Some of that was inspired by a workshop from Rick Butts on how to use Twitter more effetively as a marketing tool. I encourage you to sign up for the workshop – it’s not expensive and it’s well done.

Now the reason I’m excited about this is because eBay took away our ability to quickly build lists earlier this year when they banned the sale of digital products. Prior to that, it was relatively simple to build a list of 1,000 people in a week with eBay.

So this topic particularly interests me – as I know it will you.

And in the spirit of truly over-delivering Jim is also including a free month of his excellent member site. I’ve belonged since he opened it more than two years ago and I never cease to be impressed with how much content he gives his members.

If you are considering setting up your own member site, Jim’s is one of the ones you need to belong to – in order to understand how high the bar has been set. And as I said, your first month is included in the registration for this webinar.

Now you’re probably wondering how much you’ll need to pay in order to get this cutting-edge information AND a month of Jim’s member site. Would you believe one dollar?

That’s correct. Just 100 pennies get you onto this webinar and into one of the best content sites I use.

The price is right. The time is right. Now Take Action!

So as of Monday, March 31, sellers will no longer be able to sell digital products on eBay.

Why does this matter to you if you aren’t selling on eBay? Read on to find out…

This change has a lot of eBay sellers up in arms – and rightfully so. People who have made a living on eBay are now facing extinction or a total change in business model. Here are just a few examples of those impacted:

• those selling ebooks, resale rights, PLR materials, websites
• mom and pop shops selling images or patterns for birdhouses, knitted sweaters, and other handcrafts
• great cooks who sell their recipes through eBay
• information marketers who sell low-cost reports as lead generators

Ah! Now we begin to see the “rub.” eBay mentioned that those selling 99 cent reports to “manipulate feedback” (the Holy Grail of eBay) were causing problems. Apparently they were actually getting good feedback on providing quality materials within minutes. And it was just too much competition for those who have to ship products and charge extra for shipping and their time to do so.

So much for efficiency!

So why am I (a non eBay seller) so upset about this? Because I think it is very short-sighted of eBay – and it’s going to hurt a lot of smaller business owners in the short run. In the long run they will be fine. It just seems so pointless.

And what am I doing about it?

I’ve teamed up with Lisa Suttora of WhatDoISell to find a solution for the smaller eBay sellers who want to continue to sell their digital products. We will be offering a webinar on Friday, April 4 entitled

How To Set Up Your Own Digital Store For Less Than $10 Per Month

And what about information marketers who don’t sell on eBay? Well, that workshop will be good for them, too! We’re still working on the details, so watch this blog for more information in the next day or two. Meanwhile, here’s your action plan:

1. Sign up for Digital Product News to stay on top of the latest announcements and be one of the first to learn about the Digital Store webinar.
2. Read a couple of articles that Lisa has posted on her blog.
3. Remain calm and keep creating digital products. I can assure you, there is a huge market for them – in spite of what eBay thinks.

I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments…

“When polled, new online marketers repeatedly point to getting specific step-by-step instruction as what they need,” said Dr. Cates recently. “That’s exactly what they’ll get in this webinar. Plus when they register they get a month’s membership to the Online Success Incubator, where they’ll find the videos for each step of the process.”

Dr. Jeanette Cates is an Internet strategist who works with small business owners to help them leverage their expertise into Online Success. Her reputation for explaining technical topics in an easy-to-understand manner has earned her the title of The Technology Tamer.

To register for the webinar, go to Online Success Seminar.

Now it used to be that holidays started the day after Thanksgiving. But nowadays, Christmas decorations replace Halloween costumes on the shelves! And Hanukkah and Kwanzaa decorations are plentiful as well.

Not only have retailers expanded the amount of time we are looking at holiday ads, but they’ve expanded online as well.

So what does that mean to YOU, as an online business owner?

YOU need to get a piece of the pie! The retail pie, that is, not the pumpkin pie.

Here’s how you can take advantage of Holidays 2007.

Lisa Suttora is offering a special Holiday Sales bundle, designed specifically to give you insight into this year’s hot trends in the marketplace. As a former retail manager and a recognized trending expert, she has a gift for finding hot spots in the marketplace, then showing you how to exploit them.

Lisa also runs a site dedicated to educating eBay sellers on how to maximize their revenue. So she won’t just tell you what’s hot – she’ll show you how to sell it on eBay.

Holiday Sales Here

Regardless of the type of online business you have, eBay is an important resource for you. eBay is the top place to be – and be seen. Whatever information product you’re selling online, you need to also be selling products on eBay. You don’t have to sell the same product, but consider a special eBay version of your product.

Likewise, if you’re building a list, eBay is one of the best places to build a list of buyers. You can offer a low-cost item and build your list quickly and easily.

And this is the perfect opportunity to expand your knowledge and use of eBay. Not only will you have access to Lisa’s great information on holiday trends – that apply to ALL online businesses – but you’ll also have a chance to learn how to sell more effectively on eBay, from a master.

Take advantage of the Holiday Trends for YOUR business.

Here’s to Happy Holidays!

Jeanette

P.S. Last year more people shopped at eBay than at Amazon. Where should you put your focus for Holidays 2007?

Now it used to be that holidays started the day after Thanksgiving. But nowadays, Christmas decorations replace Halloween costumes on the shelves! And Hanukkah and Kwanzaa decorations are plentiful as well.

Not only have retailers expanded the amount of time we are looking at holiday ads, but they’ve expanded online as well.

So what does that mean to YOU, as an online business owner?

YOU need to get a piece of the pie! The retail pie, that is, not the pumpkin pie.

Here’s how you can take advantage of Holidays 2007.

Lisa Suttora is offering a special Holiday Sales bundle, designed specifically to give you insight into this year’s hot trends in the marketplace. As a former retail manager and a recognized trending expert, she has a gift for finding hot spots in the marketplace, then showing you how to exploit them.

Lisa also runs a site dedicated to educating eBay sellers on how to maximize their revenue. So she won’t just tell you what’s hot – she’ll show you how to sell it on eBay.

Holiday Sales Here

Regardless of the type of online business you have, eBay is an important resource for you. eBay is the top place to be – and be seen. Whatever information product you’re selling online, you need to also be selling products on eBay. You don’t have to sell the same product, but consider a special eBay version of your product.

Likewise, if you’re building a list, eBay is one of the best places to build a list of buyers. You can offer a low-cost item and build your list quickly and easily.

And this is the perfect opportunity to expand your knowledge and use of eBay. Not only will you have access to Lisa’s great information on holiday trends – that apply to ALL online businesses – but you’ll also have a chance to learn how to sell more effectively on eBay, from a master.

Take advantage of the Holiday Trends for YOUR business.

Here’s to Happy Holidays!

Jeanette

P.S. Last year more people shopped at eBay than at Amazon. Where should you put your focus for Holidays 2007?

Mark Hendricks, one of the most consistent, respected marketers in the Internet Marketing space has just released his List Building Course – at an incredible discount!

Frankly, I was surprised. You know how you start reading and scrolling through a sales letter…trying to guess what the price will be. Well, I did that with this sales letter. I kept reading. And the price in my head kept going cha-ching, cha-ching. One thing after another that really attracted me

• testimonials from a couple of guys I know who are VERY picky about who they endorse
• 10 ways to monetize your list
• why you should sign up your subscribers to three lists instead of one
• 7 different ways to set up your autoresponder
• the 5 P’s in every offer
• 8 places to put your subscription form on your site

Well, the list just went on! And on…and on! This was some good stuff.

And then I got to the price. I actually rubbed my eyes to be sure I had seen it correctly. I couldn’t believe it!

And because I’ve been in Mark Hendricks’ courses, because I know the quality of his content, I clicked.

You’ll want to click, too, to see what I saw.

The original report, which has now sold thousands of copies, explains the simple system:

• Create a report
• Sell the report
• Make it *very* easy and attractive for others to sell your report
• Provide a one-time offer to increase your immediate revenue
• Repeat

On the surface it sounds like a traditional information marketing model. But there are a few twists that make the 7 Dollar model unique.

1. While you can create the report from scratch, it could just as easily be one of those resale rights or private label rights ebooks you have sitting idle on your hard drive.
2. People who purchase your report can immediately sell it with no special instruction and no affiliate registration.
3. They keep 100% of the sales price.
4. You get the new customer’s name and email.
5. The 7 dollar scripts, which are included in the original ebook, put the whole operation on autopilot.

As a result of this system a cottage industry of new listing sites, new template formats, and experienced web designers who specialize in setting up 7 dollar sites has been created. And there’s no end in sight!

While the system is attractive, it has its drawbacks. For one, you either need to be fairly comfortable with HTML or you need to have someone who is. Installing the scripts is relatively easy. Getting all the pieces to work flawlessly is more complex and time-consuming.

Second, as would be expected there is a proliferation of 7 dollar products in the “making money” category. Yet while those seem to be the most popular and more profitable, there are people making money from other topics. One site lists over 400 products using the 7 dollar system, in 18 different categories

Third, you are essentially giving away your front-end profits in order to build a list. While this won’t hurt if you have a profitable “backend” to your product funnel, it does present a dilema for newbies. After all, which do you need more – $7 in revenue or a new subscriber? And could you purchase a new subscriber for less than $7 with another traffic method?

So given all of that, should the 7 Dollar System be a part of your online business? It all depends…

You can easily use the scripts to automate your sales process, particularly if you have a one-time-offer that converts well.

You can refer people on your list (or via other traffic methods) to the 7 dollar products that you recommend – putting the $7 in your PayPal account immediately.

You can start making profits or getting subscribers from those “dead” resale products sitting on your hard drive.

You can even build your list using this method. Just be aware of the “cost” per subsciber.

It’s all up to you and how you want to take advantage of this “new” online tactic.

—–

Dr. Jeanette Cates is an Internet strategist who educates consultants and other experts on new tactics to create Online Success. She offers the original report and a training program on the 7 Dollar system at http://SpecialReportProfits.com

 

There is a new type of viral marketing which depends on people telling their friends, but it also rewards the person who “spread” the word. This new technique is personified in this site.

Here’s how it works:

1. You receive an email from someone telling you that Adsense is “dead” and that you need to read this special report – which won’t cost you anything.

2. You go to the site and fill out the short form to download the report.

3. In addition to the report you get an affiliate ID and the notice that for every person you send to the site who signs up and downloads the report, you will be paid a small amount. In this case, 50 cents.

Now think about this…

1. The person going to the site gets a well-written, attractive report. Of course, for this to succeed, the topic MUST be one that is very popular or controversial.

2. The site owner is essentially paying 50 cents per lead – which is less expensive than paying for clicks in this category.

3. The referrer is rewarded for his/her efforts, albeit at a small rate.

It’s one of the win-win-win situations we are always looking for.
I predict we will see an increase in this method of marketing because of the win/win/win. It is certainly an alternative to waiting to see if your viral marketing piece catches on. And may often be less expensive than PPC advertising. So consider it for your next campaign.

Meanwhile, go to http://www.TechTamers.com/doadsense  and see for yourself how it all works!

—–

Dr. Jeanette Cates is an Internet strategist who works with consultants and other experts to leverage thieir expertise into Online Success. She has just launched Viral Marketing Lessons, dedicated to the observation and analysis of viral marketing trends.

So it’s almost with a mother’s pride that I share his first “big” success.

Edwin has teamed with Terry Telford to offer the Email Wealth Toolkit. I’ve had a chance to get a peek at it – and it’s a great value!

Rather than rehash old stuff we’ve all heard, they choose the same tools and techniques that have made them successful. And they’ve gotten permission to bundle them – along with a killer group of bonuses. (In fact, I have a product included in that huge group of bonuses!)

The focus products for the bundle are from David Vallieres. He is a brilliant email marketer! I’m on all of his lists – and I can’t tell you all I’ve purchased from him. Not just his products – but affiliate products he recommends.

Why do I admire his methods? He provides a rich mix of information and good products – without too much hype. He has developed a knack for writing great emails – and creating winning sequences of them.

Now I thought this was an art, but turns out it’s a teachable skill. And that’s what David does in the Email Wealth Toolkit – he shows you what he did and why, then gives you the template so you can do it yourself. It’s a brilliant teaching model!

Well, I could go on about each of the products in Edwin’s bundle, But go take a look yourself. They are only offering 1,000 copies of the bundle, so the quantity is limited. The sooner you get your copy, the less you have to pay. So time *is* important!

Get going!  And tell Edwin I said “hi” (look for my testimonial on the main page!)