Archive for Technology
Selling ebooks & reports
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Selling reports & eBooks is easy with e-Junkie
I have written a number of reports that I sell online - many you will have seen as Friday Five reports. I have recently had a number of people ask how I sell them online.
A friend recommended a service to me called e-Junkie. It starts at only $5 US a month, and for most of us, if we sell a couple of reports we have made our money back.
You can set whether you want to accept payment in US or AU dollars, the amount, even the quantity. You can upload your report or eBook as a PDF and then add the code to your website. Customers then buy your eBook or report using PayPal and they can download the report instantly. You can also set discount codes, so you can reward customers by offering a discount, or as a promotion. There is also the option to create affiliate links so others can sell your products for you.
I have found e-Junkie very easy to use and I recommend it to anyone who asks me about selling eBooks & reports. Click on the button below to sign up - they even have a 1 week free trial so you can have a play before you commit.
Marketing Monday - Directory listings - add a logo
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In my surfing, I visit a lot of online directories, including my own and am constantly amazed at the number of listings where businesses have the opportunity to add a logo or image, but don’t.
I know there are some businesses out there that don’t have a logo. If that is you, you could add another image to represent your business, like Cyber Coffee does, or even a screenshot of your website, like Direct Publications has. You could even add a photograph of yourself, like Business Solutions & Services does.
Adding an image to your listing helps the visitor to connect with your business, often bringing an emotional response and increasing the likelihood of them clicking to view your listing, then going further. It also shows that you’ve taken the time to set up your advertising and care about the image your business presents to the world.
It can often be hard to keep up with all the directory listings you’ve created on the web. However, if you add your logo or an image when you first set up your listing, you won’t need to worry too much about it, unless you are re-branding.
If you are having issues adding your logo or image, contact the owner of the directory and let them know. They may have some tips to help it work (for example your image may be the wrong size or format) or they may be able to upload the image for you.
Logos and images can make a huge difference with directory listings. If you aren’t sure which image to include, then test and measure by changing your images from time to time and seeing what the response is.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------- For your daily dose of business mums websites and blogs, check out Business Mums DailyErrors - making fun?
Posted by: | CommentsTechnology - gotta love it when it works, but it doesn’t always do what you want it to.
Recently I was reading the EP Designs blog, and came across a recent post called “Excuse Me While I Change“. In it, Elena makes a joke about her “techno accidentals” that resulted in her normal template disappearing and requiring her to update the look of her blog before she was ready.
The thing I loved about this post was how Elena made light of the situation while explaining it to her readers.
When something gets “broken” on your website or blog, how do you handle it? Do you stress about it or make light of it so people can laugh with you?
----------------------------------------------------------------------------- For your daily dose of business mums websites and blogs, check out Business Mums DailyCheck your links and update your site
Posted by: | CommentsThis may seem like an obvious tip for your website, however it’s something that you should do regularly. On the weekend, I did a google search for my name, looking for places people had published my free reprint articles (some are on some pretty good sites). I came across some references to a business I started around 10 years ago with a friend. We had listed on a number of websites that offered free directory listings - and the listings are still there! The information is over 9 years old.
Quite apart from the fact that the business is out of date and I no longer have access to the email address I used to register so I can get my password, these sites haven’t kept their details up to date and look out dated.
If you have a directory on your site that offers free listings, set a renewal date for the listing so you can make sure the sites listed still exist. If you don’t have a renewal date, go through the free listings regularly to make sure they still exist. This is a job you could give to a teenager as they will need to sit on the computer and click on links to check that a site still exists. This will keep your site up to date.
Another advantage of having your directory up to date is your visitors will come to trust that the listings on your site are all active and that they will be able to find what they are looking for.
As well as going through the information regularly, include a form or email address and instructions for your visitors so they can let you know of any sites that are no longer active.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------- For your daily dose of business mums websites and blogs, check out Business Mums DailyHobby to Business - Automate “stuff”
Posted by: | CommentsAs you are reading this, I am on holiday (well not technically a holiday, more just a break from work). I have scheduled this post to appear the Wednesday after Christmas so you can still read my wisdom.
One of the things I learned the hard way is not to do everything yourself. The beauty of the Internet and technology is that there are many things that can be automated. Scheduling blog posts is one of them. The message that appeared on Christmas day and this post are a couple of examples I have used. I also schedule posts when I get inspired to write something. This way there aren’t 5 posts on one day, then nothing for 2 weeks.
Another example of how I automate things is with the sale of reports and ebooks. I’ve signed up to a great service called e-Junkie that handles the purchase and delivery of the ebooks. The first I know about a sale is when I receive the money in my PayPal account. The beauty of this is that even when I’m not around, people still get their orders.
There are many other ways you can automate “stuff” in your business, these are just two examples. Automation takes away a lot of pressure to be at your computer 24/7 and your customers still get their products or information.
What are some ways you’ve automated “stuff” in your business?
Hobby to Business - review your suppliers
Posted by: | CommentsFor the last 2 years, we have had a very slow Internet that was expensive. I spent most of the day yesterday looking for a new broadband provider. Anything would be better than what we were on. I found one and we are changing over as soon as we can. It will save time and money.
One of the things you should do when moving your hobby to a business is look at your suppliers and make sure they are saving you, not costing you money. Shop around and find the best deals - in many cases, this is not for your stock, rather the other support products and services you use in your business, such as the Internet connection you use.
Remember, though, that price isn’t everything. If you find you are with a cheaper web host, for example, and find your shopping cart doesn’t work all the time, costing you clients, then it may be time to upgrade to a more reliable, though possibly more expensive web host.
Other things to look at are things like your mobile phone, postage and delivery of your products, packaging, post office box, and travel costs. By reviewing these things, you may be able to find a better alternative that will help your business grow.
Marketing Monday - Facebook Fanpages
Posted by: | CommentsFacebook - it’s part of the social networking revolution and can be a powerful tool for your business. One of the best ways to promote your business is with a Facebook Fanpage. If you have multiple businesses, you can have a fanpage for all of them.
To set up a fanpage, after you log in, find a fanpage and scroll down until you find the “Create a Page for My Business” option. Click on this and follow the prompts. Don’t forget to press “Publish” at the end. Once your page has been created, you can then promote it to your friends and start getting fans for your business.
You can view the Business Mums Network fanpage here.
Once you get 100 fans, you can get a username for your page so the URL is http://www.facebook.com/BusinessMumsNetwork rather than the long one Facebook gives it.
Now that you have your fanpage, you then need to work out what to do with it. Different businesses do different things with their pages. One of the biggest challenges is turning fans into customers. I have seen people do any or all of the following:
- Facebook Fan special deals
- Competitions & draws when facebook fans buy from them or join their database
- Prize draws for fans to reward them for signing up as a fan
- Promoting events with event invitation
- Spot the fan by posting photos from events
Other uses for your fanpage can be to promote new and upcoming products, posting reviews, encouraging feedback from fans with surveys, and much more.
One more tip before I go - remember to include your business URL and any other contact details so your Facebook Fans can contact you.
What are some of your best tips for your Facebook Fanpage?
Hobby to Business - Website
Posted by: | CommentsOne of the first things you need to do is get a professional looking website. Perception is everything, especially if you are in a saturated market and want to stand out from the crowd. A good web developer will be able to create a professional website without losing what it is that makes your business special. They will talk with you about what you want to achieve and what you want your site to look like.
If you are selling on ebay, you may want to open an online shop. If this is not in your budget, then create a professional looking web page that links through to your ebay shop. Even if you open an online shop, you may want to continue selling on ebay.
Think about what you want on your site and how you want it to look. What is it about your business that sets you apart from your competition, and communicate that to your web developer so they can incorporate that into your design.
To help you with your website, here are some business mums who design and develop websites who may be able to help you:
These are all Gold members of the Business Mums Network and will be able to help you with a fantastic website.
Marketing Monday - Before & After Shots
Posted by: | CommentsIf you create something, displaying before and after photos on your site are a great way to show potential clients what you can do.
Elena from EP Designs does this really well. Elena recreates old treasures. On her site, she has a page of before and after photos. These clearly show potential clients how she gives new life to old treasures.
Bernadette from The Needlework Boutique does this too. Checking out her blog, you will see progress photos of various products she’s working on, along with links to where you can purchase that design and the fabric and thread to go with it.
By showing before and after photos of your work, you will entice potential clients to buy from you as well as show them your work processes.
Marketing Monday - Twitter Tips
Posted by: | CommentsI’ve only been on Twitter for a short time - if you’re there too, you can follow me on www.twitter.com/MissieK
Here are some tips I’ve learned from my time on Twitter:
- Fill in your profile, including where you are. I like to follow people in Australia and also people who have interesting sites. I’ve already found I’ve had traffic from my link in my profile.
- Don’t just post your URL or promotions for your business. These posts are boring to read and are likely to get people removing you from their follow list.
- Post a mix of business and personal. This helps people get to know you. The personal ones don’t need to be too personal, just share a little bit of your day.
- Reply to other people’s posts. This will help you build a relationship with them, as well as the other people you are following.
- Retweet interesting posts. Again, this helps you build a relationship, especially when the things you retweet are relevant to your target followers. People appreciate the retweet and will do the same for you.
These are just a few things I’ve picked up. There are many more tips on the Internet if you go looking.
Happy tweeting!
