Combining Electronic Media For Web 2.0 Presence

The rules for success on the internet change frequently. There is a constant evolutionary process in which the search engines are attempting to deliver the most helpful results while webmasters attempt to construct sites that will show up at the top of searches whether or not they are the most helpful.

Web 2.0 is changing all that. Essentially, people get to vote on the value of content. Search engine optimization is still important, but what's more important is public recognition (in the form of inbound links). While it was once the case that one needed to court webmasters to accomplish this popularity, now the average person gets to vote via social network and content contribution sites.

Nowadays the individual can wield a fair amount of internet power through the extended network of their social media friends on facebook, myspace or linked in. They can get the word out about their work or their opinion via podcasts or YouTube videos.

Webmasters are finding that a positive reputation has a viral effect and that it is most easily achieved by giving away a lot of value. Once the public comes to regard an individual or site as a fountain of wisdom, the task of sales becomes far easier.

In recognition of this fact, new businesses are cropping up to create and deliver value via a wide range of media. I found myself in need of a video expert and elected to combine my internet marketing talents with Wes Wolcott of Wolcott Digital Media so that people could have everything in one place. Visit New Earth Arts to see what I mean.

12-Part Sales Letter In Depth - Presenting Your Credentials

When you are writing a sales letter people will need a few reasons to believe what you say. After all, there are plenty of scammers out there and they don't know you from Adam (or Eve). So people will want to know who you are. You will need to present your credentials. This is a bit like a resume, with some important differences.

• Academic Degrees lend some credibility, but are not the last word
• Employment Experience also helps distinguish you from a con artist
• Online Reputation/Presence (Many people will Google your name. What will they find?)
• Your believable story (People tend to recognize real-life experiences)

Any or all of these can provide a reader with a reason to keep reading. For those with weak Academic Degrees or Employment Experience, Online Reputation/Presence is particularly important. More about that in the next installment.

Deborah Oppenheim & Dynamic Touch Executive Services

Just a shout out to get Deborah Oppenheim & Dynamic Touch Executive Services found. (She is a friend of mine).

http://dynamictouch-es.com/

Distinguishing Your Unique Sales Proposition (USP)

No matter what kind of business you are in, you will want to distinguish your Unique Sales Proposition or USP. This is true whether you have a number of competitors, or none. (In which case your USP would be that you are the only source.)

Essentially, your USP is an answer to the customer questions, "Why should I do business with you? What makes you so special?"

Sometimes your USP seems fairly obvious, but even when it seems that way, you might be overlooking something, so it is a good idea to ask existing customers why they come to you in particular. Corey Rudl polled his existing customers to discover what they liked about his eBook and discovered that people's favorite chapter was "How To Buy Or Lease Any Car At $50 Over True Dealer Cost." Consequently, he made it part of his sales copy and sold more books.

I have done this for my sideline business as a massage therapist. I asked my clients why they come to me and discovered that unlike many massage therapists who simply give a standard massage, I ask people what specific areas they want worked on and approach it like a mechanic. They like this, so I started using "The Mechanic" by my name on my business cards. People take notice and when I explain why I use the term, they instantly understand that I do remedial massage.

So the point is: Your existing happy customers probably have a better idea than you do about what your USP is. For this reason it is a good idea to ask them why they come to you and then use the answers to find a way to stand out in your particular field.

Next Installment: Presenting Your Credentials

12-Part Sales Letter In Depth: Providing The Solution

The next part of your 12- part sales letter is the part where you announce that you have the solution. You will necessarily want to make a justifiable claim that it is the BEST solution. (Otherwise, why would anyone want to buy it?)

In college we learn to be conservative with our claims. ("How dare I say I am the best? The professor will cut me to shreds!") I call this the Academic Bias. For this reason alone, many highly educated people with excellent solutions go unrecognized. If they were willing to go out on a limb and claim to be the best at something, people might take notice.

For those who feel it would be disingenuous to claim that they are offering the best solution, they might do well to consider certain qualifiers. For example, if there is a better solution that is more expensive, it might be reasonable to claim that a product is the best solution at a particular price. Or possibly, the product or service might be focused at a particular market. Here is how I would qualify myself:

"I don't make pretty websites so I don't claim to be a webmaster. But I do have a knack with words and frequently find my projects listing near the top of Google, so I call myself a darned good SEO specialist. Combined with my background in technical support, mail-order fulfillment and alternative medicine, I can safely say I am probably one of the best internet marketing consultants with knowledge of the of the alternative medicine market, particularly when it comes to marketing an alternative health book."

Now that is a mouthful when it is placed inside a 12 part sales letter, but it give you some idea of the kind of thing you can say to both tout yourself as the best and remain truthful.

All this points to the need to distinguish your Unique Sales Proposition. Briefly, your Unique Sales Proposition or USP is what makes your product stand out from the crowd. Rather than plunging ahead with the rest of the parts of the sales letter immediately, let's devote an installment to distinguishing your uniques sales proposition.

Next Installment: Distinguishing Your Unique Sales Proposition (USP)

http://internetmarketing.meadrose.com/

12-Part Sales Letter In Depth: Identifying The Problem

After getting their attention with the Headline and reiterating with the Sub-head the next task is to give the reader a real sense that you feel their pain, partly because you are helping them to re-experience it. Why? Because many people simply put up with problems and figure they are just part of life.

Studies show that people tend not to take action unless they are in a state of agitation or irritation. In the process of Identifying the Problem, we need to produce that state in the reader. So first, we need to make the reader feel, "Wow! That describes my situation to a T!" Next we need to help our reader experience the irritation over that particular situation that will make them want to do something about it. So, we must paint a vivid picture of the circumstance in question.

Returning to our example of the lost cell phone:

"Is this you?

In consideration of the other theater patrons, you shut off your cell phone. You have a wonderful evening out, and go to bed early.

The following day you look for your cell phone and can't find it. You dial it from your land line and still can't find it.

A little irritated, you check your jacket pocket. No phone.

You check the car. No phone.

A day later, your date calls to tell you she found your cell phone in the back seat of her car. Meanwhile, you missed 3 important calls; one from your family and two from business contacts.

It almost seems like those companies want you to lose your cell phone just so you'll buy another!"

Even if they haven't had the exact experience, hopefully you have produced some vicarious frustration on their part...and set them up for your solution.

Next Installment: 12-Part Sales Letter In Depth: Provide The Solution

http://internetmarketing.meadrose.com/

12-Part Sales Letter In Depth: Getting Their Attention The Sub-Headline

Assuming we got their attention with the Headline, now we need to get our audience of prospects to keep reading. To do so, we need to engage our audience both emotionally and intellectually. We do this by clearly identifying a problem which the reader has. Sometimes this requires a sub-headline, sometimes a paragraph and sometimes both.

What matters is that:

• The reader feels that someone understands a problem they have
• The reader is reminded of the experience of the pain of the problem
• The reader is becomes somewhat agitated as a consequence

For example, let's say we are selling an audible finder device. Our headline might read:

"I Turned Off My Cell Phone And Now I Can't Find It!" (Get their attention)

Our sub-headline might read:

"Don't you hate it when you turn off your cell phone at a meeting and then you can't call it to find it?" (Remind them of a problem)

Our sub-paragraph might read:

"Why is a cell phone and all-or-nothing deal? You turn it off in a meeting or theater, and then you misplace it...and you can't dial it to find out where it is, since it's turned off! How frustrating! To make it worse, you might be expecting a time-sensitive call. Sure you could select a quite ringtone, but if you are like most people you don't have the time to dig into the menus to change it!"

If we are doing our job well, we have succeeded in irritating the reader enough so they might:

• Want to throw their cell phone at the wall
• Write to a cell phone manufacturer suggesting an improvement
  
• Buy our handy-dandy voice-activated chirping cell-phone locator
  

At this point we have already verged into Identify the Problem. More on that in the next installment.

Next Installment: 12-Part Sales Letter In Depth: Identifying The Problem