To read other back issues of the newsletter, please visit the
Newsletter Archive.
If you are interested in reading only the
articles from back issues, or if you wish to reprint the articles on your own Web Site or in your own ezine or autoresponder series, please visit the
Articles section. You will find a complete listing of all past articles, as well as the instructions for reprinting the articles for your own use.
Please do not republish entire issues of the newsletter. Only individual articles may be republished as long as you follow the reprint guidelines contained in the Articles section of this site.
=========================================
The MarketingSecrets.com Newsletter
Thursday, June 26, 2003
Advanced Internet Marketing
Strategies, Techniques, And Ideas
From The Wacky Mind Of John Reese
=========================================
CONTENTS:
1. The System Seminar Hangover
2. Do You HEAR What I'm Saying?
3. Don't Try To Escape From Alcatraz
-----------------------------------------
"The System Seminar Hangover"
Finally.
I'm just now getting back to normal.
My head has been spinning non-stop for the past 3 weeks.
No, it's not because I had too much to drink!
It's been spinning like mad because of "The System" seminar
that was held in Cleveland, Ohio three weekends ago.
Wow. What an event. My hat is off to my good friend
Ken McCarthy for putting on an unbelievable seminar.
Nearly 300 people paid more than $2,000 to attend -- and
I don't think many people feel like they didn't get 100 TIMES
the value for their money. It really was a powerful and very
valuable "training" on Internet marketing.
There were so many incredible strategies, tactics, and ideas
being shared that I thought my head was going to spin
right off my body! :-)
I've got a notebook full of ideas that I can't wait to implement --
now it's just a matter of deciding which ones to do FIRST.
The "rumor" going around is that because of the tremendous buzz
created by the event that many people have literally "begged"
Ken to do another one before the end of this year rather
than waiting another year to do it again. I hope Ken listens
to them and puts on another System training very soon -- I will
definitely be there if he does.
The networking at the event was priceless. I was talking to
one attendee that was telling me that he was going to put
together no less than 20 JVs just from attending the event.
If you've ever done a JV before, then you know they are worth
a small fortune. It's basically a ZERO RISK way of making
a lot of money when someone else will promote your product --
or vice versa.
But the training had so much more -- Google Adwords
strategies (that I didn't even know existed), secrets
for getting search engine placement much EASIER than
imagined, traffic conversion tactics, and tons of other
stuff.
In fact, Jimmy D. Brown gave an unbelievable presentation
on Viral Marketing. For nearly TWO HOURS all he did
was talk about Viral Marketing strategies, tactics,
concepts, and ideas. People could barely write them down
as fast as he was talking about them! Pretty amazing
stuff.
And *I* actually gave my first formal seminar presentation
ever! As you may already know about me, I've been "quietly"
making money online for the past 12 years. I only recently
(September 2002) decided to finally come public and share
some of my strategies and tactics with others.
I have really enjoyed helping other entrepreneurs, and I
will continue to teach people how to succeed online -- which
is why I started MarketingSecrets.com.
Here are a few things that I shared in my presentation:
1. All of your marketing online must be designed for
IDIOTS.
A lot of people laughed when I showed them a slide saying
how the "secret" demographic for Internet Marketing success
was that 98% of people online were idiots. But it's the truth.
In order to achive maximum RESULTS you must design
your marketing so a complete idiot will know EXACTLY what
you want them to do.
Don't create pages with a bunch of OPTIONS for people
to take. Give people 1 or 2 options. Period. The more
options, links, buttons, etc. you give people, the more
likely you are to not have prospects take the desired
actions you want them to take.
Internet Marketing success (just like Direct Marketing)
is all about one thing -- RESULTS. Nothing else matters.
So your task is to get your prospects to do what you
want them to -- click a certain link, download a particular
file, or get them to submit a form -- like an optin form,
or an order form, or a survey.
But in order to get the MAXIMUM number of prospects
to take that "call to action" that you want them to take,
you must make it BRAIN DEAD SIMPLE. If you do,
you'll get more people opt-ing in. And, oh yeah, you'll
also get more orders.
Now I know what you're thinking...
"John, this is common sense."
Yes, it is. But you know what? 99% of marketers
online are currently using marketing that's too complicated.
They are also trying to use too much GUESSWORK
to run their businesses. Which leads me to something
else I shared...
2. The *Real* Internet Profit Formula is this:
Part 1: YES or NO
Part 2: MORE or LESS
That's it. Game. Set. Match. That's the entire formula
for Internet Marketing success.
I know you probably want to be told it's some other "magical"
formula that's more complicated, but it's not. That's *THE*
actual formula to make as much money online as you want.
Here's how it works...
Every "call to action" you want a prospect to take
(such as clicking a link, downloading a file, or submitting
a form) must be tracked. The result of that tracking
everytime will be YES or NO. "X" number of people
did take that call to action, and the rest did not.
If you take the total number of unique "YES" calls to action,
and you divide them by the total number of unique visitors
to the web page where the call to action was you get
a CONVERSION RATIO.
For example, if 100 people visit a web page where
you have an opt-in form, and 10 people opt-in,
your "conversion ratio" for that opt-in form is
10% (10/100).
Got it?
Then here's Part 2 of the process...
Now you create a slightly modified version
of the web page where that opt-in form is
(maybe you giveaway a different bonus if
people opt-in, or call your ezine something
else as a test, or use different colors on
the page, etc.) and you run a SPLIT-TEST.
A split-test is simply where you will take your
web site traffic and equally distribute them
to two different web pages -- like the two
opt-in pages, in this example. One is
your original page, the second is the
slightly modified version. It's basically
like sending "every other" visitor to the
other page. (I'll explain HOW to do all
of this in a moment.)
You will track the results on each of these
pages separately. When the results are
in, and you calculate the "conversion ratio"
for each, you will have a WINNER.
One of the pages will create MORE results ("YES"s)
and the other page will create LESS.
You simply now start using the page that
created MORE and you'll want to now test
another version in a split-test against that
version. You want to constantly try to improve
upon your results.
The more you improve, the more money you
make. It's just that simple.
I will teach you about some other testing methods
in the near future, but for now you should have
at least a basic grasp on why it's so important.
Ok, so HOW do you implement this?
Well, to be perfectly honest with you, there isn't a
100% "perfect" service that I can "highly" recommend
you use -- because the existing ones have
some problems that keep them from being 100%
accurate.
But for now, using "something" is better than nothing.
I recommend checking out "Clickalyzer" at:
http://www.clickalyzer.com
You can use this service to start tracking the results
of calls to action. You simply paste a little bit of
code on the page where the call to action is, and
then some other code on the "thank you"
page of that call to action (or whatever page you
serve next to people after they take the action).
This code simply creates a hidden "counter"
that you can then take those numbers and do
the math on to figure out your conversion ratios --
as I described above.
I'm not sure if Clickalyzer will allow you to
run split tests or not -- I haven't used their
service in ages. It didn't when I had tried it.
If that's the case, you should check out
Marty Foley's "Split Test Gold" script at:
http://profitinfo.com/catalog/v4/
Marty is a great marketer. I have known Marty
for years. He has some other great stuff you might
want to check out on his main site:
http://www.profitinfo.com
I, personally, use my own proprietary technology
(that I had programmed for my own use) to do my
testing and tracking. What I use is quite a bit more
powerful than what's currently available for marketers
to use.
However, I *will* be allowing others to use my testing and
tracking "system" very soon! I've had many of my
Internet marketing friends BEG ME to come out
with a service with it, so I am *finally* going to
do it.
I will be launching this new service very soon. It will allow
you to EASILY track, test, and improve on all of your
marketing results automatically.
I will email you as soon as it's ready to go.
I honestly believe that "Testing and Tracking" is
90% of the equation for making money online. I can't
stress how important it is.
And on another note about testing and tracking,
here's a BOMBSHELL I dropped during my presentation...
3. Header graphics almost always HURT conversion rates!
This was a big shocker to the crowd.
I discovered this myself after testing some different things.
(I test stuff like mad.)
I finally decided to run a true split test with one of my sites
to see how a version WITHOUT the header graphic would do
against the original version. Almost all marketers online
are using pretty header graphics across the top of their
direct marketing "mini sites" -- myself included! I just
"assumed" someone had originally TESTED it and found
it to produce more sales than just having a sales letter
with no graphic.
I was wrong -- and so are thousands of other people that are
using header graphics on their sites right now.
RESULT: The version without the header graphic produced
37% MORE SALES!
Yes, 37% more sales. That's a HUGE difference. In fact,
I was kicking myself for not having tested this before. I can't
imagine (I don't want to think about it) how much money I
lost because I had a site designed like other people's mini sites.
But maybe this was a FLUKE? Maybe this was just the
case with *MY* site. Maybe my header graphic was too ugly,
or too distracting, or the filesize was too big? Maybe it only
made a difference in MY case.
So I picked up the phone and gave my close friend
Stephen Pierce a call. I ask Stephen to do me a favor and
run a test for about a week -- I knew that he was getting tons
of traffic to his "Whole Truth" site everyday and would be able to
get conclusive results of a test very quickly.
Stephen agreed and began running a test of the same version
of his site but without a header graphic.
RESULT: The version without the header graphic produced
50% MORE SALES!
50 PERCENT!
Do you think Stephen was HAPPY about this? :-)
This one simple change is going to produce THOUSANDS of
dollars in sales (each month) that he would not have been making.
You can see his current site at:
http://www.the-whole-truth.com
This is the POWER of testing and tracking.
BUT I STILL WASN'T TOTALLY CONVINCED...
I still wasn't 100% sure that the "No Header" test was conclusive.
I wanted MORE PROOF.
So I called my buddy Armand Morin on the phone. As you may
know, Armand actually sells a popular product called,
"Header Generator"! This great product produces beautiful
graphic headers for people to use on their sites.
As you can imagine, Armand wasn't totally excited to hear
the news I shared with him about my test and Stephen's
test. But you know what? Armand's response was the
same response of any great marketer...
"I need to test it right now!"
Even Armand understands that it's not about ego and
that it's all about RESULTS. He just wants to use whatever
will make him the most money!
So Armand ran a split-test with a header version against
a no header version. He had just released a new product,
"FlashPal Generator" (www.flashpalgenerator.com) and
decided to test it on this site.
RESULT: The version without the header graphic produced...
Are you ready for this?
400% MORE SALES.
Yep, FOUR HUNDRED PERCENT!
Now, this "No Header" vs. "Header" design issue may not be
the same for all sites. There might be some sites that look
more professional with a header and that allows them to sell
more than maybe a version without a graphic header. Our
tests consistently showed the version with no header graphic
produced more sales, but as with anything TEST IT YOURSELF
and go by YOUR RESULTS.
Don't just take my word for it. Test it and see what works
best with your site. It's just possible that your site may
sell better WITH a graphic header.
The "reason" behind why the no header version outproduces
the header version is probably because the HEADLINE
(showing the primary BENEFITS) is pushed farther down
on the page and people may not even get a chance to read
it before they decided to leave.
Some people will only spend 10 seconds on your site before
leaving and if they see that header first, that may be all
they check out before making the decision to leave.
If people read the headline and get sucked into the copy,
they are more likely to continue reading the sales letter --
and thus more likely to BUY.
You know, there's a reason that sales letters that sold MILLIONS
of dollars worth or products and services for YEARS in direct
mail didn't have a big graphic "strip" across the top like
a graphic header. I'm sure with the millions of sales letters
that were tested someone tried it and it didn't work as well.
There's a lot we can learn from Direct Marketing masters.
Even, though, the Internet is INTERACTIVE, many of the
50 year old + techniques still work today online.
-----------------------------------------
"Do You HEAR What I'm Saying?"
If you go to Stephen Pierce's "The Whole Truth" web site:
http://www.the-whole-truth.com
You will notice something he recently added to his site.
(By the way, if you don't already own that ebook you
MUST buy it. It's a fantastic ebook.)
You will see it says:
"Listen To A Personal Message From Stephen Pierce"
(With little YELLOW buttons) just before the main sales
letter copy.
Stephen is doing something that ALL good marketers
will be doing in a very short time -- ADDING *AUDIO*
to their web sites.
If you are familiar with my "Auction Secrets" video
product, I have been using a delayed audio pop-up
on that site for awhile now. If you visit the site it
will load after about 20 seconds:
http://www.auctionsecrets.com
Adding this audio to my site increased my sales by
about 15%.
The Internet is moving more and more towards an
INFOMERCIAL medium. When most people finally
end up with broadband we will have audio AND video
displaying our marketing messages.
But for now, video is really too bandwidth intensive.
But, the good news is AUDIO ISN'T!
With compression technology, such as MP3, and Web
technology, such as Flash, it's now possible to easily
play QUICK LOADING audio files from web pages that
almost ALL Internet users can listen to.
This is VERY POWERFUL stuff.
This allows us to add a more HUMAN element to our
marketing messages. People surfing the Internet are
already SO AFRAID of being scammed and taken advantage
of that SKEPTICISM is very high.
By using audio, and allowing someone to actually HEAR
us talking to them and telling them a message, this allows
the prospect to realize that YOU ARE A *REAL* PERSON.
And many people don't just want to READ. For many
people, they PREFER to just sitback and listen to a
message -- even if it's marketing.
So being able to add audio to your marketing is very, very
powerful. There are MANY ways to effectively use audio
to increase your sales -- not just little messages from you,
but a great method is to have AUDIO TESTIMONIALS.
We all know that written testimonials (what other people think
of your products) are very important to help a prospect make
that buying decision. But if a prospect could HEAR what
other people are saying about your product that's even
more powerful and more likely to make them BUY.
Armand Morin has done it again. This guy continues
to create great marketing product after great marketing
product.
Armand recently teamed up with an Ex-Microsoft
employee to create a truly AWESOME service.
This service will allow you to use your ordinary telephone
to call the system and then you can record a message --
or have someone else record a message. Then the system
gives you code to put on a web page and PRESTO!
It properly displays Flash control buttons (just like you
see on Stephen's site) and will INSTANTLY allow any of your
web visitors to then play that audio recording!
Stephen is using this exact service for his sites.
Here's the best part. You don't have to upload any type
of "script" to your Web server. You don't have to upload
and serve the audio file itself. You don't have to pay
someone on eLance to design a Flash-enabled
interface for you (which is what I had to do for mine). You
don't even have to have any fancy recording equipment or
software on your PC. All you have to do is pick up the phone
and call. It's just that easy. You can do it all in 5 minutes.
It really is an amazing service that Armand has created
and I *highly* recommend you check it out and give it
a try today:
http://www.marketingsecrets.com/audio.html
-----------------------------------------
"Don't Try To Escape From Alcatraz"
You're probably wondering what the heck this title is about. ;-)
I'll tell you what it's about. It's about an awesome
Internet Marketing seminar that's coming up at the end of August.
(August 22nd, 23rd, and 24th)
The seminar is taking place in San Francisco. Yes, that's
where the "Alcatraz" reference comes from. :-)
This event is called the "BIG Seminar" -- and that's the
perfect name for it:
http://www.marketingsecrets.com/bigseminar.html
Armand Morin is putting on this seminar, and he got
13 of the top Internet Marketers in the world to teach
at this event.
That's a lot of firepower!
I will definitely be there -- I wouldn't miss it!
If you've never been to an Internet Marketing seminar,
you absolutely should just make plans TODAY and
JUST GO. I *promise* you, you'll be glad you did.
For YEARS I kept saying "I'll go next time" and then
finally I decided to go and it changed my life. Just
the contacts and relationships you build with like-minded
entrepreneurs at these seminars is worth its weight
in gold.
Just like Ken McCarthy's incredible "System" event,
this seminar promises to be FANTASTIC.
I am really excited about going.
Here are some of the amazing speakers that will be there:
Stephen Pierce
Alex Mandossian
Frank Kern
Joe Vitale
Declan Dunn
Jonathan Mizel
Randy Charach
Kirt Christensen
Carl Galletti
Fred Gleeck
Frank Garon
Bob Silber
Ted Ciuba
Armand Morin will also be teaching throughout the seminar.
And then you have the awesome marketers that are
going to be there just as attendees:
*ME* :-)
Ken McCarthy
Jason Potash
Alex Sampson
Raymond McNally
Len Thurmond
Phil Huff
Ryan Deiss
George Callens
Matt Gill
Ken Wilke
Eric Owens
And many many more that will attend. (This is just a short
list of the ones I know for sure are already committed to going.)
If you ever wanted to BOOST your business INSTANTLY this is
an event you MUST ATTEND. It will more than pay for the
small investment for you to be there.
Do you realize if you do a JV with just *ONE* of the
people I just mentioned it could pay for the small cost of
attending MANY TIMES OVER?
I cannot encourage you enough to JUST GO. There's
nothing like talking to other Internet Marketers
FACE-TO-FACE. This is how marketers become good
friends and end up doing a lot of business together.
You just can't replace the in-person networking
with a phone call or emails.
I have personally become friends with almost EVERYONE
I just mentioned will be there. (There are a few people I
haven't met yet and I look forward to meeting them
in August.)
How did I do it? How did I meet all these people?
I met almost all of these people in only the past
NINE MONTHS just from attending Internet Marketing
seminars.
I never would have built relationships with these people
if I didn't MEET THEM IN PERSON. And when I met these
people they had NEVER HEARD OF ME BEFORE.
So it's not like they only got to know me because
of how much money I had made. They didn't know me
from some guy that didn't even have a web site yet.
No matter what level you are currently at you can truly
GROW your business online by networking and building
relationships. Because the BIG MONEY is made
with OTHER PEOPLE'S EMAIL LISTS. Yes, by doing
JVs. (Joint Ventures)
We all want to sitback and have our Internet businesses
run themselves without much effort, without talking to anyone,
etc. Many people, like myself, never wanted to meet
anyone to do with our businesses.
But I tell you what. If you attend this seminar, something
will happen to you. Something that will never be the same.
You will leave so ENERGIZED and so EXCITED you
won't be able to wait for the next one. Because that's
exactly what happened to me, and it has happened to
MANY MANY other people.
It's just an AWESOME environment to be surrounded
by really nice and friendly Internet marketers that are
making their living just like you -- and that will freely
share with you valuable information about what's working
for them.
You can go right now and read more about the Big Seminar.
There are lots of great photos of the last one, and there
are even some video clips on the site.
http://www.marketingsecrets.com/bigseminar.html
*AND* IF YOU'RE READING THIS BEFORE 9:00PM EST
ON THURSDAY, JUNE 26TH...
Armand is hosting a no-cost *LIVE* Teleseminar that
is a *Preview* of the Big Seminar event TONIGHT at
9:00PM EST.
You can register for the Teleseminar here:
http://www.marketingsecrets.com/preview.html
I hope to see you in San Francisco!
I'll be in touch shortly with more ways to help
you make money from your business.
If you have any comments, suggestions, complaints,
feedback, etc. please feel free to contact me
and let me have it.
Yours For Online Profits,
John Reese
