a story about your product and what it will do for the customer.

Benefits of Press Releases

1. Attract lots of visitors

Online press release sites get sent to thousands of outlets. This may include Google and Yahoo news sites which receive thousands of visitors a day.

2. Boost search engine traffic

If you optimize your release for the search engines by including your main keywords it will get indexed by them. This generates lots of incoming links to your web site that will boost your rankings.

3. New contacts

Sending your press release to many news media outlets could result in huge promotional opportunities.

4. Saves time

The time invested in creating and sending a press release will result in attracting lots more traffic than writing an ad or an article.

5. Tracking

Most online press release sites allow you to track the number of people that have read it. This allows you to monitor its effectiveness.

How to Write a Press Release

It’s very important to write your press release correctly so it won’t get rejected. Here are several articles how to write one:

http://www.publicityinsider.com/release.asp
http://www.wikihow.com/Write-a-Press-Release
http://www.ehow.com/how_8793_write-proper-press-release.html

Press Release Websites

www.PRWeb.com
www.prnewswire.com
http://www.prleap.com
http://www.i-newswire.com

Press Release Software

http://www.pressequalizer.com
www.prwizard.com

*****************************************
If you want to attract a continuous stream of NEW visitors to
your website without spending a dime on advertising pick up a copy of
my new ebook”Article Marketing Strategies“…
to receive immediate and long-term traffic.

Herman Drost is the Certified Internet Webmaster (CIW)
owner and author of Web Site Design, Web Hosting, SEO

Marketing your ebook is the most difficult and time consuming process. If you don’t get lots of traffic to your ebook sales page you won’t make much money. Even if you get lots of traffic but it fails to convert visitors into buyers you won’t sell many copies.

How to generate traffic to your ebook with articles

Select a section of your ebook and rewrite it into an a unique 500 word article. Submit the article to ezinearticles first since it is the most popular article directory because it gets the most traffic. Rewrite the article again and send it to the other main article directories.

Important points to include in your article

*create an attractive headline

*first paragraph should identify and describe a problem

*body of the article should offer several solutions to the problem

*closing paragraph should summarize the main points of your article

*resource box should provide a call to action (visit ebook sales page) link to your web site, and who you are.

*include 2 links in your resource box…one that includes the anchor text ie “article marketing strategies” and the other the full URL. The link containing your anchor text will give you a high quality back link to your web site and the full URL displays the full address should the visitor print out your article. It also gives you a second backlink.

Search for ezine publishers in your niche and offer them the article to send to their subscribers. If your article gets accepted by a large publication you will make many sales.

Article swaps

Offer to trade articles with another newsletter publisher. You run his article in your newsletter and your article in his.

Ezine directories

Create a list of ezine publishers in your niche and offer them your article.

Tip

If you want to create an article marketing campaign that generates a ton of visitors to your web site, write and submit 5 articles per week for several weeks. If you can write 20 articles per week this will generate even more visitors. The most important point is to do it consistently.

*****************************************
If you want to attract a continuous stream of NEW visitors to
your website without spending a dime on advertising pick up a copy of
my new ebook”Article Marketing Strategies“…
to receive immediate and long-term traffic.

Herman Drost is the Certified Internet Webmaster (CIW)
owner and author of Web Site Design, Web Hosting, SEO

If you write a professional sales letter to sell your ebook but have an unattractive ebook cover you’ll lose the credibility of your sales letter. Your ecover should not be a template or just a simple image but be unique, colorful and integrate well with your content.

Ways to design your ebook cover

1. Hire a professional ecover designer

If you are not familiar with graphic editing tools this would be the way to go. It will save you hours of time trying to figure out how to do it yourself. You have the reassurance that your design will be professionally done.

Here’s a professional ecover designer that is reasonably priced and used by several internet marketing gurus.
http://www.ecoverexpert.com

2. Ecover software

This may be a good option if you plan on selling many ebooks. You purchase the software once then you can use it as many times as you like. To find the software, enter “ecover software” in Google or use http://www.webgraphicscreator.com

The downside of this option is it that your ebook cover may look like others created with the same software as they tend to rely on templates.

3. Do-it-yourself

If you have graphics software such as photoshop or fireworks and are familar with the tools, try creating it yourself. You can apply your creative talents, and produce many different designs. If you get good at it you may even offer it as a service to your customers.

Fireworks Tutorials
http://www.cbtcafe.com/fireworks/cbtbook/3dbox.html
http://www.easy-online-money.net/how-to-create-an-ebook-cover.html

Photoshop Tutorial
http://www.showandtell-graphics.com/ebook-cover.html

Where to place your ebook cover

Your ecover image will be the first thing noticed on your page (unless you have a prominient header graphic) because it stands out from your web copy. Since everyone reads from left to right, place it on the left side with your headline text beside it.

Tip

Make your ebook cover graphic link to your order page. Sometimes visitors will click this immediately to skip the sales letter because they have already decided to purchase your ebook.

*****************************************
If you want to attract a continuous stream of NEW visitors to
your website without spending a dime on advertising pick up a copy of
my new ebook”Article Marketing Strategies“…
to receive immediate and long-term traffic.

Herman Drost is the Certified Internet Webmaster (CIW)
owner and author of Web Site Design, Web Hosting, SEO

In my previous article I discussed creating an attractive design for your ebook sales page to convert visitors into buyers. The other main factor is the quality of the content on the page. Your sales letter should pull the visitor through the page. This means the text and images must flow seamlessly together and pre-sell the visitor so he or she will want to click the order button.

Top 7 Ways to Improve Your Sales Letter Conversion Rate

1. Stress the benefits

Put yourself in your customers shoes and think what’s in it for them. Point out the problems they are facing and how your product
will help solve them.

2. Provide details

Detail what your product will do ie reduce weight, get more traffic. You might even include the whole table of contents
to show the detailed information covered in your ebook.

3. Establish credibility

Why should this person believe you..they’ve never met you? Include examples how this product helped you. Provide testimonials of people who have used the product. Other people’s opinions and experiences often carry more weight than your own opinion or experience. This probably is due to unscrupulous businesses giving false or incorrect information that burned their customers.

4. Create a sense of urgency

The majority of visitors arriving at your sales page will procrastinate and leave the purchasing decision for later. They may forget to return so how can you get them to come back?

Here are a few ideas…

a. You could say something like:

“this price is for a limited time only”
“pre-launch price”
“the price will increase after this date…”

b. One time offer

Warn the person this price will only be offered once.
When they return to the same page the price will have increased.

c. Create a pop-up

When they leave the sales page a different page will pop up displaying a reduced price ie “get $10.00 off the price if you act now”

5. Don’t include navigation bars

This will only distract your readers by having them click elsewhere. You need to create a single focus to maintain the power of your sales copy.

6. Offer an e-course

Create a series of follow-up messages using an autoresponder. This enables you to expose your offer several times (instead of one time) increasing the chances of the person buying.

7. Over deliver

Selling your ebook means you want to GET something (money) from your visitor. Provide a high quality bonus or bonuses that the visitor does not expect to receive. It will make help remove objections to their purchasing decision.

*****************************************
If you want to attract a continuous stream of NEW visitors to
your website without spending a dime on advertising pick up a copy of
my new ebook”Article Marketing Strategies“…
to receive immediate and long-term traffic.

Herman Drost is the Certified Internet Webmaster (CIW)
owner and author of Web Site Design, Web Hosting, SEO

I highly recommend creating your own sales page so you can make the necessary changes for producing higher conversion rates. Often one small change to your page will result in converting more visitors into buyers.

Once you create your first sales page you can use this skill for writing sales letters, landing pages and web page content or offer it as a service to others.

I outlined the structure for writing a sales page in this article…

How to Write an Effective Sales Letter for Your eBook

How to Increase Conversion Rates With An Attractive Design

Your sales page must look professional. If you can’t create/design one yourself get a professional designer to create one for you or find a sharp looking template.

Background and text colors
Use dark text on a light background e.g. black text on white or a dark background with light text e.g. black background with white text.

Header graphic
Create a professional header graphic that includes the main benefit of your ebook. Visitors usually see this first because it appears so prominently on the page. Some sales pages don’t have a header graphic because the owner believes it distracts the reader from the content. They use a large heading instead. You will only know what works best if you test with and without the header graphic. I use an attractive header graphic with the top benefit written on it so make a strong impression when the visitor first sees the page.

Headlines
Your main headline your stand out from the rest of the page. It should have the largest font. The teaser headline (headline before main headline) should be small..12 pixels. The headline after your main headline should be a little smaller than the main one.

White Space
This is the space you create around elements on your sales page. It makes your content easier to read. Use lots of white space around your ebook image (or other images) and between paragraphs. Create CSS boxes with borders for customer testimonials.

Text
Use different colors to attract attention for the text. e.g. the main headline could be bright blue and the main text black if using a white background. Testimonial text could be light blue on a yellow background to contrast it from the rest of the page. Bold your main keyword phrases to make them stand out.

*****************************************
If you want to attract a continuous stream of NEW visitors to
your website without spending a dime on advertising pick up a copy of
my new ebook”Article Marketing Strategies“…
to receive immediate and long-term traffic.

Herman Drost is the Certified Internet Webmaster (CIW)
owner and author of Web Site Design, Web Hosting, SEO

If the sales letter of your ebook does not convince the reader to purchase your it you may get discouraged and not write another ebook again. On the other hand you don’t want to spend weeks writing the sales letter of your ebook when you could already be selling it.

Who should write it?

You could hire a professional copywriter or purchase sale letter software to help you write it, but why not do it yourself so you can use this skill multiple times for future projects. You might even offer it as a fee-based service if you get good at it.

Keep this formula in mind when writing your sales letter:

A - Attention - A powerful headline will grab the attention of your visitor
I - Interest - Touch upon points that stimulate curiosity.
D - Detail - Include details about your ebook
A - Action - Provide a call for action

5. Outline benefits

Outline the top benefits of your product and how it will solve their problems. Create a bulleted list so it is easy to read.

6. Build credibility

Get testimonials from people who have read your ebook and weave them into the content on your sales letter. This helps readers to trust your product because others have endorsed it.

7. Include table of contents

Include the main chapters of your ebook so people know what they are getting. You don’t have to include everything (especially if it contains many chapters) but select the ones that would be most beneficial to your audience.

8. Provide proof

If people see practical proven results for using the content in your ebook it help them make a decision to purchase.

9. Make your offer

This is where you mention the price. Create a nice graphical button that says something like “order now”

10. Provide a guarantee

This removes the risk of buying your ebook. Try to make it at least 30 days..the longer the better.

12. Create an urgency to act now

Many people are procrastinators so they won’t act immediately. Create a sense of urgency to “buy your product now” This will help them to make up their minds as they may miss out on the deal.

For example you might say something like

“Pre-launch offer for limited time only”

13. Include bonuses

Bonuses help readers decide buying your ebook because you are over delivering on your offer. Your sales letter should capture your readers attention, stimulate their emotions and prepare them to click the “order now” button.

14. Include a post script message

The post script (P.S) message is to re-emphasize the value of the product.

Tips

*Maintain the interest of your reader throughout your sales letter copy by including the main benefits of your product or service.

*Study other sales letters on the Net to improve your own then proof read it several times before it goes live.

*Get suggestions from others how to improve it.

*Improve your sales letter conversions by testing and tracking the results.

Improving your conversions will result in more ebook sales.

*****************************************
Attract 1000s of NEW visitors to your website
without spending a dime on advertising

Pick up a copy of my new ebook”Article Marketing Strategies“…
to receive immediate and long-term traffic.

Herman Drost is the Certified Internet Webmaster (CIW)
owner and author of Web Site Design, Web Hosting, SEO

4. Sales page within blog

Visitors get introduced to your ebook with every post you write. The sales page can be created within the blog as a static page.

If the blog attracts lots of visitors your ebook will get lots of exposure.

The downside of this method is that you won’t brand the domain with your ebook. For example it’s easier to remember www.domain.com rather than www.domain.com/rebook. if you create an affiliate program it will also be easier for your affiliates to remember the domain. You could also sell the domain for a high price if it becomes very popular.

5. Sales page within web site

If your web site gets high rankings and lots of visitors you could create the sales page within a directory folder of the web site then link to this page from other pages within your site. This would quickly drive traffic to this page.

The downside is that you would not be branding a separate domain name for your product.

6. Combination

Use a combination of the points mentioned above. Use a unique domain for your rebook sales page (for branding), create a blog targeted towards your rebook topic, drive traffic to your sales page from your other sites and blogs.

Use other methods of driving traffic to your sales page erg. articles, Google ads, ezine ads, press releases, social media sites, forums, blogs, discussion groups.

Whatever sales page strategies you use depends on your personal preference. Instead of wasting precious marketing time and losing sales, decide on the best method that fits your circumstances then go with it.

Keep testing what works best to increase your conversion rates.

What works best for you?

*****************************************
Attract 1000s of NEW visitors to your website
without spending a dime on advertising

Pick up a copy of my new ebook”Article Marketing Strategies“…
to receive immediate and long-term traffic.

Herman Drost is the Certified Internet Webmaster (CIW)
owner and author of Web Site Design, Web Hosting, SEO

Have you ever faced the dilemma of where to place the sales page of your ebook?

It’s worth putting some thought into it because you want to attract as many buyers as possible. Alot will depend upon what you already have in place. For example my main web design site ranks well for numerous keyword phrases and gets lots of traffic (approx.29,000/month). My web design discussion blog gets approx. 10,000/month so I could use both of these resources to drive traffic to a sales page on its own domain.

If you don’t have a web site you could create a blog and drive traffic to the sales page or create a one page web site that uses an opt-in form to capture subscribers that can be converted into buyers later.

Here is a run down on the different sales page strategies:

1. Opt-in form on sales page

This method gets visitors to subscribe before you offer them your ebook. The idea behind this is to create a large list of potential buyers that you can offer your ebook to and continue to sell to them.

The opt-in form is usually in the form of a squeeze page meaning they have no alternative but to fill in their name and address
to receive a free report or newsletter. Many marketers use this method because they think if people don’t subscribe then they won’t buy anything.

The various kinds of opt-in forms include pop-ups, pop-ins, pop-in after they leave, drop-ins or autoresponders.

Autoresponders

After a person opts-in they receive a series of follow-up messages with each one of them introducing your ebook. Only a few people purchase a product from one exposure so the follow-up messages expose them to your product serveral times giving several opportunities to purchase.

2. Sales page with download link on thank you page

When the person purchases your ebook from the sales page they get taken to a thank you page that asks them for their name and email address. They receive the download page after submitting the form. This enables you to capture their contact information and makes sure they have no troubles with the download. You could create an upsell product on this thank you page because they are already in a buying mood.

3. Sales page as the blog home page

Visitors would immediately be presented with this page when arriving at your site. This method would be best for people who have read one of your articles so they have been prepared with knowledge about your ebook.

You could build traffic to the blog with lots of targeted content related to your ebook topic. Your ebook could be exposed to visitors on every page.

The downside of this method is that you are asking them to buy without preparation especially if this is the first exposure to your product.

Which Model Works Best For You?

Part 2 of Sales Page Strategies can be read in my next post

*****************************************
Want to Attract 1000s of NEW visitors to your website for years
without spending a dime on advertising?

Pick up a copy of “Article Marketing Strategies“…
to receive immediate and long-term traffic.

Herman Drost is the Certified Internet Webmaster (CIW)
owner and author of Web Site Design, Web Hosting, SEO

When I purchase an ebook I always read a few testimonials to see what others have experienced. It’s a powerful method because it helps build trust with your customers. It’s harder to gain someone’s trust on the Net than meeting them face to face. This is because there are unscrupulous people on the Net that take advantage of others trust.

Testimonials convert lookers into buyers because people other than yourself believe the content of your ebook was very valuable to them, and will be for others.

How to get testimonials

1. Participate in forums, blogs, social media sites

If you communicate with others in these public areas by contributing to the discussion taking place you’ll begin to develop relationships. Often you’ll find friends you’ll want to do business with. It’s easier to ask for testimonial after you’ve established a trusting relationship.

2. Ask your newsletter subscribers

Your newsletter subscribers already have a long term relationship with you because they’ve been reading your articles for several years. Make a pre-launch offer to them by selling your ebook below it’s launch price and ask those that buy to write a short testimonial.

You may even offer them a link back to their website on your sales page. They will receive a nice boost in traffic when you promote your ebook.

3. Create an evaluation form

When someone purchases your ebook, have them fill out an evaluation form based on their experience reading the content. Make sure you include a statement giving you permission to use their testimonial.

4. Ask the experts

Create a list of experts in your field then contact them to write a testimonial for your ebook. This will add a lot of credibility to your product because people tend to trust those that have built a strong reputation.

Don’t worry if you don’t get a reply because they tend to be very busy and get many offers every day. Your ebook may not appeal to them if it doesn’t offer something that stands out from all the others they’ve seen.

Offer to sell your ebook to their newsletter subscribers for a reduced price or give them a commission for every ebook they sell. This will make your offer more appealing because it benefits their pockets.

5. Offer a Free Gift

If you have trouble gathering testimonials from experts, offer your ebook as a free gift in exchange for a testimonial. Receiving testimonials from anyone is better than none. Ask for good and bad criticisms because you want to improve your ebook.

6. Offer to write the testimonial

People are busy and often can’t get in the right mindset to write a testimonial. Offer to write one for them or provide examples of past testimonials to help stimulate their creative juices.

If you write one for them find something in your ebook that relates with their area of expertise.

7. Use a photo, audio, or video

This adds more substance to the testimonial because you are appealing to their hearing and visual senses. The more that people connect to your testimonial through these mediums the more likely they are to purchase your ebook.

8. Include the full byline

The byline provides the name, and often the position, of the writer of an article. A full byline gives the testimonial more credibility than just saying

“J.C. from Ohio”

Testimonials provide a powerful endorsement of your product that wins the trust of your customers. If you weave them
into your sales page content you will make more sales than if you hadn’t done it.

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Herman Drost is the Certified Internet Webmaster (CIW)
owner and author of Web Design, Web Hosting, SEO