Hi, folks...
Back again, this time with a simple technique to help you
simplify your life. And your business.
"The 'I need a new name' Product"
===============================
Yeah. I know. You're supposed to have a cool name for your
products before you start promoting them. My problem is that I
refuse to use names that involve crack, steroids, cyclones, or
other ridiculous hype.
This is just an extremely useful product. It's got 162
techniques for building any part of your business network, an
interactive mindmap for planning out any online activity, a
process map template to help you get a system in place, and a
whole lot more.
Sounds boring, right? Not once you dig into it. Not based on
the excited feedback I'm getting.
http://talkbiz.com/profitplan/?e=1
And yes... The single most common word customers have used to
describe this, aside from "Awesome!," is 'useful.'
Grab a copy.
"DeMISTify Your Business"
=======================
One of the things that inspired the Profit Plan (gotta get a
better name for that product) was the desire to help people
simplify the whole online business process. Based on the
feedback, the mindmap that makes up a big part of the product
helps with that. A lot.
I've got a little mnemonic that might add to that help.
DeMISTify
That has two meanings, needs to be capitalized oddly like that,
and yes... I know it's not the proper spelling. Not for the
traditional use, anyway. By the time you're done with this
article, you may want to copy that onto a Post-It note and
stick it to your monitor.
Meaning number one uses just the capital letters...
"Don't Make It So Tough"
======================
I see people all the time who want to get into complicated
technical projects, or who need to get every detail right
before they'll start. They're so busy trying to think of
everything they end up doing nothing.
If that's you, here's your Big Clue:
No matter how much time you put in up front, you're still going
to make mistakes. With few exceptions, they'll be the same
mistakes everyone else makes, and you won't be prepared for
them even if other people tell you what to watch for.
Sure, you can avoid some of the technical problems. Those are
easy. It's the people problems you can't foresee and prevent.
No matter how bulletproof you think your system is, someone
will come along who sees things differently and messes up your
perfect plan.
Expect that. It's gonna happen. It's happened to all of us.
Every single person who's done anything productive online has
had that experience many times, and everyone who comes down the
road later will, too.
Get it out there. Track the numbers. Test, tweak, improve.
Constant, gradual improvement is the key.
The easiest way to cut down the number of mistakes?
Start simple.
....
If you want to get started and don't have much of a budget,
look around. There are a lot of free tools, some of them
surprisingly good, that are available.
For example, if you want to start a membership site using the
Wordpress framework as the base, first secure the thing. There
are plenty of tutorials on that, and it can be hardened
reasonably well without having to spend anything but a few
minutes.
Then start with one of these plugins:
http://www.s2member.com/
http://premium.wpmudev.org/project/membership/
(Thanks to Wayne Buckhanan for the
recommendation of that second one.)
There are free and paid versions of each. They don't have the
affiliate options or some of the other stuff you get with some
paid plugins, but they're stable, have decent ranges of
features, and will get you up and running quickly.
Add a theme and your content, and you're ready to go.
Don't make it so tough.
....
Even if you have loads of experience, you probably make things
harder than they need to be.
STOP THAT!
You know better.
In the spirit of full disclosure: So do I. Doesn't stop me from
making the same mistake occasionally, though.
....
Get the idea out there and see if people are interested. I've
said it before and I'll say it again: There is little more
frustrating than trying to sell the world's greatest
widget-whacker, only to find that people don't want their
widgets whacked.
Test the thing. Get it set up, get some visitors, and see if it
sells. Find out if people want their widgets whacked, then add
the salad smacker and the licorice lacquer later.
If you were around when I came out with my first product using
an interactive mindmap, you'll know I actually do this stuff.
The sales letter started off with "This product has got me
totally baffled," and went on to say that I had no idea if it
would be well-received, or if people would use it.
I didn't even have a clue what to call it, so I just called it
"The Map."
Turns out people don't really care what you call something if
it's useful. That one was really well-liked by the folks who
got it, so it went in the "People like it. Do some more"
column. It could just as easily have ended up being a widget
that didn't need whacking.
Sure, you can pass it around and ask people. If they don't have
any money on the line, you're not getting a true picture of how
your prospective customers will choose when faced with an
Actual Decision.
I got it out there and let you folks tell me what was what.
After that, you just listen. That's easy.
Don't make it so tough.
"Break it Down"
=============
DeMISTify.
This is a big part of how the latest product has helped a lot
of people. It uses the whole word, misspelling and all, to
break the process down into smaller, bite-sized chunks.
Looking at a huge process or project can be intimidating,
especially if you don't know all the parts, or which parts are
important. You need to take the thing apart in your mind, and
see what's there. Then connect all those parts using an outline
(even if it's just the original) to get the gestalt - how it
all fits together. This is one place where knowing how to
mindmap can really help.
Let's look at a simple example: A newsletter sign-up, or
'opt-in,' page.
You've got the general structure, which is composed of a
number of elements, varying with the style and purpose. Then
the offer, the copy, and the actual tech. Those would be your
four main 'nodes' for a mindmap of that system.
The structure, or form, is the layout of the page, any
graphical elements, font choices, and general design. You can
easily list those. People will argue forever about how
important each is, or is not. No matter what anyone tells you,
a great offer can overcome any lack in fancy graphics or clever
design.
The offer would be broken down into what tangible product or
information is being given in return for signing up, and the
benefits the publisher is promising it will deliver. This is
what's in it for them, and the key to getting people to say
"Yes."
The tech can include just the form that captures the email
address and whatever other info is requested, or it can be more
extensive. It might include an affiliate ID tracker, video, a
"like gate," or any number of other technical functions.
Then there's the copy. It might include any or all of a
pre-head, headline, sub-head, salutation, intro/grabber,
bullets, bridge headers, social proof, testimonials,
guarantee, call to action, close, PS, links to legal
documents, and probably stuff I'm not thinking of at the
moment.
Used correctly, all these things could help. The key word is
"correctly." Use them wrong, and they could do as much harm as
good.
If you look at a sign-up page and map it out, you'll see that
there are really only 2 absolutely essential pieces: The offer
(what they get), and the subscription mechanism (how they tell
you they want it).
Yes, it can be that simple. I used to publish an online
magazine, all plain HTML-based. On each page was a section that
contained the phrase "Sign up to be notified when we update the
site," and a form for them to submit their email address. That
trivial bit of real estate generated over 9,000 subscribers,
back when 9,000 was a big list for site updates.
Set-up time? 15 minutes to plug it into the template. Once.
So, you'd put those two on your mindmap in bold. Those are the
critical elements.
Work on those first. The subscription mechanism might seem like
a given, but even that can be powered up by some changes. For
instance, consider what the "Belcher button" did for
conversions on so many sites.
Or, if you've read the viral conversion case study in the
"Profit Plan" system, what stripping out everything but the
copy and changing the text on the "subscribe" button can do.
Think about it... If you're being asked to join a
self-improvement list, which button text is going to be more
appealing? "Subscribe," "Sign me up," or "I Deserve More!"
Sweat over those two elements. Get the best offer you can, and
refine the subscription mechanism to a sharp edge. Add the rest
later, if you feel you need it.
You may find that you don't.
....
This is one of the big benefits of mindmapping something based
on its component elements. You can see more clearly which are
truly important and which are not. You may get some of them
wrong at first, but you will at least know what to look for and
what questions to ask.
Here's a comment I got this morning from a customer...
"You introduced me to mind mapping a couple or few
years ago with one of your previous products. I really
like the concept. I find that mind mapping is absolutely the
best way to stay organized and focused. Most importantly, by
zooming out, you get the overall high altitude view. That
helps greatly to assure the proper integration of the
various components of a project.
"Another crucial feature is that you don't have to worry
about something falling through the cracks."
He said it better than me, and it's my product. I love it when
that happens. ;)
If you haven't grabbed a copy yet, you really should. The map
in this thing covers pretty much all of online marketing.
Plus, there's that whole "162 Ways to Get Subscribers" thing,
and the other reports that come with it. ;)
http://talkbiz.com/profitplan/?e=1
Enjoy!
Paul
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