Lead the Field in Monetizing Your Content

Lead the Field in Monetizing Your Content
Scott Dennison
04-23-07


I would venture to say that most if not all of our readers to this blog, our newsletter and listeners or viewers to our Podcast and or KeyThing TV want the same things. I don't mean to generalize, but it's true. They all really want to sell their content for big bucks.

Right? Does that describe you? Well, perfect, because this posting is going to make it easier than ever before.

First, understand that the content business is booming. More people research, find and buy specialized knowledge, both online and off today than at any point in history.

The numbers are so large that I could find no credible source to tell me how much is really being spent for content. Safe to say it is in the billions. Annually. How much of that do you need to bank to change your life?

This is a fairly new phenomenon too. It was in the 1960's that Earl Nightingale and Lloyd Conant partnered up together to form the Nightingale Conant Company to sell one product (initially). That product was Earl Nightingale's "The Strangest Secret", which was a vinyl album containing the profound message which was the core of Mr. Nightingale's work.

In the years that followed NCC became a huge company in a fast growing industry as people discovered where to buy audio based information that could improve their personal or professional life.

Now, in the Internet age there is more opportunity than ever before. You can lead the field by developing audio, video and text based materials. Your content could be delivered by free or paid newsletters, by articles distributed online or by email or even in the press. You could deliver your unique message in a seminar hall from the platform.

People are paying good money to watch seminars or other specialized content via DVD or streaming online subscriptions (video and/or audio).

Others listen to audio programs on CD while they drive or on their Mp3 player or iPod, while walking or at the gym.

It is common today to see programs that instruct on a single topic (say, Public Relations) that are presented in video, in printed form and also as an audio. This makes it accessible to every learning style or modality (visual, auditory, kinesthetic).

Then if you consider all of the printed forms of content that are so common today. This includes everything from email series, to ezines, ebooks and even the printed bound ones like we all grew up with. I also subscribe to several different printed and mailed newsletters, and I would bet you get at least one of these too.

Most importantly is that most, if not all of these forms of content can be created with a digital recorder, a personal computer and some software. It is easy, fast and affordable to create content in-house and you too, can do this for fun and for profit.

The need exists, people are already buying and I suggest that you get in on the action.

As with everything else we cover in our postings - taking action is always the keything. Get started today so that in a short time you too can lead your field!

~Scott
KeyThing Marketing Technologies

The 10 Keys To Unlocking The Hidden Secrets of Easily Writing Articles That Not Only Attract New Visitors, But Instantly Converts Them To Customers

The 10 Keys To Unlocking The Hidden Secrets of Easily Writing Articles That Not Only Attract New Visitors, But Instantly Converts Those Visitors Into Loyal Customers
Andy Stetzinger
4-17-2007

The focal point of any website is not just attracting visitors, but rather retaining those visitors and converting them into repeat visitors and life long customers. A very simple and easy way to achieve those results is by continuing to give them what they came for.

Driving traffic to your website is a fairly simple process. Getting the "most wanted response" from your visitors is a little tougher. Getting them to come back again and again? Well, that's the big secret we're going to dispell today.

We all know that "Content is King". We also know a King sits on a throne. In this case, the Throne is "Repeat Visitors". A single burst of traffic won't do your site much good at all - we've proven that ourselves. However, when a visitor is given a reason to return to your site again and again... my friends, a monarchy is established.

Allow me to interject your trivial excuse for not doing this here:

"But I don't want to sit down and think of stuff to write about every week! I'll get burned out in no time!"

Pardon me if I don't get out a tissue and wipe away my tears. Step #1 - Get over it, writing content is easy. So easy, that I'll not only tell you the steps today, I'll SHOW YOU the steps in this weeks episode of KeyThing TV!

The 10 Keys....

1. Make sure you're writing about somethig you love.
Not a passive interest. You have to almost have an obsession with what you're writing about.

2. Practice What You Write About
If you're telling someone how to get free money, then, by gosh, you'd better be getting tons of free money yourself, too.

3. Visit your competitors site MULTIPLE TIMES a week.
Not only do you want to know what they're doing, and how you compare to them, but it is a great source for your informational content! Write about what they're writing about! Why not?

4. Let your personality shine through.
Ben Stein is about the only person I know who has made any money using a flat personality. Don't be mundane!

5. Get away from your computer.
Grab a pad of paper and two different colored pens. Now, go sit in the park, under a tree. Just sit there and think of things. Write the major points down in one color, and some supporting themes in the other.

6. Think four weeks ahead.
Take your sheet of paper from Key #5, and turn it into several articles. An interesting mult-part series will keep your audience coming back.

7. Use Keywords In Your Titles and Headlines
People can spend hours trying to think of the perfect headline. Don't worry about it! Just use the first thing that comes to you. As you write your article, tweak your headline to match what you're writing.

8. Show Your Friends First
As soon as your article is ready, let your friends see it. Let them give you some feedback. Chances are, you'll be encouraged by what they have to say.

9. Have an "Most Wanted Response" in mind as you write.
This is different from the topic of what you're writing about. If you're just going to tell someone how to get Free Money, what's in it for you? You need to craft the message such that the reader will follow the specific path that you want them to follow.

10. Don't expect perfection.
Strive for profection, but don't expect it. I've reviewed articles in the past that I felt were outstanding, but the author never self published them. When I asked why they hadn't done so, I got "It's not good enough for that", or "It's not ready yet". HOGWASH. As Dan Kennedy says, "Good enough is good enough". Get the article out there, let people see it and read it.


Allow me to shatter your fears for you: Not everyone will like or agree with what you write about. SO WHAT?.

Take a quick look at one of the richest women in the world: JK Rowling of the "Harry Potter" fame. She didn't think she was a good writer. She didn't think people would enjoy her books. Here's a HUGE secret: Many people do not like her stories, and some private schools have even banned the books. She gets complaints that all of her stories are the same blueprint with different characters in the villans role.

Her response? NOTHING. She just writes another book.

Do not deny your King his royal thorne. Take these keys, and enjoy the ease of wrting content so great and so powerul that your site visitors will beg you for more.

~Andy Stetzinger
KeyThing Marketing Technologies

The Importance Of Fresh Content

The Importance Of Fresh Content
4-10-07
Andy Stetzinger


One of the most often questions I have been asked over the years has been:

"How do I get people to come back to my website?"

The obvious answer is, "Give them a reason to". However, in most cases, that's easier said than done.

If you'll recall a tid-bit from a few lessons ago, you need to know your target audience. They came to your website once for a reason, and that same reason will bring them back:

Information.

Let me be the first to congratulate you on being the industry expert in your feild.

What? You don't think you are the expert? Guess again. You are. From this point forward, you are the leading expert in your niche.

As the leading expert in your niche, you must communicate with your site visitors at least once a week.

While the jury is still out on "how much is too much" when it comes to communication, you can take a page from the KeyThing book:

We update our content on a daily basis, but only deliver content to our list once or twice a week.

For our public update schedule, check out our schedule.

Keeping content fresh adds value to your business, provided that the new content is relevant and consistant.

As always, I'll be sharing some "insider information" with you. I'm going to give away a technique that a so called "professional" is selling for $299! If that's not enough, I've not only unlocked the door to one of the biggest secrets in fresh content, I've completely blown the door off it's hinges! (Hint: I'll be revealing this secret in our free newsletter, so go sign up!)

Of course, this wouldn't be a entry from me if I weren't sharing a valuable secret with you right now, would it? So, here it is:

Let your personality flow through the content you provide.

We all remember how boring our Science books were in school, yet Bill Nye "The Science Guy" has made a fortune by doing just that. He allows his quirky personality to permeate his content.

Being a Marketing Technology company, we're presented with an unusual role. We are technically savvy, but we don't want to confuse our audience, nor do we want to belittle them. In all of our content, Scott and I take our respected sides of "High Tech" (me) and "High Touch" (him). We balance the content out, and are able to approach the subject matter from two angels - both the technical, and the common approachable. We both allow our personalities to play a large role in our content. When something irritates me (like so-called "experts" charging hundreds of dollars for information I consider free), people know it.

To create return visitors to your site, update your content, keep it fresh, and keep it interesting.

~Andy
KeyThing Marketing Technologies
My Personal Blog

Get Started Now to Increase Your Traffic and Sales

Get Started Now to Increase Your Traffic and Sales
Scott Dennison
04-03-07


In the last several weeks, Andy and I have begun to "let the cat out of the bag" when it comes to building more traffic to your website. When you share secrets for free that other publishers are selling for high dollar fees, well like any cat that has been in the bag for awhile, some hissing and scratching is possible. But only from those publishers, and not from you.

First we engaged in a discussion about traffic in general, but quickly moved to help you understand that relevancy is far more important than traffic alone. Andy even provided an excellent example from our own site, where a targeted press release drew less traffic to our site, but exceeded the quality or relevancy of the traffic we got from making a similar announcement on Digg or Reddit.

As we got into the topic of "footprinting" and how to increase the size of yours. You learned that this is a fancy term for having your site linked with other relevant sites, and having search engines reward you for these linking relationships.

Andy stated that: "the key thing in footprinting is the quality of the sites that link to you, and if you link back to them. I'm not referring to the graphics, or layout, or design of the linking site. The important factor is that the linking site has something to do with your site."

If you want to get a quick jumpstart on increasing your relevancy and size of your footprint, then go over to LinkPlan and register your site.

Last week, I used my time in this space to show you ways to begin a relationship that leads to higher conversion rates of your relevant traffic. We talked about the importance of keyword specific landing pages as a way to prevent confusing your site visitors. Remember that a confused mind says "NO".

We also talked about the many ways of using video on your site, from "directing" traffic on how to find things, moving visitors into your most wanted response or just to build likability and trust.

In online sales it is no different than offline - people buy from people they like and trust.

In summing up what we have covered with a single admonition, take action! Go back and review what we have shared, as most of it is presented in an easy to do, step-by-step format.

Knowing what to do, and actually doing it are two very different things. So, as Nike said: "Just do it!"

~Scott
KeyThing Marketing Technologies