Amanda Hocking turned to self-publishing when the traditional route of finding an agent and a publisher just didn’t work.  She began selling digital downloads of her books at places like Amazon.com and Barnesandnoble.com.

What about marketing?  In an interview done by The Huffington Post Amanda states:

When I first published, I did do a bit of promoting on the Amazon forums, but they’re not really open to that, so I haven’t really interacted there much at all in months. I hang out Goodreads, Kindleboards, Facebook, Twitter, and I blog.

This has been very lucrative for Amanda.

Most of her sales have been for eBooks that sell for a small amount, usually under three dollars.  However she’s sold hundreds of thousands of copies.  Hundreds of thousands of copies!

Yes folks, the times they are a-changin’.

Related Links:

• Authors catch fire with self-published e-books
• Meet Mega Bestselling Indie Heroine Amanda Hocking
• My Blood Approves by Amanda Hocking
• Switched (Trylle Trilogy, Book 1) by Amanda Hocking

• 11 Lessons I Learned Earning $119,725.45 from Amazon Associates Program
• 10 More Amazon Associate Program Lessons I Learned on My Way to Six Figure Earnings
• 10 Last Tips on Making Money from the Amazon Affiliates Program

Online entrepreneur Alexandria K. Brown publishes the award-winning ‘Highlights on Marketing & Success’ weekly ezine with 28,000+ subscribers. If you’re ready to jump-start your marketing, make more money, and have more fun in your small business, get your FREE tips now at www.AlexandriaBrown.com

****************

10 Keys to Copy That Sells!

by Alexandria Brown

Whether you’re selling a product or service, the 10 tips below are your keys to writing great copy that communicates and persuades … to get results! These guidelines can apply to Web copy, e-mail, sales letters, brochures, direct mail, and more. As long as your goal is to elicit a reaction from your reader, you’ve come to the right place.

1. Be reader-centered, not writer-centered.

Many ads, brochures, and Web sites talk endlessly on and on about how great their products and companies are. Hello? Customer, anyone? Think of your reader thinking, “What’s in it for me?” If you can, talk with some of your current customers and ask them 1) why they chose you, and 2) what they get out of your product or service. TIP: To instantly make your copy more reader-focused, insert the word “you” often.

2. Focus on the benefits — not just the features.

The fact that your product or service offers a lot of neat features is great, but what do they DO for your customer? Do they save her time or money? Give her peace of mind? Raise her image to a certain status? Here’s an example: If you go buy a pair of Gucci sunglasses, you’re not just looking for good UV protection. You’re buying the sleek, stylish Gucci look. So that’s what Gucci sells. You don’t see their ads talk about how well made their sunglasses are. Think about what your customers are REALLY looking for.

Now, what does an insurance broker sell? Policies?

Nope — peace of mind. (See? You’ve got it.)

3. Draw them in with a killer headline.

The first thing your reader sees can mean the difference between success and failure. Today’s ads are chock full of clever headlines that play on words. They’re cute, but most of them aren’t effective. There are many ways to get attention in a headline, but it’s safest to appeal to your reader’s interests and concerns. And again, remember to make it reader centered — no one gives a hoot about your company.

Bad: “SuccessCorp Creates Amazing New Financial Program”
Better: “Turn Your Finances Around in 30 Days!”

4. Use engaging subheads.

Like mini-headlines, subheads help readers quickly understand your main points by making the copy “skimmable.” Because subheads catch readers” eyes, you should use them to your benefit! Read through your copy for your main promotional points, then summarize the ideas as subheads. To make your subheads engaging, it’s important to include action or selling elements.

Bad: “Our Department’s Successes.”
Better: “Meet Five Clients Who Saved $10K With Us.”

5. Be conversational.

Write to your customers like you’d talk to them. Don’t be afraid of using conversational phrases such as “So what’s next?” or “Here’s how do we do this.” Avoid formality and use short, easy words. Why? Even if you think it can’t possibly be misunderstood, a few people will still be confused. Plus, being conversational helps prospects feel like they can trust you more.

6. Nix the jargon.

Avoid industry jargon and buzzwords — stick to the facts and the benefits. An easy way to weed out jargon is to think of dear old Mom reading your copy. Would she get it? If not, clarify and simplify. (This rule, of course, varies, depending on who your target audience is. For a business audience, you should upscale your words to what they’re used to. In some industries, buzzwords are crucial. Just make sure your points don’t get muddled in them!)

7. Keep it brief and digestible.

No one has time to weed through lengthy prose these days. The faster you convey your product or service’s benefits to the reader, the more likely you’ll keep her reading. Fire your “biggest gun” first by beginning with your biggest benefit — if you put it toward the end of your copy, you risk losing the reader before she gets to it. Aim for sentence lengths of less than 20 words. When possible, break up copy with subheads (see no. 4), bullets, numbers, or em dashes (like the one following this phrase) — these make your points easy to digest.

8. Use testimonials when possible.

Let your prospects know they won’t be the first to try you. Give results-oriented testimonials from customers who have benefited immensely from your product or service. Oh, and never give people’s initials only — it reminds me of those ads in the back of magazines with headlines like “Lose 5 Tons in 3 Days!” Give people’s full names with their titles and companies (or towns and states of residence) — and be sure to get their permission first.

9. Ask for the order!

Tell your reader what you want her to do — don’t leave her hanging. Do you want her to call you or e-mail you for more information? Order her copy now? Call to schedule a free consultation? Complete a brief survey? Think about what you’d most like her to do, and then ask her. It’s amazing how many marketing materials I come across every day that don’t make it clear what the reader should do. If you wrote interesting copy, your reader may forget you’re trying to sell something. Tell her what to do, and she’ll be more likely to do it.

10. Have your copy proofread!

Good. Now have it proofread again. Don’t risk printing any typos, misspellings, or grammatical mistakes that will represent your company as amateurs. Hire a professional editor or proofreader to clean up your work. Remember, you only get one chance to make a first impession! Oops — impression.

Here’s an article by Alexandria Brown that will help you get your marketing plan started.  Online entrepreneur Ali Brown publishes the award-winning ‘Highlights on Marketing & Success’ weekly ezine with 36,000+ subscribers. If you’re ready to jump-start your marketing, make more money, and have more fun in your small business, get your FREE tips now at www.AliBrown.com

****************

What’s In Your Marketing Funnel?
by Ali Brown

A past client of mine, whom I’ll call “Mary,” was a financial planner. She’d had a Web site for a few years that pretty much served as an online brochure for her. When Mary came to me, she was looking for other ways to generate income besides working directly with clients.

During our first conversation I introduced her to the MARKETING FUNNEL. If you picture a funnel, you know it’s wide and open at the top, and tiny and narrow at the bottom. At the top of the funnel is where you want to get as MANY prospects in as possible. At the bottom of the funnel is your HIGHEST PRICED service or product. And in the middle are in-between levels of services/products and prices.

So as you go down the funnel, the products are priced higher and higher, and the idea is to keep people flowing down from the top to the bottom.

First, Get Them IN the Funnel

Offering something FREE is the ideal way to get tons of people into your funnel. Most people collect prospects by giving away something free, such as a report, an e-zine, or a teleclass. When people sign up for these goodies, you get their names and e-mail addresses, allowing you to contact them again.

At the top of Mary’s funnel was her e-zine. And at the bottom were her pricey one-on-one services. But there was nothing in the middle of her funnel.

I see this often with many solo professionals, such as coaches and consultants. There’s either free or high-fee. This is the reason many of them have so much trouble converting prospects — people usually aren’t ready to make that big jump from $0 to several thousand dollars!

So I helped Mary brainstorm several information products (“info-products”) and other programs she could quickly create and begin to sell.

Info-Products Are a Great Solution

By packaging your knowledge into info-products, you give your prospects the chance to “sample” you at a lower price, filling the middle of your funnel. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

* Books
* E-Books
* Special Reports
* Manuals
* Workbooks
* Journals
* Audio (downloads, CDs, or cassettes)
* Video (downloads, DVDs, or VHS tapes)
* Home Study Courses or Tutorials (usually a mix of media)

Even better, selling these products on your Web site gives you passive income. That is, it’s money coming in automatically. It didn’t require your working X hours for Y dollars. Sales can come in 24/7, and you don’t even have to be there.

And don’t forget about teleclasses or teleseminars, delivered over the phone, or even Webinars, taught over the Internet. These require your direct involvement, but allow you to teach many people at once. These formats allow you to make much more money per hour, and they give your prospects access to you for a lower fee than hiring you one-on-one.

Let’s look at what Mary’s funnel could look like:

TOP OF FUNNEL:
Free e-zine

MIDDLE OF FUNNEL:
Workbook ($49)
Teleseminar ($79)
2-CD audio program ($97)
4-week tele-course ($249)

BOTTOM OF FUNNEL:
One-hour private consultations ($250)
2-day live workshop ($997)
Personal mentoring program ($3,000/mo.)

Take a few minutes right now and sketch out YOUR funnel. See where the holes are, and start thinking about what products you can add to make it easier for your prospects to sample your expertise and buy from you.