6 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}
6 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}

Ebook site: which parts am I missing?

by Dapplecreek
5 replies
Background
Not having found the millionaire button yet, I am final-editing one ebook and am writing another. I am setting up my own websites to sell them.

Initial Promotion
My wife and I are active on several large forums and they know I am working on an ebook and have expressed interest. We'll publicize my site on these forums for starters. [Edit: thanks to first couple of replies, let me add that I have a gob of ideas for other ways to get traffic - I know I need to diversify and invest continuing effort - this is just for starters]

Domain and Hosting
I have a domain and hosting, and am doing my own coding and database work (that's my day job) and photomanipulation for the cover art.

Home Page = Squeeze Page (for list building)
The home page of my site is a simple squeeze page asking for email address only in exchange for a free weekly newsletter. I'm taking seriously the advice I've seen here to start early on my list! I will place a cookie on the visitor's computer if there's an affiliate who sent them there. I will refrain from saying "I won't give out your email address ever", since I may wish to - gently - in the future.

Exit Popup if they don't sign up for newsletter
If a visitor leaves without giving me an email address, I've lost 'em anyway and have little to lose by having one of those moderately annoying "Wait - sure you want to close this window?" popups. I don't have it coded yet, but plan to offer something extra or a reduced price, perhaps.

Thank-You Page = Sales Page (for eBook itself)
The thank-you-for-your-email page has code on it to track the split-testing of various squeeze pages. It thanks the visitor and then (as one scrolls down) it shows my nice cover art and acts as a sales page. Buy now and you can have IMMEDIATE ACCESS to ALL of my wonderful information (which would otherwise be dribbled via autoresponder over months) for under five bucks!

Review Copies
I'm giving away the first 50 copies free in exchange for reviews. I pulled that number out of thin air: would you suggest a different number?

Payment and Downloading
I have a PayPal 'buy now' button in place. Once they order, I'll have a mechanism (hopefully) to prevent unpaid-for copies being downloaded (tips, anyone? Note: I'm doing my own code).

Affiliate Program
I will offer affiliate sales which will route every other sale to the affiliate's PayPal account (assuming 50% split; you get the idea). The nice trick about this is that all payments are automatic and immediate for the affiliate. I'll also allow the purchaser to promote the ebook to his pal at the same deal, so he can get his dough back.

Autoresponder = relationship and repeated pitches
I'll use a series of autoresponder messages to send a few paragraphs of the book in sequence each week, and to establish relationship and credibility. I'll also include various pitches to buy the full book every so often. I'll have a 'stop sending me these' link at the bottom of each message.

Broadcast Messages or Blog?
I'll also broadcast a summary of the new stuff I've learned (I plan to work towards becoming an expert in the field), or I'll build a blog - not sure which. If I add a blog I'll monetize that with ads of one variety or another.

Related Products / Affiliate Links
I'll add related products and affiliate links as I find 'em.

Launches / JV
Once it is clear that I have a system which converts moderately well, I'll find JV folks to help spread the word.

I *know* I'm missing:
  • The part which ensures no-download-unless-you've-paid;
  • Time-limited offer (maybe offer a discount off what I usually will charge?)
  • One-Time-Offer(s) - only have one product per site at this point; and
  • Bonuses like crazy - maybe PLR stuff? Again, I only have one product per site thus far.
What else am I missing? And what am I wrong about, above? (Well, other than doing it myself - hey, I can only afford ME at this point.)
#ebook #missing #overview #parts #site
  • Profile picture of the author jamesrich1
    Maybe just add in a additional traffic generation strategy. If you can do paid start with solo ads.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6051825].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Alex Guzman
    It sounds good, this is classic Internet Marketing, I would also suggest getting an additional traffic strategy as well. You can not rely too heavily on one strategy. Businesses fail when they only use one strategy.

    It really does sound good, just keep up the promotions and keep building your list... This is one of the most Important things that you should be doing...


    Keep up the good work...

    Cheers,

    Alex
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6051869].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Dapplecreek
    Thanks, folks... hoping for a few more comments (but will let this fade away after this try)
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6057383].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author CDarklock
    Originally Posted by Dapplecreek View Post

    If a visitor leaves without giving me an email address, I've lost 'em anyway
    Wrong. I quite frequently bookmark and close sales pages when I want to look at them more closely, just not right now.

    I don't have it coded yet, but plan to reward disloyalty.
    Fixed that for you

    I'm giving away the first 50 copies free in exchange for reviews. I pulled that number out of thin air: would you suggest a different number?
    It seems high to me. A first product is often lucky to get 50 customers at all, and it really does make it look like your product is crap when someone comes to your site several days after you announce the release... and there are still review copies.

    Here's an idea - time-limit your review copies. "For one hour, anyone who promises to write me a review can have a free copy of the book!"

    Then nobody knows how many copies you gave out. You don't want to be dishonest, but you don't want to give people information they don't understand, either. People are idiots. They think all sorts of things mean stuff they don't mean.

    I have a PayPal 'buy now' button in place. Once they order, I'll have a mechanism (hopefully) to prevent unpaid-for copies being downloaded (tips, anyone? Note: I'm doing my own code).
    You could also stop writing that code and put your book on E-Junkie for $5 a month. And I don't know about you, but I charge more for half an hour of writing code than it costs for a year of E-Junkie.

    I will offer affiliate sales which will route every other sale to the affiliate's PayPal account (assuming 50% split; you get the idea).
    Okay, E-Junkie doesn't do instant rotating PayPal commissions. MooshPay does. JVZoo and DigiResults offer adaptive payments, which I'm personally more fond of than rotating. And BIG Mike is about to fire up Digibilly in the next few days, if you can get into his beta group.

    I just don't see any good reason for reinventing the wheel here. Among other things, you don't really know what you're doing, and affiliate programs are not trivial projects.

    The part which ensures no-download-unless-you've-paid;
    All of the systems mentioned above except Mooshpay (the only rotating-commission option) would handle this for you.

    Rule #1 of any successful business: never do something yourself that someone else will do for $5 an hour. You will have more money. But you don't get more time, ever. Guard it jealously and refuse to waste it.
    Signature
    "The Golden Town is the Golden Town no longer. They have sold their pillars for brass and their temples for money, they have made coins out of their golden doors. It is become a dark town full of trouble, there is no ease in its streets, beauty has left it and the old songs are gone." - Lord Dunsany, The Messengers
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6057655].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Dapplecreek
      Originally Posted by CDarklock View Post

      ...Rule #1 of any successful business: never do something yourself that someone else will do for $5 an hour. You will have more money. But you don't get more time, ever. Guard it jealously and refuse to waste it.
      Dear Mr. Darklock,

      Thanks so much for your refreshingly specific and well-supported advice, and particularly your remarks about getting more money vs more time. It's interesting to me how I see many folks posting specifics illustrating what you said, but I've rarely seen the summary, almost philosophical, analysis you gave.

      On another thread recently I was intrigued to see the back-and-forth regarding answers the OP might accept or not accept: the fellow asked for "good answers" but appeared to be evaluating them based on preconceived notions - again your remarks took the philosophical direction.

      Here, my preconceived notion is that I would be wise to do absolutely everything myself so as to save family money. This idea is certainly well received by my dear wife and chief financial adviser. And it makes good sense on the surface - after all, I do have a day job which feeds us and I can build slowly if I wish. But I need to be cautious about nixing good answers because it doesn't match my biases; I wouldn't want to immediately label them lies in jest...

      I do hear what you're saying and will chew on your words very, very carefully. And I'll probably do that while I let E-Junkie do the heavy lifting.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6059361].message }}

Trending Topics