WEBSITE101: READING LIST
Reaching Great Minds Online
February 21, 2000 Issue #32
Mike Valentine, Editor, learn@website101.com
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By subscription only Welcome to the February 21, 2000 issue
"WEBSITE101: READING LIST".
You are receiving this issue because you subscribed or
because you requested our Free WebSite101 Short Course.
Unsubscribe by using the address at the bottom of page.
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IN THIS ISSUE
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=> Sponsor Ad: INTERNET BOOT CAMP!
=> Feature article: EEPS! Electronic E-Products
=> Our Guest Column: Why the Wet Handshake?
=> HOT TIP! Test or DIE!
=> Classifieds
=> Subscribe/Unsubscribe information
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SPONSOR of this issue
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EEPS! Electronic E-information Products
by Mike Banks Valentine
Everybody's doin' it! eBooks, eBooklets, eReports, eGads! The
problem with all of this e-information scattered about the web
on so many far-flung sites is that it's impossible to find them
all. That's only a problem if you're an information junkie like
me! The guy who subscribes to 53 eZines and downloads every
eBook he can get his hands on about web marketing and strategy.
Even if you are lucky enough to find a special report on
"Personal Marketing for the Ebizdog" that you may miss
the
*best report*, "Ecommerce for the WebDog on a Short Leash."
You may see the free reports but miss the "How to Keep Your
Dog
From Surfing KittyPurrrn at Work" eBooklet for only $19.95
from
another source on yet another web site.
If you find any information at all, the author of that report
is hoping you *don't* find out about his competitor's longer and
more detailed, more helpful report and certainly won't tell you
about it on his "Pets in Busines OnTheWeb" online tutorial.
The web excels at providing electronic information immediately
downloadable in plain text, or neatly formatted with graphics
and
tidy colored charts in PDF format or delivered by autoresponder
directly to your e-mail box.
Early in 1999, technical book e-dealer, FatBrain.com saw the
trend to electronically downloadable information gaining on
the traditional publishing market and worked out an innovative
way to harness that growing collection of "EEPS" for
profit.
WebSite101 offers our "How to Get My Business Online"
short
course through FatBrain.com and we get a $2.00 check each time
someone downloads that information. (Aren't you glad you got
it free from us?)
FatBrain saw the opportunity to gather that e-information
together in one place and sell it for a fee to customers of
their web site. They take a 50% cut of the action each time
"e-Matter" (as they call it) is sold from their site.
They
were quickly inundated with as much as they could handle in
submissions from e-authors of every sort!
Now there's a solution we've discovered that's gone "e-matter"
one better. It's called ReportSearch.com, a free search engine
of quality "EEPS" that lists every known eBook, eReport
and
eMaterial available so that you can search by subject, name
or keyword for information you need! The Yahoo type interface
returns lists of search results relevant to your requests,
whether paid, free or shareware.
Unlike FatBrain, http://www.ReportSearch.com doesn't co-brand
any of the EEPS and lists ALL the quality electronically down-
loadable information in one searchable database. That's like
e-Heaven for an EEP junkie like me!
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We are a proud member of the EZINE PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION,
the free organization dedicated to the needs of ezine
publishers. EPAI's goal is to give support and assistance
for all your publishing needs. Membership provides unlimited
resources for growth and development.
Join Free At: http://www.EzinePublisher.org
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FREE DOES NOT MEAN POOR! OR WHY THE WET HANDSHAKE?
by Lois Thompson
Whether you have a service or an information product you
sell from your website, the best way to develop a
relationship with your visiting audience is to offer free
information.
____Wait...Why Give Away Free Information Anyway? Why Not
Just Go For The Sell?
Offering Free Information has been and still is a great way
of increasing site traffic. Statistics say it takes 7
communications before the average visitor becomes a buyer.
Hard sells do not work on the net. You must first establish
a RELATIONSHIP. An informative free report or other giveaway
is like your handshake; the primary step in establishing
what you hope will be a long, profitable relationship. It
helps to build trust, credibility, and a satisfying
connection with your visitors.
There's is no better way to do that than with a valuable
introductory gift.
____Okay, I Have A Freebie, Why Doesn't Anyone Come Back And
Buy?
First, ask yourself this question: Is your freebie any good?
Be honest. If upon closer inspection you concede that what
you're offering isn't that great, either improve it or
shelve it and create something else. You should not promote
anything you do not believe in.
____Is Your Free Report Associated With The Paid Product You
Offer?
This is a common mismatch. Your giveaway should be directly
associated with the product or service you want to sell. Do
not give away info-disk reports if you are not in the
info-disk business. It confuses people. Confused people do
not make purchases.
Follow these simple guidelines when creating your free
report:
1. HEADLINE - Make sure it has an accurate and intriguing
title. Most reputable Internet marketing programs have a
section on effective words. Get one.
2. DO YOUR BEST - Write to the best of your ability. Using a
spelling and grammar-checking program can help you avoid
major mistakes. Plus, there excellent FREE copy and writing
resources to help you become a better writer. Remember:
proofread then proofread again! And like your website or
e-zine, make it look GOOD. If all else fails, Hire Expert
help. The potential sales are worth it.
3. NO PITCHING!! - People can hardly stand to watch
commercials, far less read them. Your freebie should stand
on its own and not be a hard sell for your product. If you
provide a good, solid free report and mention your service
or product, they will want to come back to you.
4. BE FOUND - On the other hand, it doesn't matter how good
the report is if people can't find you. We see it all the
time. All pertinent contact information should appear at
BOTH the beginning AND end. Include:
- full name - e-mail address - website URL - phone and/or
address (if applicable) - copyright notice!!!
5. RELATIONSHIP - is everything! Make your home (site) or
ezine a place they want to come to or something they want to
read again and again. Keep it personal.
There are other questions such as, How do I get my free
report to potential buyers?...but we'll cover that next
time. First, get one done.
The quality of what you offer--free or paid--will determine
whether your site or e-zine is bookmarked or subscribed
to...or forgotten. If you give away free garbage, your
visitors will suspect that you want them to pay for garbage
too.
Online society is click and go. If people do not like your
offer, they'll CLICK and there GOes your RELATIONSHIP. So
don't screw up your introduction with a wet handshake.
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Lois Thompson, the Relationship Guru, is a screenwriter and
all around great gal. ReportSearch.com is a directory of
free reports and paid online courses, e-books and how-to
guides. For article resources, to find reports, submit your
reports, or Get a Bonus Guide to the Best FREE reports:
http://www.reportsearch.com/index.shtml?includeme
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************ HOT TIP! ************
TEST OR DIE!
Marketing and Advertising without testing is like
target practice with the lights off. You don't know if
you're hitting your target or just shooting blindly into
the wind like a mad man. So, you have to ask yourself
that famous Clint Eastwood question: "Do You Feel Lucky?"
I don't know about you, but I don't like to leave
things to chance. Especially not my future. I'm a
person who likes to be in control at all times.
I like to know where things are going and create
my own destiny. You really do have a choice:
You can do as the majority on the net do and
sit in front of your computer screen praying
that you'll make a sale... Or, you can take
matters into your own hands. You can grab your
advertising efforts by the ears and take command.
This is how you do it...
http://www.roibot.com/w.cgi?R263_ROIbot
************ HOT TIP! ************
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Copyright © 2000 Mike Valentine
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ISSN: 1527-5094
Mike Valentine
WebSite 101
learn@website101.com
