e-book or e-course

[geoffcruz]

Hi guys i am trying to figure out what is the best opt in bribe i can give to get subscribers, a one time ebook or an e-course like a series of emails that provide info. Basically i will just cut up the ebook. This is in the health niche.

Will wait for your thoughts guys. Thanks

[Kevin Regier]

My thought is to give them an e-course so it keeps the info trickling to them, i.e. I think the would feel like they are getting more. I think you will score points for repetition too. People will see your name more and get used to emails from you. Get comfortable with your email and your product types that way. Just my opinion of the night. I also go back and forth on this subject but right now I say e-course.

[geoffcruz]

thanks Kevin, i am also torn about what to give

[barbling]

It depends.

Will you encourage the ebook to be shared around? If so, add lots of affiliate links to it so those get broadcasted as well.

Do you want to brand yourself instead? Try the 7 day free ecourse route - it certainly does get your name known by the recipient.

You can also offered paid eclasses as well.

Hope this helps!

[geoffcruz]

well if i go with the ebook route i will put a couple of affiliate links but not a lot, iplan to send the subscribers different offers from time to time. I just want to provide value first.

[mikeyman120]

I give a free ebook and tell them I will also sign them up for my ecourse at the same time.

Mike

[WritingMadwoman]

Originally Posted by mikeyman120

I give a free ebook and tell them I will also sign them up for my ecourse at the same time.

Mike

Yes, you can do both! I do this too. Download the free ebook immediately, then get 7 or more days of follow up messages. People like it as long as it's good quality information you're sending.

Wendy

[geoffcruz]

Mike,

But if you were to just choose one ebook or ecourse? based on your experience where do you get more sales, in your ebook or ecourse?

[mikeyman120]

Originally Posted by geoffcruz

Mike,

But if you were to just choose one ebook or ecourse? based on your experience where do you get more sales, in your ebook or ecourse?

I do give them ebooks with links in them but from my experience I make more through the email marketing to them for other products than from them buying from my links in the ebook.

Mike

[geoffcruz]

I guess it will also depend on the market if the subscribers would like to get an immediate answer or if they can wait for it? If its a health niche, do you think ecourse will be more profitable?

[acedalright]

Ecourses work to keep'em interested (so long as you're interesting) and prolong the sales time.

If you can mange that route, go for it, but be interesting

[geoffcruz]

hmm be interesting, nice advice thanks

[alpha249]

Id go with an ebook myself.

[CDawson]

Write a quality content E-Course and then at the end refer your subscribers to usefull products in the niche, the more quality content you give your subscirbers the more respect you will get.

[swiminsoda]

I would use the same info and create 2 pages: 1 for option subscribers to receiving email series, the other to sign up for free ebook. So you serve both sides of interest.

[geoffcruz]

create two opt in page? one for the ebook and one for the ecourse? will that be redundant?

[geoffcruz]

Originally Posted by CDawson

Write a quality content E-Course and then at the end refer your subscribers to usefull products in the niche, the more quality content you give your subscirbers the more respect you will get.

How long will the ecourse be? 5days or 7 days?

[Vikuna2009+]

Hi,

my thinking is, sign them up for a 7 day e-course first. What that would do is to get them bite-size portions on a regular basis. Maybe even space the delivery out to every third day so that nobody feels bombarded and instead they will anticipate getting another part.

Doesn't matter, even if you are super-interested in a subject, life happens. From my experience, if I start drowning in emails that I have not have time to open and read, I just hit delete to get rid of the feeling of being over-whelmed.

So, now you are sending out a course, spread three days apart, for a total of seven chapters. During those twentyone days, people would get to know you and realize that you are giving them space enough to go on with your regular life.

At the end of the course, thank them for "training" with you and announce that you will be sending them an ebook as well. By now, they are in to the subject and wants MORE.

If you send the book first, it might be too over-whelming, they store it on their hard-drive to read "later" which never comes (been there, done that, still do, lol).

Hope that helps, Eva

[Sandor Verebi]

Originally Posted by geoffcruz

How long will the ecourse be? 5days or 7 days?

Hi Geoff,

It depends on your niche, sensitivenesss of your audience, but mostly how much interesting information do you have, and how do you want to present that to them.

If I were you, I would go for the 7 days route because of a much appearance. Each day you can refer to them a quality product. Perhaps you know that customers don't buy at first attempt. You are able to succed with maintaining their interest anyway.

What concens to swimminsoda's advice I would try it.

Many successes,

Sandor
__________
“Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.”G.B.Shaw

[geoffcruz]

Eva

so along the ecourse i can pitch affiliate products? or do i wait till the end of the course?

[Sandor Verebi]

Originally Posted by geoffcruz

Eva

so along the ecourse i can pitch affiliate products? or do i wait till the end of the course?

Geoff,

If you have good relationship between you and your audience then you don't need to wait till the end.

Anyway see above.

All the best,

Sandor
_________
“Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.”G.B.Shaw

[GlennSojourner]

geoff,
What you are trying to create is a sales funnel. Test them both and see which one get the best sign up. Your marketing should be about testing and finding out what works best. Get the name and email first. DO NOT LOAD DOWN YOUR FIRST OFFERING WITH AFFILIATE LINKS! People like to buy but they hate to be sold to. Your first goal should be to get them in your autoresponder.

Glenn

[Sandor Verebi]

Originally Posted by Vikuna2009+

Hi,

my thinking is, sign them up for a 7 day e-course first. What that would do is to get them bite-size portions on a regular basis. Maybe even space the delivery out to every third day so that nobody feels bombarded and instead they will anticipate getting another part.

Doesn't matter, even if you are super-interested in a subject, life happens. From my experience, if I start drowning in emails that I have not have time to open and read, I just hit delete to get rid of the feeling of being over-whelmed.

So, now you are sending out a course, spread three days apart, for a total of seven chapters. During those twentyone days, people would get to know you and realize that you are giving them space enough to go on with your regular life.

At the end of the course, thank them for "training" with you and announce that you will be sending them an ebook as well. By now, they are in to the subject and wants MORE.

If you send the book first, it might be too over-whelming, they store it on their hard-drive to read "later" which never comes (been there, done that, still do, lol).

Hope that helps, Eva

Hi Eva,

Sorry, I don't want to hijack your post. I just gave a rapid answer to Geoff. I agree on your advices anyway.

Have a nice day,

Sandor
__________
"Problems are not stop signs, they are guidelines."Robert Schuller

[swiminsoda]

Originally Posted by geoffcruz

create two opt in page? one for the ebook and one for the ecourse? will that be redundant?

Well, there is a creator of a 5 star product on WF who does just that. 2 pages will double your chances of opt ins. Not redundant at all if you are targeting 2 sets of audiences.

Originally Posted by geoffcruz

How long will the ecourse be? 5days or 7 days?

Check out the most similar product that you have subscribed by email (am sure you would have a few) and see how many emails they have sent you from subscribing through 1 opt-in box. In general 7 min, 14 good. 21 tops.

[Vikuna2009+]

Originally Posted by geoffcruz

Eva

so along the ecourse i can pitch affiliate products? or do i wait till the end of the course?

If it were me, I'd send out at least 3-4 chapters before I started pitching anything and once I did, keep it low profile just to test the waters.

Kind of like, oh, by the way...

[luckystepho]

If I was a buyer I think I would feel that a free 'course' has more perceived value than a free 'book'.

I think the idea of sending them out every three days so as not to cause a feeling of being overwhelmed is a good one, and can also keep you in your customer's mind for a few weeks- hopefully building up trust.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do!

[FriendlyRob]

I like the e-course and I'll tell you why. That way, your prospect are preparing to hear from you. If you first few lessons are good enough, then they will even be looking forward to hear from you. A list of prospect who look forward to your emails is the best commodity a marketer could possibly have.

Nothing wrong with the ebook however, I'm just thinking about prospect loyalty and trust.

[Kevin-VirtualProfitCenter]

Think about the purpose of each step along the way...

With the initial (free) offer, what is/are my goal(s)?

Is the initial goal just to get the email? Then the key is to offer something so compelling they will immediately give you their email without hesitation.

After you get their email (whether you have done a course or an ebook), what's your next goal for them? Is it to get them to buy your product? An affiliate product?

People are lazy. Very few of them will ever read your free ebook. A few more may read your course emails, but still it will be a small number that act upon those emails.

So, you want to make it as easy as possible for them to take the next step along the way. Make it easy to sign up. Make it easy to buy.

If an eBook never gets opened, the links never get clicked. In practice you have many more opportunities with a free course than with a single eBook, but in either case you have their email address and can email them as often as you like and is profitable for you.


So use the most compelling incentive to get them on your list, then no matter what you used initially, give them via email lots of opportunities to click and buy from you.

[geoffcruz]

Glenn

Yes i am trying to create a sales funnel of different affiliate products, you are right i need to test everything

thanks

Originally Posted by GlennSojourner

geoff,
What you are trying to create is a sales funnel. Test them both and see which one get the best sign up. Your marketing should be about testing and finding out what works best. Get the name and email first. DO NOT LOAD DOWN YOUR FIRST OFFERING WITH AFFILIATE LINKS! People like to buy but they hate to be sold to. Your first goal should be to get them in your autoresponder.

Glenn

[geoffcruz]

Luckystepho

Well i am gonna try to send the course every second day so that they have time to try it out. 3 days seems to be too long, but i still need to test it

Thanks

Originally Posted by luckystepho

If I was a buyer I think I would feel that a free 'course' has more perceived value than a free 'book'.

I think the idea of sending them out every three days so as not to cause a feeling of being overwhelmed is a good one, and can also keep you in your customer's mind for a few weeks- hopefully building up trust.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do!

[geoffcruz]

Kevin

Thanks for the tip, i really like the 'think of my goal' thing. I am just starting to build a list and i need to get my feet wet so setting goals is nice.

Originally Posted by Kevin-VirtualProfitCenter

Think about the purpose of each step along the way...

With the initial (free) offer, what is/are my goal(s)?

Is the initial goal just to get the email? Then the key is to offer something so compelling they will immediately give you their email without hesitation.

After you get their email (whether you have done a course or an ebook), what's your next goal for them? Is it to get them to buy your product? An affiliate product?

People are lazy. Very few of them will ever read your free ebook. A few more may read your course emails, but still it will be a small number that act upon those emails.

So, you want to make it as easy as possible for them to take the next step along the way. Make it easy to sign up. Make it easy to buy.

If an eBook never gets opened, the links never get clicked. In practice you have many more opportunities with a free course than with a single eBook, but in either case you have their email address and can email them as often as you like and is profitable for you.


So use the most compelling incentive to get them on your list, then no matter what you used initially, give them via email lots of opportunities to click and buy from you.