Tips & Tricks
Tips and Tricks
Build first… sell later… but do it right!
I recently subscribed to Derek Halpern’s email list and one of the first emails I received prompted me to write a comment on his blog because it got me thinking. Not because it was something profound or new. But because it is a concept that I’ve seen work in the past and it is what I am planning on doing myself.
To read the post head over to the Social Triggers blog and check it out. Basically the idea is that you can make money online even in a small niche without depending on google adsense or other advertising programs. First you build a loyal following and then you sell stuff to them.
It sounds like a good idea and one that many people and organizations have used in the past. But just like everything else, there is a right way and a wrong way to do things.
The Wrong Way: If you build it they will buy… later
This strategy will probably backfire for a number of reasons. There is a better way to launch your “online presence” where your audience doesn’t feel like they have are on a plane that has been hijacked and are now going to a destination that they don’t like
If your going about it this way then I believe it will be difficult to build a community in the first place. Partly because people will sense that your passion and enthusiasm is not real or because you won’t have the desire to keep going during the “free” stage in order to capitalize later. But if your passionate about the niche and have real enthusiasm for it then that is what will attract and build the community. If you abruptly change your tone, content and feel to a sales approach and you lose the intangibles (the things you can’t see or read), the relationship with your community changes and you may lose everything you’ve worked hard to build. Maybe you’ll make a few sales. But was it worth it… who knows?
It was a destructive marketing strategy.
The Right Way: If you build it and sell a little now, they will buy a lot more later!
The right way (in my opinion) is to start off in a niche or subject that you are already passionate about. Attract the people that share that passion or are looking to learn about the subject because they need the skills or want what to have what you can teach them. Build the community and establish trust over time but don’t wait to offer products (if you have them) or promote other products (affiliates).
By implementing this strategy, no trust is lost. Your audience won’t mind and will probably gladly support you by purchasing products through your link, knowing that they are helping to keep the content coming. And if you start promoting your own products they will support you there too.
This is the direction that I am planning to go with my online endeavors.
What do you think? Is there a better strategy or are you doing something differently?
Leave your comment below.
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1. Register your Domain.
You can do this at places like godaddy.com, bluehost.com and netfirms.
2. Select a hosting plan.
I recommend Bluehost or Netfirms for hosting.
Godaddy is another option but I haven’t used them so I can’t make a personal recommendation.
You don’t have to register your domains and host your sites with the same company.
All of these shared hosting services offer unlimited domains, unlimited storage and unlimited bandwidth. Of course there are terms and conditions which apply to “unlimited”. For example you can’t upload your entire hard drive to take advantage of Netfirms unlimited storage offer… Or store all your podcast media files there and expect them not to shut you down when Opra mentions your show and you get thousands of downloads!
I’ll be putting together tutorials and “tips and tricks” for people getting started with WordPress, Social Media and Podcasting / New Media.
These tips will be distributed in the Social Funnel Newsletter… sign up now!
Unlimited refers to the files, images and documents that make up your website. The same is true for podcast episodes with most shared hosting services.
3. Pick a WordPress theme.
There are a ton of free themes available. If your going to use a free theme use one from within the official wordpress free theme directory. There are many sites that offer free wordpress themes and you run the risk of malware and possible virus issues with some of these themes.
I definitely recommend using a premium theme. They are more professional looking and offer more customization options.
I use and recommend Elegant Themes and DER PRINZ.
Elegant Themes offers dozens of quality themes to choose from for a low annual fee. They have special customization options that make it easier to set up than a basic theme.
DER PRINZ is a set of solid Premium Themes which I have used for multiple sites in the past.
I still have mobiletechweekly.com on the Branford Magazine theme which is a DER PRINZ Premium Theme.
www.podcasthero.com uses an Elegant Theme!
4. Specialty Sites: Squeeze pages, Sales pages and Membership sites
There are a number of wordpress plugins that can create cool squeeze pages, sales pages and membership sites. I’ve played with a few of these and find them to be complex and / or glitchy. The one that I’ve decided on is a complete Premium WordPress Theme and not a plugin or widget. Optimize Press makes all of these pages easy with ready made customizable templates for creating a membership site, sales page or squeeze page.
5. Contact Me for help…
If you have any questions ask me at andrew@podcasthero.com
or call me Toll Free 1-877-636-1474 extension 101.
Or on Twitter @podcasthero.
For more information on WordPress check out the first episode of The Bunker Project where we get into WordPress with our first guest, a WordPress expert and impassioned wordpress advocate!
Podcasting 101 – part 2 – It doesn’t matter what you say!
Bla Bla Bla – Podcasting 101
It’s not what you say but how you say it!
Ok, just kidding, it does matter what you say but…
No matter what topic you are covering in your podcast, what you say is not the only thing you need to focus on. What you say in your podcast is very important but how you say it is equally important.
If you have passion for what you are talking about this will come through naturally. We will be able to hear the energy and enthusiasm in your voice!
But for some of us (me included), passion isn’t enough because we still don’t naturally exude the energy and passion we have for the subject. We have to work a little bit on HOW we speak in order to keep our listeners interested in the show.
Check out this video I made to demonstrate that it isn’t what you say that counts but how you say it…
So, unless you are producing a video podcast your already going to miss out on the 55% of communication power because your listeners can’t see your body movements and facial expressions. According to Barbour, facial expressions dominate the non verbal portion of human communication.
Nonverbal communication can occur through any sensory channel — sight, sound, smell, touch or taste. Nonverbal communication is important as: “When we speak (or listen), our attention is focused on words rather than body language. But our judgment includes both. An audience is simultaneously processing both verbal and nonverbal cues. Body movements are not usually positive or negative in and of themselves; rather, the situation and the message will determine the appraisal.” (Givens, 2000, p. 4)
As audio podcasters we are left with verbal and vocal aspects. Notice that verbal only accounts for 7% of total communication… So what words you are saying really are only a small portion of what you are actually saying! 38 percent of your communication is based on the pitch, rhythm and volume of your voice. So when you are speaking on your podcast keep this in mind… it’s not what (words) your saying that count but how you say it!
Verbal vs Vocal vs Non-Verbal
The bottom line is enthusiasm is contagious! If you have ever taken any basic sales training you probably already understand this. People don’t buy based on logic. The purchase decision is an emotional one and we use logic to justify it.
Consider these two senerios when your in a store considering a purchase
If your like me, chances are you’ll be more likely to buy from sales rep number two!
What does this have to do with podcasting?
Remember, every time your doing a podcast your selling something.
Even if you have no intention of monetizing your podcast, your still selling something
Your selling yourself.
Pat Flynn over at Smart Pasive Income Blog ran a video post challenge which provided the inspiration to post this one. Thanks Pat!
Leave a comment below and let me know what you think about this video and please leave a link to your video post if you have one. Or post a video response in Youtube. I’d love to see it!
Podcasting 101 – Part 1 Passion
Podcasting 101 – Part 1 – Choosing your genre >> Passion is the key!
The Bunker Project Studio
The Beginning – Podcasting Ain’t Easy
So… your thinking about starting a podcast? That is awesome! Hopefully you’ve given a lot of thought to your topic and are passionate about your subject. Some people get into podcasting thinking they will make money from their podcast right away by selling advertising or getting a sponsor for their show. Now, this is not as easy as it may sound and a lot of new podcasters end up becoming discouraged after 5, 10, 20 or more episodes and end up quiting out of frustration. Why? because podcasting is a lot of work. Planning and organizing your episodes is time consuming. Finding and scheduling interviews can be difficult as well if that is what you are planning on doing in your show. Recording and producing your podcast is the easy part, once you have the equipment and the technical know how. For me this is the most fun part of the whole podcasting process.
Post Production Ain’t Easy
Then there is post production which includes editing out umms and ahhhs and cleaning up the audio with filters and effects. This can be incredibly tedious and very time consuming. Some podcasters prefer to record “live to hard drive” which means recording the show as if it was a live show and releasing the show as is without editing.
First Things First
To get started with podcasting you really need to work this out first. The genre you decide is going to consume a LOT of your time and if your doing it only because you are trying to make money podcasting you may not make it. You’ll have to produce your show for a long time before you build a big enough community to monetize the show. And if your not passionate and truly interested in your subject then you will struggle through the process of producing your show.
The Key To Your Success
Passion -> If you are passionate about a subject you will be talking about the subject every chance you get anyway. Regardless of whether or not you start a podcast you will find every excuse to converse with people about this topic. If you would do a show on this topic for FREE and with pleasure then you have found the right topic for your show. This is the most important factor when starting out. If your not passionate and energized by the topic you will probably podfade very quickly. By the way, Podfading is a term which refers to podcasters who have started shows and were unable to keep them going. Don’t be a podfader… pick the topic or topics that light you up when you start talking about them.
Once you have your topic, then what? First you need some basic equipment…
Coming Soon >> Part 2 – Podcasting 101 – Bla, Bla, Bla …. Bla, Bla !!!
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