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Question from a Newbie!

by Joe Hubbard
5 replies
Hi All

I am new here and only three months into my interest with direct marketing. I am an American and been living in the UK since 1981. I run my own self defence company over here and decided to take a chance with Dan Kennedy's No BS News Letter. I have read eight books on direct marketing in the last 3-months including Yanick's Moonlighting on the Internet just trying to soak up as much as possible.

I have been testing out as many things as possible promoting my teacher's (who is from the USA) upcoming Knife Defence seminar in London. He is a very well known guy, but for some reason everytime I have promoted him in the UK, I haven't been very successful. So far, many of the techniques I have used are working far better than before. The seminar is now 28 days away an I have 21 people who have booked and paid in full. My goal, to pay my teacher's fee and expenses plus making a profit for myself is to get 30 people in total. I did an early bird offer with a group of 5-free bonuses and implemented a deadline. Now that the deadline is up, I have upped the price, added an additional bonus and set a new deadline for next Friday. The trouble is that everythng has seemed to dried up a bit. The other damn shame is that I only have 126 people on my mailing list and whenever I send out a newsletter/info e-mail only about 18% open the thing.

I am hitting that list with a newsletter about 2 times per week and although I am advertising the seminar, I am starting the newsletter out with informative content to do with defending yourself against a knife. I have started a Youtube channel where I am making small vids advertising myself and the upcoming seminar. I am using my blog as my landing page for the seminar as my webpage is fairly useless in that it is an over glorified business card (mistake I made last year).

Basically, I am looking for some input of how I can increase my response with the resources that I have. I am way too late for any offline tactics, so I am pretty much down to what I have been using with my blog, self defence forums, my e-list and my Youtube channel.

Anyone willing to help out a newbie?

I saw a thread here, but I can't find it anymore about where to submit your video clips. It was one-stop place that would ferry your videos everywhere on the net. Would someone direct me there?

Thanks so much for taking the time to read this!!!

Kind regards

Joe
#newbie #question
  • Profile picture of the author Wilde
    I am from the UK and to me your seminar comes at the right time.

    With all the news and media coverage of knife crime that there has been lately especially around the larger cities and urban sprawl areas of which London is one of the worst.

    To me you need to piggy back off these already alarming news stories.

    Press releases to all the major news sites around the Internet.
    PPC ads but be careful when using them, cost wise.
    Setup your site so it can take info from people that would be interested in doing the course but in different areas. Then you will have a list ready so you can maybe do more in other areas.
    Use the statistics in your headline and use that as the selling point.

    There are more but they will hopefully give you some pointers.

    Cheers
    -Phil
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  • Profile picture of the author Joe Hubbard
    Hi Phil

    Thanks for the advice. I hadn't thought of sending out those press releases to the news sites on the internet. I have been using the knife crime info in my headlines quoting stats from the British Crime Survey.

    Any idea of that online site where I can submit my videos and they automatically send it out to loads of sites?

    Thanks for you time!

    Best

    Joe
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    • Profile picture of the author Wilde
      Sorry but I don't.

      It might be worth asking around on the forums or other forums for someone to do it for you using there copy of traffic geyser. Go get the week trial of SENUKE watch the vids and use that on the web 2 sites, it also posts videos.

      You say it is too late for offline. Is your domain short?

      If so get some flyers done, business cards. Put them in offline places where your target market goes hair dressers, Doctors surgery, slip them in with the magazines Dentist there's load more.
      Get a fancy car with a magnetic sign on the side.
      Maybe get intouch with the local Police or other authorities.

      It won't take long to get this stuff printed and doesn't cost a lot, many will do it while you wait. It works and is very powerful. Maybe some local interest story in the press, free publicity. Contact the charity that deals with victims of crime can't remember what it's called offer to pay for someone's entry get the press involved. Maybe give a discount for people who have suffered from crime. Seek out blogs that are posting about it and leave comments.

      You'll get the numbers you need. But also build a list on your blog so you can mail them out again when you have another event.

      Even though we are in a digital age don't just rely on online marketing....
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  • Profile picture of the author Joe Hubbard
    Thanks fella! Some really useful stuff you have posted!

    Cheers

    Joe
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  • Profile picture of the author Wilde
    No Problem... Hope it all works out for you.

    Don't leave it to the last minute next time

    Keep a record of contact information for those that helped out this time. Offer to help them out, also contacts in the local media etc..

    Cheers
    Phil
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