If you think blogging is only for bloggers or personal journals, then it’s time to adjust that thinking. When it started, blogging may have been simply that, but blogging has changed significantly over the years. Today, having a blog is really a required part of a successful website, and provides a solid foundation for good SEO practices.

The change has been subtle but noticeable. SEO; Search Engines Optimization, means providing search engines with new content.  And providing a constant stream of new content is a MUST if you want to be ranked in the SERPS.

But building new pages is not fun with HTML, yet blog programs like WordPress.org have made creating pages as simple as writing in your favorite document program. You can add pictures, add SEO make changes, or easily add different elements to create a webpage that is appealing.  The days of waiting for your web designer to add your updates have gone by the wayside with the addition of a self-hosted blog.

Thus WordPress has become the ideal CMS; content management system, for updates, including many social media interaction aspects. The powerful combination joined with your expertise, knowledge, and plugins is why you want a blog as part of your SEO routines.

However, if you are a wise business owner, or if you simply don’t have the time (or know how to) do all the SEO by yourself, then leave the SEO to the professionals. If that is you, then you don’t want to miss our upcoming webinar on Wednesday. Imagine having a WHOLE team of experts taking care of your all of your Search Engine Optimization needs. Thus, leaving you the sorely needed time to focus on blogging or other business needs.

Ryan Taylor
Director of Operations
StomperNet, LLC

IMPORTANT:  Some of the resources shown are only available to members. With our all-new tiered benefit levels you can join us today for as little as $49.00and get instant access to the world’s largest SEO and Online Business community plus all the tools and resources you need (including upcoming free webinar replays) to enhance your existing business or start, build and grow a thriving Internet-based business!

Last month we hinted this was coming.

And you’ve been asking for it since we opened our doors 5 years ago.

What is it?

Click here to find out!

Join us Wednesday, Jan 25th @ 7pm Eastern, and learn about our all new “Done For You” SEO Services!

Register Now!

Curriculum Resources

• WordPress: Steve DeFalco
• Why WordPress

Free Live Webinars This Week

WEDNESDAY Jan 25th, 2011 at 7:00pm Eastern

StomperNet SEO Services

Last month we hinted this was coming. And you’ve been asking for it since we opened our doors 5 years ago. Join us and learn about our all new “Done For You” SEO Services!

Register Now

Special Announcements

“StomperNet Open Forum” Fridays at 11EDT

We know everyone has questions about their business or different stumbling blocks. Well we invite you to bring them to the table during our Open Forum. With the combined training and experience of our Coaches you will get the direction you need to get you back on your road to success!

The next StomperNet Open Forum Call with our Professional Coaches happens next Friday at 11am EDT and we hope to see you there! These calls are intended to be live Q&A sessions and playback will not be available.

Stompernet Blog

by Mike Stewart

I never understood why, when the Internet first appeared on my radar, that when people look things up online…it was called “traffic.”

It’s not that I was exactly new to the marketing game. I owned and operated a successful recording studio from 1979 – 1999, producing advertising for radio and television for video producers and ad agencies in Atlanta. I worked for all kinds of clients. I created national, regional and local advertising for viewers and listeners of radio and TV.

When I first experienced the Internet, it – at first – seemed similar to radio and television. It was new broadcast medium, like radio was in 20’s and TV was in the 50’s. Except that the Internet is the most powerful broadcast medium ever created… and to make money you needed find viewers and listeners, or readers. The second step was to convert them to buyers. This was and still is a tough thing to do, with static, “text and images” only sites.

Yet I knew audio and video-driven websites were the next level coming “someday soon.” And that someday is today. It’s arrived! Thanks to faster computers and high speed internet connections reaching saturation in most homes of the world.

But no matter what kind of site they land on, when people are traveling around the Internet, it’s still called traffic. (Which I always found weirdly de-humanizing.)

Ok, we can call it traffic, but we’re still talking about human beings with eyes and ears. In the traditional broadcast industry, we knew that if you can prove you have an audience of viewers and listeners, you can make money by advertising to them. But that was reserved to the advertiser who had the budgets for production and airtime purchases, not the small business owner. Not anymore! The ability to use audio and video to build an audience is available to anyone willing to learn the steps.

Like you, right?

All the proven strategies of radio and television can help you build viewers and listeners to websites and video articles today area huge opportunity. Traffic, viewers, and listeners – it’s all the same thing: human beings who can find you online, decide to learn more about you and eventually convert to a customer. So here are my steps to use video articles to get traffic!

(Before I begin, I should quickly define a phrase you’ll hear me use a lot: Long Tail Keyword. A long tail keyword is a very targeted phrase that someone may look for online. It really narrows down the search to you, the more words you add to it. For instance, “lawyers” is not a long-tail keyword but “Atlanta DUI lawyer” is!)

1.List long tail keywords.

List all the long tail keywords you know could bring you a targeted viewer or listener. Long tail keywords can have high conversion rates if your businesses can solve the problems experienced by those visitors who are typing in those keywords. If people are searching Google for “lawyer”, that is way too wide and hard to optimize articles for that phrase. “DUI lawyer” is better, but “Atlanta DUI lawyer” is a long tail keyword that you could possibly get high rankings in Google for web pages, articles and video articles.

2. Write a title with long tail keywords.

Write an article with a title that includes those long tail keywords in the title. Using our example, something like “Atlanta DUI Lawyer –10 Ways to Avoid Jail in Georgia With A Skilled Atlanta DUI Lawyer” could rank you high when people search that long tail keyword phrase.

Make the content real, true, and compelling. If being an attorney was your business, an article with this information created with facts and passion could draw someone to visit your website for more information and possibly become a customer in the future. (They obviously have that problem if they were searching that phrase in the first place.)

3. Record as an audio.

Read your article aloud while recording the audio as an mp3 on your computer. There are many free programs available online that will allow you to do this. Combined with a USB microphone from an office supply store (or purchased online) you can easily use free software to record the information and save as an mp3 audio file.

4. Match with slides.

Once edited to a “perfect performance,” you can create slides of text to synchronize to the audio in Windows Movie Maker which comes standard on PCs or IMovie which is included on the MAC. Slides of text can be created in PowerPoint and saved out as JPEG stills that can be imported into the video-editing program and changed based on the timing of your reading. Just make bullet points from key points in your article and have the URL of your website at the bottom of the slide so that when someone finds the video, it is always visible how to find you online. The software will allow you to save the video as an AVI video file or a WMV video file which both can be uploaded to social video sites. We will talk about those in more detail later.

5.  Use software.

Another way to make a video article is use the software Camstudio 2.0, a free download from http://camstudio.org/, (PC only). Camstudio is a “screen capture video software” which simply means using a microphone, you speak and capture what is on your computer screen in real time. With practice, you can sync up PowerPoint slides to your speaking voice and instantly make video articles in just one take! Camstudio will save what you created as an AVI video file.

6.  Use a camcorder

Using a simple camcorder or netcam such as the Flip Digital USB netcam, you could look into the lens of the camera and recite your article in chunks for what is called a talking head video. With practice, you record the sections looking into the lens of the camera as close the camera’s microphone in a quiet room and you can get acceptable results recording the information.

Importing the video clips in to Windows Movie Maker or IMovie from your camcorder or netcam, you can then chain the clips into your article. The advantage here is you can overlay bullet points of text and have your website URL in the lower third of the video to build views and listeners to your websites, but more importantly, people are meeting and seeing you.

They are building a connection and relationship with you. They get familiar with you, and can begin to know, like and trust you. Now they are more likely to convert to a customer ready business with you. I know this to be true because in my own business as I have heard these real comments.

“ I met you on your website.” “I have been watching you for some time now, and I know you are someone who can serve my needs…I am ready to do business with you!” There is no way that would happen unless I had video online where people could virtually meet me.

7.  Hire a reader.

You also always could hire someone read and record your article. If that is your only option because you are not comfortable recording the audio yourself, you can easily find resources online for “voice talents.” But to keep the costs down, you can learn to do it yourself.

8. Upload to YouTube.

Take your video file and upload it to the social video sites like You Tube. You need to go to these sites and open up free accounts so that you can submit content to them. But once you do, you can get ranked high in search engines for long tail keyword phrases. It is worth reviewing uploading services such as TubeMogul or Traffic Geyser which are both services that will upload your videos to multiple video sites in one upload session. They save you time and gets you replicated all over the internet multiplying your chances of being found.

9.  Backlink!

Here is the magic and good news about video articles. Most video social sites allow you to create a link back to your website. It is important to include your URL of your website in the lower third of the video itself, but many sites like You Tube will allow you to have a clickable link back to the site you want viewers to visit.

What a huge FREE opportunity! You need to do both URLs, the one viewable in the video and the other that sites let you create the back link to your site from them.

Once they’re at your site, they can and will optin to your email lists… and more importantly become a paying customer for your products and services.

Video SEO

by Wilson Mattos

FLV

Stompernet Blog

What would bring your product or service to life for your customer? Can you provide a video that would make your product or service more appealing? Can you talk directly to your customer about what you provide? Can you show testimonials of what other people have found to work well from your product or service?

Video can be a powerful way to take what is ordinary and make it extraordinary. That doesn’t mean you have to pay for a video crew to come in a film you. And you certainly don’t have to build a studio in your house. You can create video that is appealing without breaking the bank.

This week in Stompernet our focus is on Video. Be sure to sign up for some of the live webinars that we have scheduled. We’ve also assembled some of our best portal resources on video below for you to review. And of course stay tuned for our StomperTip and Stomper Intelligence Report to learn even more about video later in the week.

Talk soon and enjoy the resources below!

Ryan Taylor
Director of Operations
StomperNet, LLC

IMPORTANT: Some of the resources shown are only available to members. With our all-new tiered benefit levels you can join us today for as little as $49.00and get instant access to the world’s largest SEO and Online Business community plus all the tools and resources you need (including upcoming free webinar replays) to enhance your existing business or start, build and grow a thriving Internet-based business!

Curriculum Resources

• Incubator: Attract, Engage and Convert Customers Using Video
• Article to Video, Video to Article Process

New Media

• The Myths & Facts About Business & Corporate Credit with Ari Page & Georgia Gotthardt

• List Building Blocks:  A Viral List Building Machine That Delivers Better Buyers & More Subscribers with Ryan Garey

Faculty Office Hours

THURSDAY Sept 1st, 2011 at 3:00pm Eastern

Video Marketing: A Thousand Foot View with Vin Montello

Join Vin as he discusses video marketing with a bird’s eye view of everything from creating viral videos to… the style, length and tone of your sales videos. StomperNet Members:  Register Here!

* Free Live Webinars This Week

WEDNESDAY August 31, 2011 ~ 1:00 pm Eastern

How To Create Effective Video If You’ve Never Done It Before & Have No Money with Rick Howard

If you think you need to be a professional videographer with unlimited capital to create your own video…this webinar is NOT for you!  Join Rick Howard as he shows how YOU can create your own video…with little or no expertise or expense!  Register Now

THURSDAY September 1, 2011 ~ 7:00 pm Eastern

“License to Print Money” with Access to The World’s Largest eProducts Library with Mark Nathwani

Learn how an ordinary middle aged dude, who was totally inexperienced with Internet Marketing,  used common sense, basic business knowledge and a simply great attitude to become one of the most successful Internet Marketing Specialists in a ridiculously short time using PLR & Resale Rights. Register Now

*NEW* “StomperNet Open Forum” Fridays at 11:00 am Eastern

We know everyone has questions about their business or different stumbling blocks. Well we invite you to bring them to the table during our Open Forum. With the combined training and experience of our coaches you will get the direction you need to get you back on your road to success! The StomperNet Open Forum Call with our Professional coaches happens next Friday at 11am ET and we hope to see you there!

These calls are intended to be live Q&A sessions and playback will not be available.

Special Announcements

SEO Pro Comes to San Francisco!

Finally: Discover How to Get and KEEP Your Website (or a Client’s Website) Ranked at the Top of the Search Engines by Attending the ONLY Workshop Backed by the 5-Year Reputation and Proven Track Record of the World’s Largest SEO and Online Business Training Company!

Click here for details!

Stompernet Blog

Search Engine Optimization …it conjures up a whole new set of words. Link building, key word research, articles, PPC, social media, meta tags and so much more!! Where do you even START to get information about what to do and how to do it?!?!

That’s what StomperNet is here for. It’s what we do! One of the best overviews that we have on Internet marketing and search engine optimization is the Incubator series. If you are a member and haven’t watched it yet, I suggest you check it out! The modules are broken in to 30 small pieces. You can watch them one day at a time, or all at once.

If you’re not a member yet, it’s well worth the $1 trial membership to check it out. You’ll get an excellent idea of the training materials we have available to you, and you’ll learn a tremendous amount just from that one series!

No matter where you are in your business, StomperNet has something for you. Check out some of our resources below on Search Engine Optimization. We have it split in to beginning, intermediate and advanced, but you’re welcome to check them all out!

And if you haven’t checked out the forums lately, take a look at some of the threads on SEO from the past few months. I challenge you to post YOUR most pressing question on SEO in our Forums this week. Keep our SEO theme on the forefront! Make sure you go in to take a look to see what others are saying as well!

Talk soon and enjoy the resources below!

Ryan Taylor
Director of Operations
StomperNet, LLC

IMPORTANT: Some of the resources shown are only available to members. Not a StomperNet member? Join us today for just $1.00 to get access to the world’s largest Internet Marketing community plus all the tools and resources you need (including upcoming free webinar replays) to start, build and grow a thriving Internet-based business!

Curriculum Resources

(Members:  Click here for links)

AN ENTIRE OVERVIEW OF SEO:

Beginning

• Beginning Your Optimization

• SEO Strategy Step by Step

Medium

• SEO For Service Professionals

• 4 Keys to Killer Keywords

Advanced

• Video SEO

• Pinocchio SEO: “Is It All One Big Lie” A Case Study

FORUM POSTING:

• Article Marketing After Farmer?

• Google Showing Stronger Brand Preference?

• More Than 1 H1 Tag on a Page?

• Level 2 Linking Question

New Media

(Members:  Click here for links)

• Mobile Marketing Overview with Dan Hollings

• LinkedIn Secrets You’ve Probably Never Heard Before with Flyn Penoyer

• The Psychology of AdWords with Howie Jacobson

* Free Live Webinars This Week

TUESDAY June 21st, 2011 at 8:00pm Eastern

Public Webinar: Spanking Google with WordPress Best Practices with Marty Rozmanith.

Discover the best practices for maintaining traffic while Google keeps cracking down on low quality sites.  These tips are what people with over 10,000 keywords with Page 1 results are doing.  Find out how they do it!   Register Now!

Stompernet Blog

There are a lot of things that go in to making an event worth going to. Let me tell you, it’s not about the fancy dinners or over the top settings. It’s about what you leave that particular event with.

That’s right…when you leave the event you want to know that it was worth your time and your money. You want to know that you have something of VALUE that you can implement in your business that will make a DIFFERENCE.

That’s what makes StomperNet Live events so special. And that’s why you need to be at StomperNet LIVE 11.

In just two weeks we’ll be in the middle of a FANTASTIC event. The attendees will be learning concepts that will change their business. If you want your business to thrive and grow, let’s talk about why YOU need to be there!

Lee Collins
Managing Director
StomperNet, LLC

“Action is the foundational key to all success.”
- Pablo Picasso

5 Reasons Your Business Needs LIVE

By now you’ve seen the emails and heard the buzz about StomperNet LIVE 11 in Phoenix. You may still be sitting on the fence wondering if you should make the investment in your business to attend LIVE 11.

Of COURSE you should! You NEED to be there! Your business NEEDS you to be there. If you want your business to grow and thrive, you need to take this opportunity to hear from the top notch speakers we have lined up for you.

Here are the Top Five Reasons why you need to attend Live 11.

1. The networking alone is the worth the price of admission.

Yes, you are going to get GREAT content and information. But the networking will be amazing! We hear over and over again that the networking is what “made the event” for attendees. You will experience what it’s like to network with other people doing what you are doing at a level of sophistication you cannot imagine. You will not get this in your hometown. You will not get this anywhere but a StomperNet Live event. There is no way to explain it…you just have to experience it for yourself.

2. You will learn cutting-edge strategies from the top PRACTITIONERS in the industry.

Like I said, you WILL get great content and information. Just because the networking is worth the price of admission doesn’t mean you aren’t going to get your money’s worth out of the speakers! You’ll be learning from people who have “been there, done that”…and come out on the other side successful in their business. Can you afford to pass this opportunity up?!?

3. You’re almost guaranteed to get at least one idea that will pay for your whole trip.

It happens EVERY time. You’ll hear it out in the halls or during a session – maybe even in the bar at night…people talking to each other and saying, “wow, that one idea made this WHOLE trip worth it”. You never know what it’s going to be – and it’s different for everyone. What will it be for YOU?!? You don’t want to miss that ONE idea that can change your business.

4. You will be in a room full of potential Joint Venture partners.

You never know who you’ll meet, who you’ll be sitting next to, and what the potential relationship you can develop with them will be. LIVE events have seen MANY successful Joint Venture business relationships form that would have never come about if those partners had not come to the event. What will YOU be missing out on if you don’t go?!?

5. Your eyes will be opened to the BIG PICTURE.

Maybe you’re one of the “all-SEO, all-the-time” gang. Perhaps you rely solely on PPC? Maybe you think Social Media is the only way to go. JUST WAIT until you hear the experiences of others–REAL BUSINESS PEOPLE–and the successes and failures they’ve had online. You’ll learn about marketing channels you may have overlooked. You’ll rethink something you may have discounted. You’ll be dying to try the strategies you hear others talking about. I have seen people literally RUN back to their hotel rooms because they can’t wait to implement things they’ve just learned. And… because you see the big picture, your business will grow as a result.

Are you ready to pack you bags and head to Phoenix? If you take your business seriously, invest in StomperNet LIVE 11. Then come back and get ready to take your business to the next level!

STOMPER Speed Boost

Join us for LIVE 11, get great education, and do some amazing networking with your fellow Stompers. Get three days of pure content, and learn all the cutting-edge tactics that you’ll need for a competitive business in the coming months.

Join us at LIVE 11. Make your reservation today!

Get the full story (and find out how to attend) by clicking here.

~ Just need SEO?  Want both?  Attend SEO Pro as well!

Faculty Office Hours:

TUESDAY, June 14th, 2011 @ 7:00pm Eastern

“Sneaky Web 2.0 Exploit to Juice up your Pumpers and Supporting Properties” with Faculty Member Eric Shannon.
Learn how to quickly and easily get a slew of high pagerank links from Tumblr, one of the strongest Web 2.0 sites. This is definitely an “exploit” and not a feature that Tumblr created intentionally, so it may not be around forever. StomperNet Members, Register Now

WEDNESDAY, June 15th @ 3:00pm Eastern

“Getting To First Base: How Writing Your Copy Is A Lot Like Playing Baseball” with Faculty Member Vin Montello
Learn copywriting from a seasoned professional who learned from the best but with a unique twist. Powerful words can help your sales letter get response. Yet response and truly successful great copy is what really makes sales.  StomperNet Members, Register Now

Free Live Webinars Next Week:

MONDAY, June 13th, 2011 at 7:00pm Eastern
Public Webinar: LIVE 11 Primer with Howie Jacobson, the author of AdWords For Dummies. Register Now

WEDNESDAY, June 15th, 2011 at 7:00pm Eastern

Public Webinar: LIVE 11 Primer with Simon Leung, the “Google Insider,”  and leading expert in maximizing search engine and traffic generation results.  Register Now

THURSDAY, June 16th, 2011 at 7:00pm Eastern
Public Webinar:  LIVE 11 Primer with Melanie Benson Strick the Big Idea Catalyst  Register Now

Let us know your thoughts on today’s issue.

Post Your Comments Here

Stompernet Blog

Welcome to the beginning of your new life!

The one you determine! The life that, as of this moment, can either transform you into a well-rounded life-living entrepreneur, or a stressed out basket case job owner that works over 80 hours a week merely to keep paying his newly found business debt.

Starting a business from the ground up can be a terrifying, joyful, frustrating, maddening, sleepless process. But, when it’s done with the right foresight, planning, and drive, all of the headaches, stress, and countless other emotions will pay off in more ways that you can imagine. It’s about becoming different from the 99.9% of the human population who can’t stray from the stranglehold of the corporate world and the “so called” security of a job!

A successful entrepreneur once told me that when you start a company, there are two ways to look at it: you’re either starting a lifelong job for yourself to slave away, or you’re creating a money-making business machine that changes your life forever.

The bottom line is this: if you have to go in to the office everyday because the system will fall apart without YOU being in the middle of it, then it’s nothing but a job that you are solely responsible for.

However, if you can walk away for months at a time and come back with everything running like clockwork “and growing”, then it’s a real, viable money-making business machine that can take you to new heights and set you apart from the rest of the world.

It’s about freedom to live the life you want.

It’s about the freedom to live the life you always wanted to, the freedom to work when you want, how you want, and with whom you want. It’s about securing your livelihood and future without being a slave to the money-machine (or pit) that you are trying to build! It’s about attaining the entrepreneurial dream that most will never attain.

If what I just said hit home even a little, then you, my friend, need to get out of the middle of the self-imposed job you’ve created, and start building a machine that can inevitably change not only your life, but also those around you!

I’ve never forgotten this basic concept, because it’s actually a flawless analogy that has changed my life, as well as my family’s! When you think about your business, you should see a bright future where you’re free of financial burdens and the daily rituals and tasks that tie you to your office.

You should see an exciting place where you drive the ideas, and focus on the big picture items, while the machine transforms your thoughts into action, thereby creating a wealth-building, moneymaking machine that won’t stop!

Or is it real life?

Now, right at this moment, you might be thinking, “Come on now Todd…this is real freaking life! I’m just trying to add some products to my site, and find a few more blog links to help me rank! After that, I need to create some more content for my site, and start redesigning my home page; then figure out how to start testing, and work on my PPC campaign.

Oh, yeah, I also have to go through invoices, do payables and receivables, and of course my quarterly tax bill is still pending.” Or how about, “I just don’t have the money to hire anyone, so I have to do it myself right now, and besides, I certainly wouldn’t want to share my business niche with anyone, or they might steal the idea and do it themselves!”

And last but not least, “I also must find time to open and watch the five different videos I received today on email from various info-pedaling Gurus that say, “DON’T WAIT, YOU MUST OPEN TODAY”, or you’ll miss the FREE bonus material that will change your life!”

Yeah, folks…I get it!

In fact, that was me four years ago. Eighty hour plus workweeks, stressed to the core, working at 2AM wondering how the hell I was going to get all tasks done that week. Because after all, I had just built a business, and my family’s well being was dependent on me getting everything done. I was ingrained in every aspect of my ahem… “newly created job”, and I had to be involved in every part of it.

Let’s face it: I was the one who started it, and no one could do what I was doing, because I spent countless hours watching videos and learning SEO & Internet marketing…And of course, there is no way in hell that anyone would care about this business and do it as well as me! I was afraid to share my business model with anyone.

Well folks…if this message is hitting home, and you can identify with even a few of these things, and you think YOU ARE THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN RUN YOUR BUSINESS, or can complete certain tasks in your business, then here is a dose of reality… YOU ARE WRONG! I’ll say it again… YOU ARE WRONG! You need to change your mindset and develop a new strategy to build your moneymaking machine!

Build Your Money Making Machine!

Because if you don’t, you will never get to that next level! You’ll never enjoy total entrepreneurial freedom and wealth. It is absolutely impossible! Until YOU change YOUR mindset and find a way to “start replacing every aspect of what you do in your business,” you are destined to work in the middle of your newly created job until the day you die…or give up and go back to work for someone else!

Sorry, folks…you might not like what I just said, or even agree (right now) with me, but the fact is 99.9 percent of business owners are in the middle of their newly created jobs and have no strategy, plan, or idea how to get themselves out of the situation they just created.

If these words are ringing in your head, and you are saying to yourself, “Holy crap, how does Todd know what I was thinking? How does he know about the pressure on my life because of this business, and the financial burdens? How does he know what I am doing to build this thing? How does…”

I know because every business owner and job creator I have ever spoken to throughout my 25 years have all said the same exact thing. They are all stuck in the same rut, working in the middle of their businesses with no end in site! All except, that is, for the really successful ones who are actually living the dream!

The fact is, every “really successful” entrepreneur I have studied, learned from, or watched has proven this theory to me by the way they approach new opportunities and businesses. The vast majority of “self made” successful entrepreneurs in the world all understand this basic principal. They know they can never get it all done, so after they create the idea or concept to build, they immediately look for the best team members and processes they can find to get it ALL done for them!

It’s really that simple of an idea!

I also know this first hand, folks, because right now – four years after starting the process of replacing everything I do – I can honestly state that I actually do less then 5% of my business process or tasks. I can leave my multi-million dollar business right now, today for weeks or months on end, and it will not only survive, but thrive and grow. The fact is, this year, in the worst economy in forty years, we had months that grew by 58%, and I was actually gone 80% of the time doing other things during our exponential growth period!

The little time I did spend, I was focused on the big picture goals and tasks! And as soon as I figured those out, I delegated them to other team members, employees, contractors, and or programmed processes for completion!

I can honestly say I am living the entrepreneurial dream that most aren’t, simply due to this one basic concept that I have ingrained in my soul! It’s been called many things over the years, like “replacing yourself” and “getting out of the middle of your business.” Of course, there’s “The 4 Hour Work week,” and many others.

Whatever name you want to call it, the fact is…you need to ingrain this concept into your soul from the very beginning, even as you start your business. If you don’t, it just may never get done! The longer you wait to start replacing your tasks, the harder it becomes to make it a reality!

Now, I know it’s nice to dream, and many of you could only dream of the day when you are only spending 5% of your time doing tasks your business, but the truth is… every one of you can attain it. It’s absolutely going to take some hard work to get there, and it won’t be easy, cheap or FREE. But the end result is that you’ll have real businesses!

A moneymaking business machine that is far from being a job! It will be one of the most rewarding things you’ve ever done in your life, and will certainly be one of the defining moments in your entrepreneurial existence! The day that you can say, “My business fully operates, and continues to grow on it’s own with very little effort on my part,” is truly a monumental day!

Ok, so this publication is about teaching you how to do something…right? And I thought a lot about how I could break down tasks and show you how I replaced myself in my business. But, I think you need to soak further on this concept. I think you should actually make up your mind to do it first. You should change your mindset at this moment and say…

I WILL REPLACE EVERY ASPECT OF MYSELF IN MY BUSINESS! I WILL START TODAY! I WILL START BY FINDING ONE LITTLE AREA OF MY DUTIES AND TASKS AND FIGURE OUT HOW TO GET IT DONE WITHOUT GETTING IN THE MIDDLE OF IT!

That’s your start, folks. Once you do that, it will actually start unfolding by itself without my help! YOU will figure out a way to get it done!

But my business just started!

Now, for those of you that are reading this article and are merely starting your business…let me share with you something that happened during a recent presentation on this subject in front of a group of students. A student stood up and said, “Well sure, Todd, you have a multi-million dollar business and can afford to hire people to get it done, but I’m just starting.”

My Response: Yes, grasshopper, but I didn’t always have a multi-million dollar company. I started my business with about $800.00 and had to pay someone to do my web design because I had no idea how to do it, or even what a domain name was. Like you, I certainly didn’t know SEO or Internet Marketing in any way, shape, or form. So, I spent my time on the important things, like learning how to do it, and then more importantly, how to apply it.

Then, both my wife and I started sharing responsibilities in the business, and we paid our kids to help us count invoices and calculate. Then we hired a neighbor to work one day a week for four hours, then gave her a full day’s worth of work, then 3 days of work, then she became full time!

Then I hired a second part timer, which became full time, then hired a few work-from-home Moms on Craigslist to write content and add products for a few hours a day, which also turned into full time. Then, I realized something HUGE!

The more things that I delegated and found ways to get done by other people or processes, the faster tasks were getting completed, with better accuracy, resulting in more sales and higher profits at a faster rate! Sure, I had to share some of the wealth along the way, but the rewards of free time have turned into laser-focused energy spent on improving the moneymaking aspects of the business!

Now…of five years into my business, I live an exceptionally awesome life and actually have the time to encourage and teach my students! Not to mention…write this article!

So, I ask again: are you building a machine, or just another job?

TODD CHISM

Entrepreneur Magazine chose Todd Chism as one of the Top Five Entrepreneurs of the Year for 2008. He was quickly recognized as an industry leader when his business not only exceeded sales of over a million dollars it’s first year, but maintained steady growth by over a million dollars every year since inception!

He now has more than 40 niche domains and 4 operational eCommerce sites with sales exceeding 20 million over the last five years! His company just celebrated a monumental occasion of reaching a million dollars of revenue in less the 27 days! Recent accolades include recognition for making the Inc 5000 list of fastest growing companies in America for both 2010 & 2011, as well as gaining an on going co-supporting role on the hit reality tv shows Yard Crashers and Turf War for the HGTV and the DIY Television Networks.

“Time Management Tricks to Banish Overwhelm & Kick Start Your Results”

by Melanie Benson Strick

FLV | MOV

If you enjoyed this post and want more, give TNE a try!

You will get great tips like this…and more…every month – and you can start right now for just $1.00!

StomperNet LIVE 11! – June 23rd – June 25th in Phoenix, AZ  Register Now

Stompernet Blog

As an Internet business owner I find that I’m constantly looking for new ways to drive traffic, to give the customers something they want or need. Or at least what they think they need.

The customer will always ask the inevitable question: What’s in it for me? We don’t realize how early in our childhood development we get this behavior, but gradually it becomes ingrained.

Do you remember doing chores as kid?

You got money or an allowance or that special thinga-ma-bob. That’s what was in it for you; incentive to do what you didn’t want to do to get what you wanted. This can be applied to customers as well.

Let’s face it, customers really don’t want to part with their money to get your product. Everyone, and I do mean everyone, wants you to give it to them. Something happens psychologically inside their head when they shop, especially if it’s for a luxury or frivolous item. They want the object. Their palms get sweaty, their throat goes dry, their eyes glass over, and their wallets tighten. Remember Gollum? It’s their precious.

Now, I’m being overly dramatic here, but the actual point remains. For people to spend their hard earned cash they want to know what in it for them. They go to work all week, something that most really don’t want to do, to get a check that they do want. Then come the things they don’t want again. They have to pay utilities, groceries, rent or a mortgage, and whatever’s left is their “spendin’ money”. And, before they give up spendin’ their money, they ask the question.

WII.FM is more than just what its name implies.

WII.FM More than a Radio Station

It’s a give and take philosophy that drives the business / customer dynamic. Both sides must employ the technique to get what they want. Your business is not a utility company that a customer MUST have such as water or electric. Those things a customer NEEDS and MUST pay for them even though they don’t want to.

But, just because you’re a business owner doesn’t mean you don’t have the same issues that your customers have. You have to pay bills. Maybe even twice the number if you have an office building that you work out of: double the rent, double the electric, etcetera, etcetera.

The customers don’t look at it that way. They don’t see you as a hard working stiff like themselves. Oh, no. You’re a business owner, part of the corporate machine that is out to profit from the lowly worker.

Wait a minute! I’m a working stiff! Come on, cut me a break!

No, evil business owner! I shall banish you to the lowest pit of Tartarus unless you give me the deal of a lifetime!

Sorry, Dungeons and Dragons flashback.

Here’s the give / take dynamic.

YOU sell something the customer wants. YOU want the customer to buy your product. YOU want the customer’s money. Well, really the only thing in it for you is a sale, the possibility of other sales through this customer’s word of mouth, and possibly gaining a loyal customer.

The CUSTOMER wants your product. The CUSTOMER doesn’t want to pay for your product. The CUSTOMER wants you to bend over backwards to give them something that they already want. This usually means a huge discount, some kind of free item, or some other profit-killing endeavor. In a nutshell, you give to take, they give to take.

The customer mentality of WII.FM is both a blessing and a curse for the business owner.

If you can come up with something that your customer will accept as a “freebie”, that doesn’t cost you an arm and a leg or bite deeply into your profit, then you could come out looking good. The problem is that thing you call a business is a profit deal.

Do you remember the movie “The Jerk” with Steve Martin? That movie has a great scene that directly applies to this situation. Steve is working at a carnival as a weight guesser. He thinks he’s not doing well so talks to his boss.

“I’ve already given away eight pencils, two hula dolls, and an ashtray, and I’ve only taken in fifteen dollars.” Steve says, bleakly.

The boss is smiling. “You have taken in fifteen dollars and given away fifty cents worth of crap, which gives us a net profit of fourteen dollars and fifty cents.”

You get the picture, but it’s not always this easy.

The quickest thing to jump on is free shipping. You buy my product and I’ll ship it to you free! While this is a good thing, all of your competitors are using the same gimmick. Darn. Okay, I’ll lower my prices. But now you have to deal with that stupid M.A.P.(minimum advertised price) agreement you have with your shipping source. Darn, darn, darn!

The playing field was leveled by forces beyond your control. The customer is still screaming what’s in it for me and you’re deciding whether or not you should order a headstone for your business.

So then you hit on the idea of offering a coupon. Yeah, that’ll work. But your competitors are also offering a coupon! Bah!

What then can my business give?

What can you give your customer that’s going to make them want to spend money with you? Remember that the customer sees it as 100% about them and nada for you. So whatever you do it’s got to blow them out of their socks.

Many of the tricks that websites use have been done to death. Free shipping, a coupon, a free e-book, and a monthly newsletter are just a few. Depending on your business, some of these things still work, but more and more you have to think outside the box.

So here’s one you can try. This will take a little bit of work on your part as you’ll also have to see what you can get from your supplier. Start a Twitter account for your business if you haven’t already done so. MONITOR that account. Most businesses will start an account and then forget the second they create it. Create, log out, and never come back. You have an internet business for Pete’s sake! Use the tools!

See what you can get from any of your suppliers at the deepest wholesale discount you can get.

Now, it doesn’t matter what you sell. Toys, furniture, stereos, cameras, they all will work with this idea. Once you have your Twitter account rolling and you’ve got a decent amount of followers advertise your “Word of the Week” contest. The first five or ten, or whatever number you choose that responds to your tweet get’s a free (insert your item here). The customers all of a sudden are getting the WIIFM. and you’re getting more customers.

Then it snowballs.

You’ll find that you get more Twitter followers as the word is spread that once a week you give stuff away. The upside is that these new followers may just be looking for the free stuff, however when you tweet about sales or new items, they know exactly what you’ve got and, should they need that item, will usually start their buying process with you. If you’re competitive, you’ll probably make the sale. This idea can also be applied to Facebook.

There are a lot challenges facing the web entrepreneur to build a successful online business. But to do so you’ve got to remember the customer also has a multitude, heck beyond a multitude of choices.

So giving them a little in a unique way can sometimes pay off in a big way.

But let’s not forget your side. What’s in it for you? Not from the customer, but from your vendors and suppliers. Now you’re the customer. Some vendors will cut you a special deal now and again and that’s good for you.

But here’s something you might try.

Let’s say you sell kitchen accessories. You sell kitchen accessories. There, I’ve said it. Make a trip to a local art show. Let’s say you meet a wood carver that makes intricately carved wooden serving bowls out of beautiful and exotic hardwoods. Find out if he’ll cut a deal with you to buy his products at a small profit. He becomes a supplier and you’ve eliminated a distributor.

Now you’ve got a beautiful and unique product that you can sell exclusively. This idea can cover a wide range of products. What’s in it for the wood carver? He sells more product than at the local art show and makes a buck. What’s in it for you? Good, inexpensive and unique product that ups your profitability.

I hope this has given you a few good ideas and a look inside the customer’s head. Now that you’ve read my post, I ask you: What’s in it for me? The hope that you’ll read my next one.

Entrepreneur Magazine chose Todd Chism as one of the top five “Emerging Entrepreneurs of the Year” in 2008.  He now owns over 40 niche domains, has four operational ecommerce websites, and has created a business consulting and coaching company.

===>  Download “Become a Local Business Superhero” here! <===

If you enjoyed this post and want more, give TNE a try!

You will get great tips like this…and more…every month – and you can start right now for just $1.00!

Stompernet Blog

We’ve been talking this week about the “Blueprint” videos that Jeff Walker’s released so far as part of his re-launch of the “Product Launch Formula” course.

In Part 1, I’ve talked to you about how successful “product” launches are actually “Event marketing” – where you shift the prospect focus AWAY from your product and instead focus them on an upcoming event.

We’ve talked about all the reasons why this is an effective strategy, and in Part 2 of this series, I went into great detail on a specific case study of mine. We showed how using “event marketing” we were able to sell out Amazon’s stock of a DVD in only 36 minutes after release.

Event marketing is VERY powerful, and its power and profit potential is only even more potent when you consider how VERSATILE the concept is.

This idea of syndicating your marketing messaging is certainly not new to the Internet Marketing industry. Auto-responders have been around since the early wild-west days, after all.

One of Jeff’s real teaching strengths is in taking these tools and concepts that have been around for years, and assembling them in new ways.

One example of this is in Jeff’s strategy for getting Affiliates and Joint Venture (JV) partners to promote your launch for you.

Wouldn’t THAT be nice?

===

STOP! Don’t sabotage yourself now by thinking that you’re too small to get JVs going, or that your offer isn’t attractive enough to motivate affiliates. Just read along and I promise that even if you haven’t started your business at all yet, you’re going to get some value here. Okay, GO!

===

So why are JVs so important for your launch?

The main reason is that it lets you focus on the CONTENT of your sequence of messages – it lets you focus on making adjustments to your strategy in real time (in response to market feedback). It allows you to do this by taking away responsibility for one of the major aspects of the formula.

In Part 1, I stressed the necessity of building a list of interested prospects that you extract from your marketplace.

When you secure and motivate solid JV partners in that marketplace, you can let THEM load up your list, and you can focus on building your relationship with those prospects, getting them warmer and warmer.

Now: securing those JVs is the trick. I can’t tell you a magic formula or secret to that. It’s going to depend entirely on your marketplace. However, don’t just think of JVs in the “internet marketing” sense of the word.

Expand that abbreviation out:
“J.V. = Joint Venture”.

Who can you think of that could benefit from promoting your event? Certainly other people who market to that segment. They already have lists and if they don’t currently have their own product to promote, it can be quick and easy for them to make a few bucks AND keep their list engaged.

That’s still the traditional route of thinking of affiliates.

But it doesn’t always have to be monetary gain. Potential JVs could benefit by cross promotion. They can benefit by contributing a bonus to your offer. They can benefit by getting publicity from being associated with your event.

Any way you can think of for a JOINT benefit with someone who can send you prospects is a WIN-WIN.

So – that’s one way you can go about brainstorming potential JVs, but like I said – every market is going to be a unique challenge, but the number of opportunities is limited only by your creativity.

Alright – now you’ve got a couple of JVs set up, and they are really excited. They make a blog post about you, maybe mail their list for you… and then that’s it. You spent all that work securing some partners and it seems like they’re just dragging their feet.

Why does that happen? Don’t these guys know that the more promoting they do, the more benefit they get?

Yeah, but it’s human nature. The two biggest reasons that your affiliates and JV partners won’t execute are:

1. People get busy, and
2. People get lazy.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. Using Jeff’s “Blueprints”, you can put things in place to keep your promotional partners just as amped up as your prospects are – from the very beginning of your pre-pre-launch to the very end when you open your shopping cart for business.

Let me take a step back for a minute.

Does this scenario seem familiar?

Some product you only heard a week ago has all-of-a-sudden caught fire in the marketplace. It seems like everyone and their uncle is sending you mail after mail, all about the same upcoming, groundbreaking, earth-shattering product.

At first, you were skeptical, but it seems like everyone is weighing in on this hot new thing, and it’s looking positive.

Then, one newsletter you really like throws out an insane bonus and man… you didn’t even know about this thing just a week ago,
but now you’re actually considering buying it.

Then someone drops an even BETTER bonus. Now you KNOW you’re going to buy it and you need to decide which guy you’re
going to buy if from.

I know it’s happened to me. That’s one of the well-documented side effects of this launch formula stuff.

Next time that happens to you, go back and look at how all these emails from all these different affiliates seem like some kind of coordinated effort – they all seem to know what the next thing to come out is - they all seem to know just what to talk about.

Do you ever wonder how all those affiliates and JVs seem to have the inside track on what’s coming next? If you’re already done some affiliate marketing for someone else’s launch, you know why that is.

Part of the “formula” of launching a product involves creating a separate syndication channel JUST for your promotional partners.

That’s right, you market your event to JVs in the exact same manner as you do your prospects (with a blog, email sequence, etc.) only with a different ANGLE.

Instead of telling them about the benefits of your offering, you tell them about the benefits of being your affiliate – like how much money they’ll make.

Hold a contest amongst your JVs – offer prizes – get them competing with each other. Engage them in whatever way you can think of.

THAT will get them motivated to KEEP promoting you right up to the end of your promo.

They have a stake in your game – NEVER let them forget it.

But even then, motivation only takes it so far. You’ve gotten their attention and convinced them to ignore how busy they are and promote for you.

How do you overcome the other reason they drag their feet – the most powerful obstacle in the universe – LAZINESS?

You do it by making it stone simple - tell them your whole plan. Show them your road map. Let them in on your secret strategy: Tell them what content you’ll be releasing and when. Put them on a schedule and keep in touch.

Now this may seem like a simple enough idea, but when you do it well, the amount of active attention you control is just mind-boggling.

Last email we talked about how having a list is like having a fire hose of traffic you can aim anywhere you like, any time you like. Remember?

Well when you have a gang of promotional partners ALL on the SAME schedule, ALL following the same PLAN – that’s not a fire hose.
That’s a LASER.

You are basically getting the entire marketplace to aim all their interest at you – and not only in your general direction…

They are literally hanging on your every word.

Every little move you make, each new piece of content you release – your prospects can’t wait to get it. And once they get it, they can’t
wait to get the next one.

So in addition to having your own “funnel” to capture prospects, each of your JVs has their own “funnel” too, feeding into yours.

In a small niche, an effective execution of the launch formula can seemingly suck all of the air out of the marketplace. You can
DOMINATE the entire conversation and through that control, you set your event up to be the coolest thing since sliced bread.

And I’m NOT talking about hype here. Hype stinks if your products won’t live up to it. NONE of this has to be hype-y or hyperbolic.

You don’t have to yell to get attention if your stuff is all anyone is talking about anyway. Does that make sense?

It’s not about the volume of your message, it’s about how far it carries.

So I’ve shown you why JVs are vital if you want to have a huge launch (no matter what level your business is). And I’ve shown you how you can secure those JVs (as well as motivate them to promote for you) – when you use a “launch formula” blueprint.

Now we come to the example portion of today’s lesson.

Back in early summer last year, we were working very heavily behind the scenes preparing to re-open StomperNet to the public, and we knew we needed to get the real hard core, heavy-duty affiliates on board to maximize our message’s impact.

We work hard on those Atom Bomb and Going Natural videos, and we need to make sure that as many people see them as possible.

Now, we learned from the first StomperNet launch that we could capture the attention of the super affiliates. However, what we were BAD at was getting them to promote us more than once.

You should know that in marketing, repetition is key, so we wanted all the affiliates to keep promoting all the way through the roll-out this time.

How could we really get their attention and keep it? How could we get them behind what we were doing 100%? How could we “launch” our Launch to them?

And then something funny happened.

Well it just so happened that Armand Morin held his Big Seminar in the StomperNet hometown of Atlanta. And we knew that a lot of these talented marketers were going to already be there. Hmm.

How about we invite our target affiliates to join us in Atlanta a day early… for a closed-door, invitation-only EVENT.

Reaching the “SUMMIT”…

What if we got the best speakers we could to come out and talk to these affiliates ABOUT launches? What if we could not just let them in on our plans but show them the BIG picture? We can show them what we’re really doing with this launch stuff. We can convince them beyond a doubt that we’re seriously committed to this business, and that we presented a serious opportunity for their businesses.

That would work, right?

Work it did. Even though we kept it under wraps, news of that event LEAKED. People tried to register without being invited. People begged us to SELL them a ticket. People tried to SNEAK in.

Our goal was to make those affiliates feel like the superstars they are, so they would be superstars for US when it came to promoting StomperNet.

I know it’s a cliche, but we did “pull back the curtain” at that event.

It’s the first time the anatomy of the original StomperNet launch had EVER been discussed in public.

And we revealed our plans for the reopen through our speakers.

Buck Rizvi & Brock Felt (Pipeline Profits) talked about how to turbocharge a launch with YouTube and Google Video.

Ryan Kaltman (from Rich Jerk) presented on the secrets to making an offer bulletproof.

Chris McNeeny & Ken Oboh (from Day Job Killer), arguably among the most successful affiliate marketers in the industry, gave a talk on the “Science of Affiliate-Ology”.

Shawn Casey and Jeff Paul gave 77 ways to position your product for success every time in any marketplace.

We already mentioned me and Brad talking about how StomperNet was the biggest launch in internet history.

The always-cool Eben Pagan enlightened us all on his innovative business positioning strategies.

And yeah, Jeff Walker himself was there to talk to us about the keynote topic – Product Launches.

By showing these affiliates all this, we PROVED to them that we knew this stuff. We showed them that this launch would work, and that if they got on board with helping us promote it, we could all make a lot of money, and help their customers out with our material.

We gave those guys something NO ONE ELSE has ever even SEEN BEFORE or SINCE. Talk about moving the fr’ee line to get some reciprocation, right? After that, those guys weren’t just HAPPY to promote for us, they regularly contact US to see what we’re working on NEXT.

Now, I didn’t tell you that story to brag…

Okay, maybe a little.

Just a tiny bit.

But I feel bad about my lack of humility so I’m going to make up for it.

I was running my mouth earlier about affiliates offering killer bonuses to try to compete and convince the people that will buy to buy through their link.

Well, here it is. The “Product Launch Summit” I was just talking about was 8 hours of solid ADVANCED coverage of the ins and outs of Product Launches. This was a TRUE closed door, invitation-only event. No one has seen this material BEFORE or SINCE. Heck, it’s not even on DVDs yet. It’s still on the tape it was shot on.

This is RARE stuff. So rare there’s only one copy right now.

Jeff will be releasing Product Launch Formula Thursday at 2pm Eastern, and when his cart is open, we’re going to send you an email with a link. If you buy through our link, you’re going to be among the very first people to get the “Product Launch Summit” besides the people who were there.

There’s no hype here. I don’t have to hype it – this is valuable stuff, and NOBODY’S ever seen it – until now. This is the perfect pairing for Jeff’s Product Launch Formula 2.0.

We’ve had the 2 biggest launches in IM history. Heck, every month we’re open brings in more money than some of the other launches out there. We know this stuff.

Between Jeff’s newest material and this 8 hour DVD set, there is absolutely no better resource on the planet if you’re serious about doing launches for your own business.

And what I’m telling you is that you SHOULD get serious about doing launches in your business. That’s what I’ve been talking about in all 3 parts of this series.

Event marketing is so powerful.

It’s responsible for the success of every product StomperNet has produced and released since we started in 2006.

I hope I’ve shown you how Jeff’s formulas have had an incredible impact on all my businesses, not just StomperNet. If you watched all of Jeff’s videos, you’ve seen how these formulas have had a dramatic impact on teeny tiny niche businesses (like edible herbs) and all the way up through Mass Control and StomperNet.

And you know what? It’ll go beyond that, too. This stuff is limited only by the creativity you can add to it. But even if you add nothing – even if you add no new twist whatsoever – this stuff still works. It works for any product, any service, any subscription – ANYTHING. Anything in ANY market.

And not only that, with a launch-style roll-out strategy, you can control not just your prospects’ interest but those of the media, those of your promotional partners and MORE.

You see, by converting your roll-out strategy to focus on an EVENT instead of the product, you can promote the same event in different and specific ways to EVERYONE involved.

I *hinted* at this last time with the homework assignment.

Remember:

“What kinds of people would be interested in your event? Think outside the box here – don’t just speculate about your audience, but think about other aspects that people might be interested in. Would your colleagues be interested? Your competitors? How about your vendors or suppliers?”

It’s really wide open – the number of different “channels” that you can set up for your event are endless. The potential for profit and influence in your marketplace is limitless too.

Listen, Jeff’s opening the cart tomorrow, and I’m sure there are going to be all kinds of scarcity plays getting thrown around, and all kinds of frenzy.

I mean, this is the Product Launch of Product Launches, by the guy who pretty much coined the phrase.

This is probably close to your last chance to go opt-in and check out all of Jeff’s free videos. The blueprint one alone is worth more than any other copy-cat launch product any else has put out since the last release. Don’t take my word about any of this stuff if you don’t want to. It’s always your choice.

But I hope you’ll go check it out. I know how much this stuff has worked for me.

I’ll talk to you again tomorrow! Until next time…

Keep Stomping,
~Andy Jenkins

Stompernet Blog

Yesterday, I talked to you about how “product” launches don’t work – and how what Jeff Walker actually teaches in his “Product Launch Formula” course isn’t “product” launch stuff at all. It’s “Event” marketing.

To get the most out of this email, you should have already watched Jeff’s “Blueprint” videos, Parts 1 AND 2. Specifically, Part 2. If you haven’t seen them already, skip Part 1, but go to this page and opt-in – then watch Part 2.

Part 2 is where Jeff gets into the “nitty gritty” of the blueprint.

So, as promised last time, I’m going to give you a case study today. As a lot of you know, I have a history in the film industry as an editor, and I still have a great love for film. When I was given the opportunity to invest and work on a movie, I jumped at it.

So, I was “Associate Producer” on a little independent sci-fi horror film that came out last year called “Altered”. (I was also the Post Production Supervisor, but that doesn’t sound as sexy.)

It was a pretty sweet production – it was made by some of the same guys that made a little film called “The Blair Witch Project” – you may have heard of it.

The film was picked up by Universal, but we wanted to be part of the marketing of the DVD. We wanted to really blast the DVD sales through the roof on this one, and we knew that it wasn’t going to happen on the video store shelves.

If we were going to get big numbers on this, we would need to use some good old “Event” marketing – right out of the “Product Launch Formula” mold.

Now, there’s a couple of reasons I think this is a great case study example to show you. First and foremost, it’s because we were (to put it mildly) VERY successful with this promotion.

But the more important reason is that I really want to hammer home the point I made in the last email. “Launches” – successful launches anyway – don’t focus on the product itself, but rather shift the prospect’s focus towards an event.

A DVD release is a good way to help you digest that because most people don’t think of a film in terms of a “product” – even the major studios focus on the “Release Date” – which is an EVENT, not a PRODUCT. Hollywood gets this idea – and they get it big time.

So though this DVD is technically a physical product – no different than pet rocks, or swords, or blue widgets – it’s a lot easier to think of it as a “release” that is tied to a specific date.

Follow me so far? Super.

So – back to the story. We have the impending release date of this DVD and we really want to sell a – and I’m going to use an industry term here – a honking butt-load of these DVDs.

How long did we have to roll out an event-marketing launch strategy?

Get this — Two weeks.

ha-HA! I laugh in the face of such challenges!

… Well, maybe I can laugh now, but at the time, before we knew how well it was going to work, we were EXTREMELY apprehensive, to say the least.

Now, here’s where we’re going to talk about Jeff’s video again , so make sure you’ve watched it already. In that video, Jeff shows an interactive mind map. One of the sections in that mind map – the one he says is the MOST important – is labeled…

“STRATEGY”

Under “Strategy” we have 4 subsections, and I’m going to lay out for you EXACTLY how we assembled our marketing plan to address those 4 subsections.

1. List Building – This is the grand-daddy of marketing. How many times have you heard “The money is in the list”? I’m sure more than you can stomach.

But stomach it you must!

Because it’s true. We needed a list of interested prospects and we needed it fast. One of the most important aspects of list-building is one that’s glossed over by a lot of the people who tout it the most.

They neglect to tell you WHY you really need a list. The primary reason is that a list is TRAFFIC ON TAP. That’s right – once someone expresses an interest and joins the list, it’s instant traffic you can aim at whatever offer you choose, WHENEVER you choose.

You spend almost all your pre-launch activities in building your list, when on launch day, you just market to your list. You’ve extracted all the interested individuals (well, hopefully at least a lot of them) from the marketplace.

On launch day, you fire them at your offer like a fire hose. That’s how you get that BIG MONEY in like 27 SECONDS!!! kind of response.

So, in short – we needed to build a list.

2. Relationship Building – Now, in order to build a RESPONSIVE list, we were going to have to develop a relationship with the people who were interested in our film. However, 2 weeks is an EXTREMELY short amount of time to do that in, so we were going to have to trigger some reciprocation with a well-known marketing shortcut.

We were going to make a F’ree Report!

I know what you’re thinking. Giving away a PDF seems like something that would only really work in the IM field right? Or at the very least, it would only work in the info-product field…

Let me stop you right there.

What do you think a movie is, if not an info product? Unlike “traditional” info products, its purpose isn’t to educate – rather its aim is to entertain. Still, at the end of the day, it’s information on a transferable medium. So why not?

What kind of “piggy back” info could we put into a PDF that would appeal to our sci-fi/horror indie-film aficionado?

It turns out this was pretty easy.

You see these kinds of things out for Star Wars and Star Trek – there are these “technical guides” to those universes. Books with things like imaginary spaceship schematics, history stories, background information, etc. Just “extra” stuff that isn’t necessary to tell the story of the film, but stuff that helps flesh out the imaginary world the characters inhabit.

It’s not hard to produce that kind of stuff – a lot of it already gets created to serve the production and just doesn’t make it into the completed film. It’s what ends up in the DVD extras section, or if the movie is a huge phenomenon, in those kind of “expanded universe” books I talked about.

Well, it just so happened we had a lot of those kinds of goodies, so we slapped it all together and made a PDF download to dangle in front of interested prospects like a tasty carrot.

“Join our list for this movie, get this snazzy PDF full of extras and goodies from the film.”

Pretty cool, huh?

3. Responding to the Market – I’m going to make a little departure here from Jeff’s video in that we really didn’t have the luxury of a one to two month roll-out for this promotion. We really didn’t have the opportunity to “play” with the prospects and get feedback, make adjustments, etc. Essentially, the product was done, and we were already essentially out of time.

However, at this phase, we did take a very strong look at the public response to test screenings of the film and made some pretty solid decisions based on that.

I mentioned before that the filmmakers had previously been involved in the Blair Witch Project, which is arguably the most successful independent film of all time. Those guys are kind of the sweethearts and superstars of the whole indie film industry. Lots of wanna-be’s and soon-to-be’s look up to these fellas as being the guys to watch.

A TON of the press and blogging and buzz online before this film’s release had more to do with the story OF the film rather than the story IN the film.

So with that in mind, we decided to promote our list not only to potential fans of the genre, but ALSO to people involved in the actual film business.

In addition to the fan contingent, we decided also to rope in the hobbyists and professionals as well.

That was one takeaway we got from studying the market.

Another is that we made a note of all the “mainstream” and “general interest” outlets that had covered any aspect of the film’s production and decided to target those as well. Even if those outlets serviced very broad audiences, we had a shot at taking advantage of “repeated messaging” if we circled back with that same group of people. At least, that’s what we hoped.

It was worth a shot at least, right?

4. Positioning – Now, typically “positioning” – in the marketing sense of the word – refers to how you set yourself up relative to other competing products in the marketplace. For film, this is a bit strange, because even though 100 DVDs might be released on the same day, not all of them are competing with each other.

In fact, hardly any of them really compete with each other. When people buy DVDs, they don’t head out to the store intending to buy SOME DVD without having any idea what it is. The desire for something like a film is generally created BEFORE the point of purchase.

So, even though we didn’t have a lot of time or relative “competition” to position against, we did have the “underdog” factor in our favor. Small budget, no superstars, no huge theatrical release. This wasn’t a big Hollywood blockbuster – this was a small “love-letter” kind of movie. It’s more of a direct communication from the filmmakers to the fans than other studio pictures could ever be.

So we reflected that in our auto-responder messaging to the list. “Thanks for your interest in Haxan films,” – a very humble one-to-one style of communication.

As for of the actual PHYSICAL positioning of the campaign, I mentioned some of that earlier. We identified websites that serviced one or more of our targeted audience segments:

• Sci-Fi/Horror fans
• Independent Film buffs
• Film industry professionals
• General Interest outlets that had previously mentioned the film

We approached all of those sites DIRECTLY (not through an advertising service) and bought space ads that linked directly to our “squeeze” page. You could join the list, get updates about the release, as well as the snazzy PDF full of insider secret extras – all “cool stuff” as a bonus.

That’s it. That was the whole strategy. We had 2 weeks to execute.

The goal was to build up the list as large as we could, create some reciprocity with the F’ree report, and hopefully work up a mini-frenzy around the DVD release of “Altered”.

On “launch” day – the day the DVD was released for sale, we sent all the prospects in the list over to Amazon to buy the DVD. Remember the “fire hose” metaphor I used earlier? That’s what we did. We aimed the “fire hose” and shot all the “water” we’d stored up right at the “fire”. Hmm – maybe that metaphor needs a little more work…

Anyway!

How did we DO?
…

Amazon sold out of their stock in 36 minutes.

Now, this wasn’t an illusion-like scarcity play that some marketers do. They actually RAN OUT. As in — you had to back-order it if you wanted to get it.

Another thing to point out is that when an IM product sells out, you’re typically talking about an audience that works online – sitting in their inbox all day long.

They can respond fast.

This list was comprised of anyone and everyone. So, getting and keeping their attention was a pretty neat trick, if I do say so myself…

People with day jobs, people who aren’t in front of a computer but once or twice a day – potentially maybe only a couple of times a week (which is actually the American average).

And we still sold out the largest online retailer in the world.

In 36 minutes.

See? This stuff DOESN’T WORK, I tell you!

Not one bit.

(Obviously, I’m kidding… It works like a champ)

So, the big takeaways for you – and “homework” if you will:

1. If you were going to create an “Event” around your product or service, what would it be?
2. What kinds of things could you give away in order to entice your audience to join your list?
3. What kinds of people would be interested in your event? Think outside the box here – don’t just speculate about your audience, but think about other aspects that people might be interested in. Would your colleagues be interested? Your competitors? How about your vendors or suppliers?
4. Once you answer #3, think about where you might find those people. What sites do they visit? What communities are they a part of? How can you get their attention?

Answer all of these questions, and you have your very first “launch” all mapped out. What are you waiting for? Go do it! …

That’s it for Part 2. If you didn’t follow my instructions and watch Jeff’s videos (Parts 1 AND 2) – shame on you!

I hope it was because you couldn’t tear yourselves away from my riveting email – I’ll accept that excuse. (I’m SO humble…) But now I’m done, so seriously – go check out those videos (opt-in to get Part 2, the actual “Blueprint” part).

It’s important that you check it out. If you watched it once, watch it again, and take notes this time. Like I explained above, that blueprint really IS the formula.

Next time, in Part 3, I’m going to switch gears and talk about another aspect of Jeff’s “Blueprint” – and this one is for the marketers who may be a little farther along (and will be a big help to the beginners who are trying to get farther along).

We’ll be talking about JVs – Joint Venture Partners and Affiliates. Even if you’re just struggling to get your product out there and you think that getting JVs is the farthest thing from your mind – you should NEVER leave them out of your launch planning.

We’re going to talk about how to get them, how to engage them, and how to get them to promote your launch for you (and be HAPPY to do all the work)!

Don’t miss it. It’s here on the blog very soon.

Keep Stomping,
~Andy “Post Production Supervisor” Jenkins

Stompernet Blog

Last Friday, Jeff Walker finally released the “Product Launch Blueprint” video he’s been promising.

But before you go and watch it…

…I want to tell what I mean by the subject line of this email.

(NOTE*** If you read the next few sentences of the following with a French accent, my sarcasm might be more obvious…)

I’ll say it again, because it bears repeating. Product Launches DO NOT WORK.

This is an argument I’ve been having with Jeff Walker for almost as long as I’ve known him. He lets me win because I help him with web video stuff – but that’s a different story.

Now don’t get me wrong. Jeff’s material is stellar, and we’ve used aspects of Jeff’s “Product Launch Formula” material for every StomperNet roll-out we’ve done since we started the company in 2006.

Jeff’s stuff WORKS – after all, StomperNet has had the First and Second biggest launches in our Market, and they followed Jeff’s FORMULA to the letter…

But since I’m trying to give YOU a different perspective on how YOU can use “Launches” in your own market, I will maintain my silly and completely tongue-in-cheek position:

“Product Launches” do NOT work – And I can PROVE it…

… using one of Jeff’s OWN CLAIMS! (Take THAT Jeff Walker!!!)

First, let me tell you why “Product” launches fail. I could give you huge bullet lists and we could discuss it for hours – but fundamentally, “Product” launches don’t work because people DON’T CARE about products.

They care about Solutions… But, “Solution Launch Formula” is a lousy name for a product.

At the end of the day, your product is just a THING. And the real truth is, most of the time – it’s a thing your prospects don’t actually NEED.

Take my word for it – I sell swords.

In most parts of the world, no one has NEEDED a sword for several hundred years. But they sure sell all day long.

No one is going to invent a new kind of sword that I can have a successful “Product Launch” for. It doesn’t matter how sharp it is, or how balanced it is, or even how cool it will look hanging on some wall.

Unless it’s a magical sword that cures cancer, I’d have a very hard time doing a launch around a new sword. “It’s newer, shinier, and made of more metal than our other swords!” You know what I mean? It’s not very exciting. It’s just a thing.

And that doesn’t just go for swords – ANY product is the same. Soda pop, dog food, sunglasses, whatever. When you launch on a PRODUCT, you will inevitably fail, because the only appeal a “thing” can really have is that it’s NEW.

Sure, that appeals to some people who have just got to have the NEWEST THING or the BEST THING – but those numbers certainly don’t live up to Jeff’s successes with “Product Launch Formula” tactics.

So what about Jeff’s claims that prove my point?

Jeff’s been saying repeatedly in his launch videos that “Product Launches” will work in absolutely any niche. He’s had case studies, interviews, testimonials, etc. Heck, I’ve even REPEATED Jeff’s claim. Materially, it’s true. Jeff’s stuff – his formulas and tactics – DO work in almost every niche they’ve been used in.

How can that be? Didn’t I just say that it WOULDN’T work with swords?

Kind of.

I said that you couldn’t do a “Product” launch with swords and be successful. 100% true.

But Jeff’s stuff still works because “Launch Formulas” he created really are not PRODUCT launches. Not at all.

His formulas really have absolutely nothing to do with the product being launched – it makes no difference what it is, or what it does. In fact, it doesn’t even have to be a “product” for his methods to work.

Do you sell a service? The formulas will work. Do you sell a subscription or membership? The formulas will work for that too.

But the methods work because they are NOT “Product Launch” formulas. They’re something else entirely. What Jeff actually teaches his students to do is essentially IGNORE the product, and focus on marketing SOMETHING ELSE.

And the “Something Else” that you will actually focus your marketing on is something that you can create yourself from whole cloth.

It’s wickedly easy, costs next to nothing, and is a bajillion times easier to market than a product (that’s the actual number, too. Used a calculator and everything).

So what is it? What is this “Something Else” that Jeff’s “Product Launch Formula” is actually about?

It’s about “Events”.

Note the capital “E” there.

Jeff’s formulas are all about creating an “Event”, and then marketing that one-time event to an ever-growing crowd. You market it right up until “launch” day, when you start getting orders literally the very INSTANT you open your cart. NOT because they want your product – that’s hardly the reason they buy at ALL. It’s because they want to be part of the EVENT you’ve created. And because it’s a singular event, they’ve just got the ONE SHOT.

This is the true genius at the heart of Jeff’s techniques.

When you go here to watch Jeff’s “Blueprint” video, you’ll hear him talk about an idea he had called the “sideways sales letter”.

The idea is, you take a traditional long-form, copy-heavy direct sales letter. Let’s say it’s 30 pages long. It’s filled with bullet points and sub-heads and benefits, testimonials, etc. – all the stuff it should have…

Jeff’s idea is that you turn that letter physically sideways, and instead of a loooooong scrolling 30 page letter, you break it up into 30 DAYS of content.

Most of you know I have a film editing background, and this idea of Jeff’s IMMEDIATELY brought to mind the “timeline” interface that almost all video editing software has in common.

By doing this you essentially trade SPACE (the long, long, long copy from your old-style sales page) for TIME. It’s literally mapped out to the calendar.

So what would have been a suggestive (but passive) “Buy Now” button at the bottom of your letter…

It magically becomes a VERY LITERAL “Buy Now” EVENT. It’s not just a mere suggestion that you go ahead and buy now. It means buy NOW – TODAY! The Event you’ve been hearing about, that you’ve been WAITING FOR? It’s happening – so go NOW NOW NOW… etc. etc.

Do you understand how powerful this idea is?

By its very nature, real-time, real-world events have many of the strongest marketing persuasion tactics built-in. You don’t have to make sure they’re in your copy. You won’t mess up if you leave them out of your marketing mind map. They are just automatically there.

Things like:

* Scarcity and Exclusivity
* Repetition of Messaging
* The Power of Participation and Social Pressure

Those are just three off of the top of my head. If you left those elements out of your sales copy during a non-event-based launch, you would be much, much poorer for it.

However, if you follow an event-based roll-out for your project, it becomes literally IMPOSSIBLE for you to forget about them. Even if you do the launch BADLY, you still have all these powerful marketing triggers working for you anyway.

Scarcity is already heavily implied when you are counting down to a specific date and time.

You automatically get the benefit of repeat messaging because you don’t have to make excuses to mail your list. No more wracking your brain to think of ways to remind them that you have a product for sale. The build-up to the event is all the reason you need.

Psychologists know that people show affinity for groups they participate in. By doing an event-based launch, you’re getting participation in advance (with all the blog commenting and survey feedback and whatnot). Not only that, you’re INVITING them to “participate” in your launch by buying your product on launch day. Invitations are another powerful marketing trigger, too.

See, when you use Jeff’s “Product Launch Formula” your product becomes an EVENT. Event marketing is superior to product marketing, even at the simplest test. Ask yourself, which is more likely to be sold:

A. The new band logo t-shirt for sale at a music store

B. The new band logo t-shirt for sale at their live concert event

You already know the answer.

See, my problem with Jeff’s “Product Launch Formula” is just in the name. It’s not about product launches at all. He should have called it “Event Launch Formula” or something.

Jeff even admits that he’s not the best at naming things in Part 1 of his “Blueprint” video – he blames John Reese for that title. Maybe I should pick on Reese next time.

That’s it for today. I need to go do some prepping for the next StomperNet LIVE Event in two weeks. An Event… huh, fancy that.

Keep Stomping,
~Andy Jenkins

P.S. Be sure you opt-in on Jeff’s video page to watch Part 2 of the “Blueprint” video as well as Part 1. Tomorrow I’m going to talk about some of the stuff in that video. We’re going to also discuss how focusing our marketing on an EVENT rather than a product led to us selling out Amazon’s stock of an indie horror film DVD in 36 minutes. This stuff works everywhere, people. Not just in IM. (But it totally does NOT work for “Product” Launches!)

Stompernet Blog