PLR Articles, Oktoberfest, and New Computer

October 26, 2010

Whew, just getting serious here after a week of confusion with my son home on fall break.  It’s interesting how you can just do what you need to do and discard the rest (like playing Spider Solitaire) when you don’t have all day to do it.   As I try to get my head together, I’m going to mention what I’m currently working on Internet marketing-wise.

But first, a picture from my weekend in the Rocky Mountains for Oktoberfest at the end of September.

Breckenridge in the fall

I know,  I know, it has nothing to do with Internet marketing but the fall colors were gorgeous!

Okay, here’s how my present and near future’s shaping up:

1.  I came up with a great idea that helps PLR ATM owners out and I got it up and running.  I sent out a JV request to someone who could really do this justice and I’m writing this post instead of sitting and watching my in-bin for a response, which is really what I would rather be doing.  I’ll tell you more about it in my next post.

2.  I need to at least unpack my new harddrive and stare at it a bit before I attempt to boot it up and replace my ailing and almost dead harddrive.

3.  I came up with another idea that puts a new welcomed twist on the next set of PLR articles I’m going to write.  Today I’ll do a little reseach on the idea and put my plan into motion, i.e., start writing the twisted PLR articles.

4.  I will continue uploading PLR articles onto a test blog.  It’s a case study and I will be happy to share the results with you when I’m done and have all the results.

5. One two of my websites are sorely in need of updating and I’m going to do that so it won’t continue to nag at me.  It’s like when you were in school and you had homework to do but you did something else instead – you got that little niggling feeling.  Or maybe that was just me?

6.  Not high on my list, but I shall continue to improve the SEO on one of my sites.  It’s obviously not this one as I keep forgeting about writing it for search engines and just write it for people. ;)

That’s a wrap!

Care to give any teasers on what you’re working on?
Leave a comment below.

Filed Under Main, Personal, PLR · 12 Comments  

Finding An Article Idea

September 27, 2010

I’ve had this question several times now:

“How can I come up with an idea for an article?”

So I thought I’d give you an example of an article I wrote recently and explain where I got the idea from.   Simply put, Terry Dean sent me an email I thought was interesting, and I used it as a starting off point.  [His is one of the few lists I'm on because I value the information he gives.]TerryDean write an article

Here is his email, with permission: 

“Hi Peg,
 
Are your sites converting enough visitors and leads into sales of your products and services…or for affiliate products you may be recommending?
 
If you’re in the vast majority of online marketers, the answer to the above question is a solid NO.
 
While there are several places you could look to find the problems, let’s go to one of the most common problems…one of the issues that pops up again and again.
 
You simply don’t have enough proof.
 
You’re not proving the claims you make.
 
This is especially common today when everyone tells you to sell with emotion.  Make an emotional pitch…which I agree with 100%.  BUT that emotion must be backed up with logic, facts, and proof about what you’re promising.
 
Otherwise it becomes hype your visitors simply don’t believe.
 
The real path to success is to make a strong promise you can fulfill, and back this promise up with proof.
 
The most common proof elements everyone talks about are testimonials. 
 
I’m not knocking those at all.  Testimonials work.  That’s why you see them on every type of ad and website you can imagine.  
 
But do you realize they’ll losing a little of their luster.  The government has put limitations on them (that you also need to include typical customer results with them).  And you’ll find in some markets people simply don’t belive the testimonials.
 
Does that mean you should quit using them?  NO WAY.  It simply means they shouldn’t be your ONLY method of proof.
 
You can also include photos…for example a before and after photo of how much weight you personally lost.  But that’s another common form of proof.
 
How about we cover a few less common ways to add proof and believability to your advertising?
 
1. Tell Them How It Works
 
Why is your product able to deliver on its promises?  What makes it different? 
 
In internet marketing this may mean you explain all the steps your software program does in the background when they simply push the “Go” button.  If you’re sharing how to get pregnant, maybe you explain how specific hormones work…related to what you offer.  With any type of information product, you might share a few of the key principles the strategy is based on.
 
As you can see this is exactly opposite of the strategy where you tell people what something isn’t.  If you ever purchased in the business oppportunity field (I know I did enough), you saw lots of ads promising a big benefits and they told you all the things the product wasn’t…but they never told you what it was.  It’s an effective selling appraoch, but I quickly learned that ads like that were selling “air” 99% of the time. 
 
We’re doing the opposite and letting people see behind the curtains…telling not only what we can do for them but HOW we can do it.
 
2. Case Study
 
A case study is a much more in depth testimonial.  Instead of someone giving a quick snippet of how much the product or service helped them, you talk about all the factors involved in the overall transformation.
 
This means you share specifics about where they were before, how they discovered the product, how it worked for them, and what the specific results were. 
 
This becomes a story by itself for the product.
 
If you’re selling affiliates products, TRY IT.  I dare you.  You’ll be shocked at just how much more effective this is than simply saying “Hey, so-and-so has a great product I purchased.”
 
Write the full story of something you put to use in the product and how it worked for you with as many specific as possible. 
 
Watch the sales flood in.
 
3. Media Appearances
 
Have you appeared in any media outlets, either online or off?  Has the news done a story on you?  Maybe they’ve quoted you?
 
Publicity has a multiplying effect on you.  Not only do you get the exposure and traffic from the appearance itself, but you also get the ability to claim that title, “Appearing on ________.”
 
If they media featured you, you must be good, right?  They don’t always research their subjects in depth like people think, but they definitely become a form of proof for your business.
 
The publicity could be as simple as submitting articles you’ve written out to the news sources…and then saving the clippings. 
 
4. Identify with their Disbelief
 
Are some of your promises hard to believe?  If so, agree with them.  Tell them why you didn’t believe it at first either (if you didn’t). 
 
What was the process of research you went through before you believed it or how was it proven to you personally?
 
Or you can combine this one in with the case study or several testimonials.  Maybe the subject of the case study didn’t believe at first either…until they saw the results.
 
Be open with your reader or listener.   Admit that you went through this same disbelief stage at some point until you made this discovery. 
 
In other words, be REAL with them.
 
5. Reason Why
 
I learned this one a long-time ago especially during email specials.  If you wanted an email to produce the best results you had to include a big benefit, a form of limited scarcity, and a reason why you were making such an incredible offer.
 
For example, let’s say you get returns in your business.  Everybody gets a few.  You can easily hold a scratch-and-dent sale with huge discounts of 25% to 50% or more off on the slighty used merchandise.  That’s a reason why you’re making such an offer.
 
Basically this uses the power of the word, “Because.”  You’re making this incredible deal, because….
 
And I found the “because” didn’t always have to be a great reason.  Any holiday is a reason why to run a sale.  Your anniversary, your child’s birthday, and an upcoming vacation can all be reasons why.   I once did this where my “because” was that I was standing in front of a roomful of people and wanted to demonstrate the power of an email list.  I didn’t want to look stupid so I made them an incredible deal I knew many of them would jump on. 
 
The point is that you have a WHY for making the offer. 
 
Does Your Ad Have Enough Proof?
 
The answer to this question is generally a No.  The majority of ads could improve their results by finding more studies, more testimonials, and more ways to back up all their claims.
 
The above 5 give you a few less common ways to add to your set of tools.
 
If you’re serious about finding additional ways to improve your conversion, make more sales, and earn more money online, check out the Monthly Mentor Club.  You’ll love the one of the special bonuses you get immediately just for giving it a try.  Shaune Clarke reveals, “How to Sell More Without Hype, Gimmicks, or Exagerration.” 
 
When I first read a few of his websites, I felt like I knew him, trusted him, and had to have what he offered.  It’s almost shocking the way he could influence without making any wild claims or promises.  Find out more in Shameless Bribe #6 of the Monthly Mentor Club:
http://www.MonthlyMentorClub.com
 
Sincerely,
Terry Dean”
 
This email inspired me to write an article (see below)  about having proof on your sales page.  I appreciate getting information in the form of bullets, numbers, or tips because not only do I absorb it better that way, it gets my wheels turning on how I could write an article on something similar.  I am an information junkie, I like to read.  And since I’m a PLR writer and an article marketer, I always think about the possiblities of article topics whenever I read anything. 
You’ll notice I didn’t COPY Terry Dean, I took an idea – sales page proof – and crafted my own article.
 
 
“Are These Kinds Of Proof On Your Sales Page?

We all know what goes into selling a new product online – an awesome product, lots of traffic, an excellent sales page, and good conversion rates.  Having the awesome product is probably the easiest part, while getting good conversion rates may be the hardest.  So what will help you convert visitors into buyers? 

Proof.

People want to see proof that your product is and does what you promise it will be and do.  They want to know other people have used it successfully without complications.  They’d also like to see, touch, and try, if possible.  If they’re convinced it will solve their problem(s), they’ll head right over to the buy button and purchase the product.

Here, then, are some types of proof that will help prove your product is the one for them:

Testimonials

While the US government has now put some restrictions on what testimonials can say, and need to include a disclaimer noting atypical results, they are still an effective form of proof.  Testimonials can be in writing with a photo, video, or audio.  What types of testimonials do you like to see?  I like the ones that say how the customer put the product to work for them and increased their income by xx dollars, lost xx amount of weight, or cleared up acne in xx days.  These are customers who have used the product and found success so it’s likely, or at least possible, other buyers will get good results too.

Video tour

Not only tell them about your product, take them inside.  A video look around with maybe a demonstration of how to use the product will show potential customers exactly what they will be getting.  If your product is an ebook, show them the table of contents and a page here and there; similar to what Amazon does with their Look Inside! feature.  Show off and talk about any bonuses as well.

Case studies

These are a form of a testimonial, but more involved.  A case study shows where the person was at before the purchase, how he used the product, how long the results took, and what the results were.  People like the specifics, so it might also include a negative or two. 

Flash your credentials

Are you a published author, been an expert in the field for over 10 years, been quoted in the newspaper, been interviewed by other experts in the field?  Without being a show-off, weave in this kind of proof as to why you’re capable of talking and teaching on this subject.

Free trial period

This is more like advanced proof and goes a long way in comforting a potential buyer’s fear.  Sometimes you can get the tire-kickers to buy if you get them behind the wheel for a test drive.  Offer a 14 or 30 day trial and encourage them to try it out.  Offer assistance during the trial period and remind them at the end of the trial to buy.

To convert readers to buyers, you definitely need to have some proof on your sales page.  Consider using video, audio, or written testimonials, case studies, a free trial period, showing your credentials, and doing a video tour of your product.  And remember to test to see which type of proof converts the best with your audience.”

So that’s one way I come up with ideas for an article.  Pay attention to your emails!
P.S.  The article I wrote above is part
of a free PLR articles pack I just finished. 
If you’d like to get it, go here.

Filed Under Article Marketing, Main, PLR · Comments Off  

Online Marketing Partner – How’d That Work Out?

April 22, 2010

Since I’ve been working with Alan Petersen on our big project – Maximize PLR – I’ve learned a lot about partnering.  Yes, I’ve partnered with others before, like with Pat Graham on MyNichePLR, but this particular   product is a bigger and involves many different skills and strengths. 

I’m going to just put this right out there… You can achieve much more success, fame, money, whatever, if you have a partner(s).

When you look at how far you’ve come, has it been as far as you would have liked?

You can be held back by your lack of knowledge.  It takes time to learn every single aspect of Internet marketing.  The time you take to learn everything could be better spent by letting a partner handle the parts of the project you don’t know how to do. [Pick a partner who has strengths where you have weaknesses.]

If you’re honest with yourself, you’ll admit you’re not good at everything, even if you do know how to do it all.  My weaknesses are some of the more techy stuff and video.  My strengths are in the written word and I have an eye for the small details.  Alan’s strengths totally compliment my weaknesses.  Together we are bigger than the sum of our parts. 

We’ve learned from each other when we’ve wanted to, but I admit there is quite a lot of relief on my part when I can ask Alan to take care of some technical issue I’ve been trying to sweat through! 

The result is a huge product I am very happy to put my name to.  Here’s the big question – Could I have done it by myself?  Hmmm, doubtful.  This is what would have happened:

  • I probably wouldn’t have added video, or if I did, there wouldn’t have been very much video and the quality would be have  been… iffy.  Not good because video is absolutely necessary in this product.  It’s a How To product, and you can’t totally do that with a bunch of screencasts and pdfs.  Alan shot over 11 hours of video!


  • I wouldn’t have had the expertise in some of the areas to be able to teach them.  For example, I’ve not turned PLR into a real live book and sold it on Amazon.  Alan has.  So Maximize PLR would have been a much smaller and different product, certainly not a membership site.  Our combined knowledge is huge!


  • It would have taken FOREVER to complete.  Although I’m blessed/cursed with a Type A personality, I am only one person who needs her 8 hours of sleep a night or she gets really cranky.


  • I would have been limited by the number of relationships I have with other internet marketers.  Instead, we’ve got my contacts and Alan’s contacts.  This helps with recruiting affiliates.


  • It wouldn’t have been as much fun.

 Finding the right partner(s) is a winning solution.  You can have the expertise of others, get everything done faster, in effect – know who they know, and increase your chances for success.

Okay, now you add your comments about partnering so this isn’t a one-way conversation.  Good experience?  Bad experience?  Yet to experience?

Filed Under Main, PLR · 8 Comments  

What You Want to Know About Using PLR:

April 2, 2010

A while back Alan Petersen and I decided to team up to create a course on how to use PLR.  We both have our strengths:

- Alan with video and audio skills, plus knowing how to milk PLR in the usual as well as seldom-seen-but-still-lucrative ways.

- Me with my PLR and report writing skills, and whatever else it is I can do that Alan doesn’t like to do. :-)

- We both like to help others and teach what we know.

So we sent out a survey because we wanted to create what people most wanted.  We got some real interesting results and great feedback.  You think you’ve got it figured out beforehand, but I was really glad we asked because we got some requests we hadn’t considered.  Here is what we learned:

What people most want to learn how to do with PLR is:
#1  Make money.
#2  Build a large list.
#3  Create their own info product.

 

They also wanted to know:
The quickest ways to use PLR.
How to rewrite PLR.
How to use a purchased PLR in many ways.
Where to find quality PLR.

 

In the area of the survey where they could leave comments we got:
Where to get graphics.
Where to use PLR.
Where to find the time.
Need step by step instructions WITH video.
How to find PLR in non-IM niches.
Tips on turning PLR content into videos.
What NOT to do.
Organizing PLR.
How to drip feed.
Unique ways to use PLR – different.

Armed with these requests, we set to making a product that includes all this and more.  Ever heard of “project creep”? We so wanted to give people everything they asked for that the product kept getting bigger and bigger.  So time-consuming for us, so good for you!

It’s almost ready to go. We’re running it through some beta-testing right now. It’s called MaximizePLR.com (and no, the real sales page isn’t showing quite yet.)

[ad#Sm btm posts]

Filed Under Main, PLR · 7 Comments  

Travel PLR and Home PLR

January 5, 2010

I’m sitting here watching the Orange Bowl and listening to my husband (who is a football official on the side) explain all the calls and plays in detail.  Believe me, it’s a different way to view a football game.

Anyway, I’ve written 2 new bundles of PLR for you and listed them as a WSO to give you a discount.

The first one is 10 articles for the travel or vacation niche.  Ths niche is just about to go into overdrive with all the spring traveling coming up.  Think spring break and retirees!  Jump on it now so you can be ahead of the game.

The 2nd bundle of PLR is 6 articles regarding the home.  These work well for a lot of different niches…. home sites, real estate sites, housing sites, mom sites, family sites, baby boomer sites, and many more.

Oh man, I almost forgot to add the link!  Get either one here.

Take care.

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