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What is so good (or bad) about podcasting?

Podcasting, just like any other technology, has advantages and disadvantages.

The one thing to consider with podcasting is that anyone with something to say can say it, whether they have political views they want to share with the world, or success tips to help people improve their lives.

The result is you’re going to get podcasts which provide real value and you’re going to get podcasts which waste your time. You might even come across podcasts which could potentially offend.

You’ll get podcasts with nothing to say and podcasts that say way too much.

Podcasting is open to anyone and everyone who wants to get in on it, whether the things they have to say are of value to people or not.

This is both an advantage and a disadvantage at the same time. Seeing what kind of podcasts are out there, though, and selectively choosing the ones you want, will allow you to listen to what you want to listen to!

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The history of podcasting

This is all the history you need to know…

The idea of sending sound files over the internet is not new. It was just a matter of taking existing elements, like MP3 and RSS, and reworking them to allow technological visionaries to create a new form of communication.

Blogs have been around for quite a while so people can voice opinions and provide information to their site visitors. These blogs are used as a personal platform, so it was only natural to add sound files to the text in their blog.

RSS was a file format for sending sound but was not extensively used. It was developed into RSS-with-enclosures, allowing someone to attach MP3 files.

When attached to an RSS file, these sound files can be sent automatically to subscribers, people who were interested in hearing what the person had to say, and downloaded to be listened to at their convenience.

The term “podcasting” was coined in 2004 and in just a few months it went from being an unknown concept and to a Google-search result in the millions! Podcasts are springing up nearly every day!

Now everyone is jumping on board the podcasting bandwagon from politicians, professionals, producers, and even pornographers. Anyone with something to say or a product or service to sell or an opinion to share can podcast…!

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How does podcasting work?

Podcasting allows you to select the things you’d like to listen to, subscribe to them, have them downloaded to your computer or MP3 player, so you can listen to them when you want to.

Once you’ve subscribed, they will update automatically for you on your computer, like a magazine you don’t think about until the subscription arrives in your mailbox every month. Very convenient!

What is the advantage of a podcast over other types of broadcasting?

Podcasts assimilate radio, portable CD players, and satellite radio, into one convenient format, and allow new uses not previously available. So what is it that you can listen to? What kinds of podcasting are available?

The answer is this: Everything you can possibly imagine! You will be amazed at the volume and variety of podcasts out there and the possibilities out there!

Just as the internet has allowed pretty much anyone to create information and entertainment (otherwise known as web pages), podcasting has allowed virtually anybody to create audio files of information and entertainment.

You don’t need to be a technical buff here. All you need in order to become a podcaster is a computer and an Internet hook-up. You don’t even need a microphone to create your first podcast (I suggest you do get one though as it’s MUCH easier!). In fact, if you have a telephone and can browse the Internet, you will be able to listen to podcasts and even create your first podcast!

Who can podcast? Anyone can! And why would anyone want to podcast?

Generally speaking, there are several reasons why everyone would want to podcast:

- Some organisations will podcast to keep people up to date with what’s going on, providing news, seminars and speeches, etc

- Businesses will podcast to maintain their name in the marketplace, offer information on products or strategies, and position themselves as the expert in their industry.

- Individuals will podcast if they have something to say to the world. Opinions, rants, and artistic offerings are all fair game in podcasting.

Podcasting formats are as varied as the types of podcasts available.

Some podcasts are like monologues where one person simply shares their ideas into a microphone for the listener to hear.

Other podcasts are a dialogue between two or more people (like an interview for example) and may or may not follow format.

Some podcasts are unscripted while others seem to be very scripted.

Podcasting contains music, interviews, and while audio podcasts are quite popular now, audio/video podcasts are slowly gaining popularity as well.

Stay tuned for more information on podcasting!

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Podcasting for Profit - What is Podcasting?

Podcasting is an audio file that you can listen to on your computer or on a portable device.

You do not have to have an iPod to listen to a podcast, as long as you have a device that can play MP3 files, so that could be another type of MP3 player or even your computer.

Another great thing about podcasts is that people can subscribe to them, and you can kind of run a radio show, with regular audio updates!

I will post more on these in future posts!

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What is a blog, should I have one?

What is a blog? A blog is a website, usually maintained by an individual, with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse chronological order. “Blog” can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog. (source Wikipedia).

Many people set up blogs to talk about personal issues, however more and more internet entrepreneurs are using blogs to help promote their business and to drive traffic to their websites, and that is what I am talking about today, seeing as this website is actually a blog!

Blogging is a great way to attract search engine traffic, especially if you update your content every day, or at least every couple of days. I try to post once a day, however sometimes I get extremely slack and might only post once every few days.

One important thing you should remember when blogging is to make sure you include your niche-related keywords in the titles of your posts! My websites have come up on several occasions, thanks to this method!

Also, you might want to set up an opt in form on the first page of your blog, offering a free newsletter or ebook. Building a list should be your first priority if you’re embarking on an internet marketing business, no matter what niche you are targeting.

Remember if you want to build your list, then you had better make sure your blog posts are useful and relevant to the niche you have chosen, otherwise nobody will subscribe to receive your free newsletter or ebook because they will doubt the value of their content!

If you’re stuck for ideas, then this idea might help: Subscribe to Google Alerts. Select the keyword or phrase you want to be notified of, and Google does the rest! Each day you will receive an email listing news stories and blog posts relating to that keyword or phrase.

Read through each item in the alert and find one that you feel suits your niche and on your blog, make a comment on the topic on the alert. Maybe offer your opinion, or expand on what the news item or blog post talks about. The alerts are really there to give you an idea of what to talk about and you can add more or you can unsubscribe from them at any time. NEVER copy them word for word or you can find yourself in some trouble!!

To make some of your posts more interesting, add some images or even audio or video. Podcasts are great (more about them in another post!). If you have set up a Wordpress blog, there is a plugin that makes the process of adding audio and video extremely easy.

So remember to blog at least once every couple of days, keep your content relevant and informative, and remember to put keywords in your blog titles and you will be well on your way to increasing traffic to your website in no time!

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Derek Gehl’s action plan

I was madly typing this information as Derek spoke VERY quickly, so I have very likely missed a few parts to this action plan to get you started on your internet marketing business but this list will definitely get you started…

1. List 5 hobbies interests or areas of expertise
2. Brainstorm a list of keywords and phrases related to those hobbies etc
3. Research keywords in wordtracker to locate problem statements that have high search results and low competition
4. Research problem statements further to determine if you can develop a product to solve
5. Find or create a product to sell based on your research
6. Write a long copy sales letter for that product
7. Register a domain and set up hosting account
8. Register for merchant account (paypal)
9. Set up a simple website using an auto site builder or pay to have someone do it
10. Set up an opt in form on your site to collect email addresses
11. Build an extensive keyword list based on the initial list of keywords you developed.
12. Submit those keywords to freekeywords and find what you need to use to start driving traffic to your site
13. Optimize and submit your site to Google etc
14. Continue to test and tweak your site until it meets your target conversion rate
15. Set up an affiliate program on your site - do later after some success
16. Approach complimentary web sites to sign up as affiliates to promote your product.
17. Start publishing a monthly newsletter.
18. Submit articles to related newsletters and ezines on a regular basis
19. Continue developing a content rich website to further increase rankings
20. Once keywords have been tested in freekeywords, roll out in Google Adwords
21. Roll out tested keywords list in other major PPCs
22. Create a viral ebook to generate more leads
23. Have an expert review an critique your site
24. Survey your existing customers to find out what other products or services they are looking for.
25. Create or find a backend products and market them through your email list
26. Continue to test and tweak your site and offers.
27. Repeat process to create multiple streams of income

So there you have it!

This was the last of my tips as provided by Derek Gehl when I attended the World Internet Summit in 2006.

Here we are looking at a different camera…! Gawd I looked young back then..!

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Testing, to make sure it all works

Testing is an important part of internet marketing. It helps you to determine what works and what doesn’t work.

Here are some pointers of the types of things you should test in order to determine your future success:

Test your headline
Test your offer/body of sales copy
Test your price - increase price until profits start to drop
Test your guarantee
Test your layout
Test your ordering process

Tweak the following in email marketing

Test subject lines
Test your sales copy
Test your format (html or text)
Test our opt in offer (copy and location)
Short copy vs long copy

A small increase can really equal huge results. Try it and see!

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Strategies to Increase the Value of Each Customer

Here is yet another snippet of what Derek Gehl talked about at the World Internet Summit I attended quite a while back:

- Up-sell and get 30% more customers to purchase a second product before they leave.

- Offer tick box, asking them to subscribe to another free newsletter/offer or other offer subscription at a cost.

- Offer on the thank you page - up to 15% off for second product instantly.

- Are you tracking the visitor to sale conversion rates on your ordering pages? You should be. 55 - 75% of shoppers will abandon your shopping cart or order form

- Lots of factors play into shopping and abandonment but there’s one simple way you can decrease this number;

- Boost sales another 15% by pointing out your order form security. If using Paypal, may not need to do that.

Never stop testing what you’re doing!!!!

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Tracking your results

How do you know whether your results are good or not?

What is your goal for conversion ratio?

The info below is only a guide, but should give you an idea on how you’re going or what you should aim for.

2-4% if under $50
1% if at $50-$200
0.2 - 0.5% if above $200

A minimum of 11%-15% of your visitors should give you an email address!

If you’re not getting the stats above, then change what you’re doing until you are.

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Your sales letter

Here are some tips I learned from Derek Gehl regarding your sales letter. Of course there are many other successful internet marketers out there using a different formula, but you will very likely notice they are quite similar.

Your sales letter must include:

- Your USP
- Attention-grabbing headline and sub headline
- Establish credibility
- Sell with benefits not features
- Transfer ownership - as if they had the product
- Remove the risk - offer a good guarantee
- Create added value with free bonus items - ebooks, info products, etc
- Create urgency and encourage immediate sales - give them a reason to order TODAY - rotate bonuses
- Ask for the order
- Make it easy for the customer to contact you
- Use effective formatting techniques to present your offer - keep it simple. Same font.

Model what others have done - why reinvent the wheel?

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