Ever Advertised an Online "Ebook" in the Offline World?

[acrasial]

I am wondering how many of you have tried advertising websites which sell ebooks, offline; and also what methods you have used to do this?

I am also wondering if anyone has advertised specific ebooks themselves in the offline world, and how you got the books to your customers?

[Keith Boisvert]

Originally Posted by acrasial

I am wondering how many of you have tried advertising websites which sell ebooks, offline; and also what methods you have used to do this?

I am also wondering if anyone has advertised specific ebooks themselves in the offline world, and how you got the books to your customers?

I dabbled with cpa offers, and some ebooks on weight loss, debt reduction and anything that has to do with working from home(mom related).

I had these type of offers on a local classified site I put up. Did ok, but nothing to write home about, but to be honest I didn't push it too much.

keith

[radhika]

I saw a guy posting ads about an ebook in our local papers. (He is an affiliate of the ebook seller who lives in Florida.) But not sure how many local people responds to this type of ad. (But I bought it though.)

.

[acrasial]

I'm not really thinking about advertising in papers or flyers, but rather making the book into a physical one, or having more authentic means to advertise the website selling the ebooks itself.

Imagine having your website on the side of a bus for instance... and for a very HOT niche, which has desperate buyers.

The niche I have in mind already has exploded in the online world because of so many desperate people, and in real life they would have to spend at least $200+ up to even 10,000$ to get this kind of thing if they weren't to know about this ebook.

But not everyone is aware as they live in the offline world, which is why I am talking grand scale marketing in the offline world, like big companies do?

I am not satisfied with flyers and newspapers, as someone in my family mentioned that with flyers most people would do as she did, just throw them away, which may be true.

But I asked her, what if someone did see it, and at least there were a few sales from it, which obviously wouldn't be made if the flyers weren't sent out... but I am really looking for some of the most EFFECTIVE ways to market this sort of a thing offline.

I also am aware that there are companies which can produce e-books into physical books and related. But imagine also offering this book in an audio format or CD, and I believe tony Robbins has done that with his program, however I am not sure how he does his offline advertising either.

[kf]

This can work very well but I would recommend a more targetted approach than a spray gun approach. Instead of a large ad buy for a bus ad, find where your market hangs out and start testing in that market with lower-cost classified ads. If that works out, bump to larger ads.

With the smaller ads, you can drive the traffic to a website or have them send an envelope for more information. It all depends on the price point, whether you'll sell them on that first contact. But if you get their contact info, you can keep trying to sell them ... same list-building concept, different medium.

Have a look at Bob Bly's books or anyone else who writes on direct mail for some great ways to test your marketing using offline advertising.

[killercopy]

I have used offline promotion of an ebook with good success, albeit Guerilla Marketing. My ebook helped a certain group of people pass the second phase of their employment test. I printed information on regular sized business cards and had them distributed at primary testing locations. In my case, it was very targeted and I think that's key in the offline world as it is in the online world.

[DogScout]

If you extend credit (with a PP address or CC) and report a business purchase with 30 day terms to D&B, you can sell all at e-books you want to local businesses that are trying to build credit at up to $80 each, though I recommend selling them between $20 and $40 with resell rights so it the sale can actually help him. Most doing that now just sell crap.

That sale is even easier in these times when banks won't lend. The sale is the credit reporting, the customer really doesn't care what he buys, he won't read it. He is only buying it to get business credit reported. If he is just starting out, 3-5 trade lines of $80 or more is all he needs, you can be one of the 3-5 if you contact D&B and figure how to report credit to them.

You can have higher priced stuff when in 2-3 months he needs to borrow a little more. As with anything building commercial credit starts with small stuff and builds. If you figure out how to report to D&B, his next purchase could be something he can use more, like a website or SEO package. (That would be a way to get paid a couple hundred for a $39-49 back-link WSO or a 1-2 hundred article market package.

I've got to research the reporting procedure with-in the next month, so if I get it, I'll share it on the boards if you haven't figured it out by them.