By Jimmy D. Brown
 photo credit: mitmall
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If I had only known, I wouldn’t have made these mistakes. But I did.
For such a small word, “if” sure does cause a lot of problems, doesn’t it?
“If I had not turned off the alarm clock, I wouldn’t have overslept.”
“If I had paid attention to what my wife said, I would have not shrunk my 100% cotton shirt three sizes too small.”
“If I would have taken the time to fuel up, my car wouldn’t have run out of gas out here in the middle of nowhere.”
“If I had charged up the battery on my mobile phone, then I would be able to call AAA to bring me some gas out here in the middle of nowhere!”
See what I mean?
“If” is such a tiny word.
But it’s like dynamite. It packs a lot of punch.
For me, as I teach (and learn myself!) about viral eBooks, the phrase is this:
“If I had only known, I wouldn’t have made these mistakes.”
You see, I made MANY costly mistakes in my early viral eBooks. Mistakes that are *literally* costing me thousands of dollars in profits right now.
And there is nothing I can do to change them.
Once you set a viral eBook into motion, it’s impossible to get it back and make corrections to things ya screwed up on.
Man, if I could go back into time and change some things.
I have learned the hard way some things you DON’T want to do with viral ebooks.
That’s what we’re going to take a look at here.
I’ve made ‘em all.
You don’t have to.
Don’t do this…
1. Never use any link inside the content that you can’t control.
I learned the hard way that you should always use redirect links from your own domain when putting any kind of link inside your ebook.
For example: most people insert their affiliate link for an affiliate offer inside the ebook that they have put together. The one that was given to them by the affiliate program owner.
Instead, you want to link to a page at your site that refreshes and redirects the visitor to your assigned affiliate link. Something like this… http://www.yourdomain.com/brainstorm.html
This is important so you can CHANGE the link anytime you want to in the future.
For example: If I decided to no longer use ClickBank to handle my affiliate program and went with a different affiliate tracking link, what happens to the thousands of copies of your viral eBook that are in place with that old affiliate link in there?
They become obsolete, unusable and unprofitable.
Or, suppose you are linking to a dating service that goes out of business? What now?
Your links are toast. They are worthless to you.
With a redirect link you can easily adjust the target page and send the traffic to a different dating service, or to a page at your site. With a redirect link the changes are made at YOUR SITE, which you remain in control of regardless of what happens with the products and services that you linked to.
Even if you change hosts or servers, you still remain in control.
You don’t have to make changes to all of those eBooks — which would be impossible to do — you simply make a 2 minute change at your site.
I can’t tell you how many dead links are in some of my earlier ebooks that continue to give me headaches as people email me saying, “Jimmy, you’ve got a dead link here … can you give the correct link?”
It creates a lot of extra work in answering emails and certainly is throwing away potential profit for the countless people who never bother to ask for an updated link.
So, never use any link inside the content that you can’t control.
Always use redirect links.
2. Another thing is you want to avoid using dated information by providing too specific details.
Affiliate program A may not be offering that free 30 day trial offer very much longer.
The price for admission to that special site may not always be $29.95.
That site that was “just released last week” may have become an all-time classic by the time Bob reads your viral ebook two years after it was released.
You want to make certain that you stay away from information that is too specific that can easily become irrelevant.
Again, I get emails all the time griping about inconsistent prices because I put a price for the Profits Vault membership into one of my early viral ebooks and that price is no longer valid.
Hasn’t been for almost two years.
I’ve even gotten ugly emails accusing me of fraud and false advertising, with threats to turn me in to the attorney general and all kinds of nonsense.
So, be careful that you don’t date your viral ebook if you can avoid it.
3. Another no-no is to never put any information into your ebook that you don’t want all over the world.
These things travel folks and they can be global in a matter of days and certainly over time you can easily have a worldwide audience.
I made the mistake of putting my cell phone number in one of my earlier ebooks because everyone claimed that if I didn’t have my contact information in there, no one would buy from me… which is nonsense I might add.
Anyway, I started getting all kinds of calls at all hours of the day.
What was 3:00 in the afternoon in the Philippines was 3:00 in the morning where I live.
So, it was a nuisance.
Kind of a funny story came out of it.
I disconnected that number, of course, and got a new one. That was almost 2 years ago.
Well, about a month or so ago I had a lady email me and she was hopping mad.
Apparently, she had ordered a cellular phone and got my old number… and folks were still calling!
She told me that she was getting calls from England and all over looking for me and they were running her cellular bill up with charges.
She wanted me to do something about it and all I could do was tell her “I’m sorry, there’s nothing I can do”
With viral marketing, it’s pretty much unstoppable, which is why it is so effective. It keeps spreading and it’s hard to stop the growth once it gets going.
So, never put anything into your ebook that you don’t want the world to know and use.
4. Another thing is this … always have your carriers do the branding.
You want to automate the process as much as possible.
Again, I learned the hard way.
Early on, before there were all of these branding tools available, I hand customized each ebook.
And as they began to spread, the customization requests grew to be way too much for me to handle. I was spending most of my day putting together these customized viral ebooks for each new person that requested a copy.
That had to change and so now I use branding tools and branding instructions. I give them to anyone who wants to customize the ebook and I let THEM do the work.
Keeps me out of the loop completely.
So, unless you have some specific reason to do it yourself, place that responsibility onto the ones who want to distribute the viral ebooks.
5. One more thing I want to share. Always launch new browser windows with your links in your ebooks.
Whenever you link to a site within your viral eBook content, always remember to code that link to launch a new browser window when the reader clicks on it. I learned this the hard way. There are many scripts involved in the order-taking process at online credit card processing sites.
And many of those have caused glitches in the eBook due to the software the eBook was created with and it crashes the eBook, making it impossible to order.
So, what happens is this.
You do your job well. The content is great. You’ve got a hungry customer waiting to buy.
They click on a recommended product link. They arrive at the site still inside your eBook window. They click on the order link and the entire thing shuts down. I mean completely shuts down the ebook and website altogether.
And, in some cases, it even crashes the computer. You just lost a customer because two sets of code didn’t like each other.
That has happened to me on MANY different occasions in some of my early ebooks.
Now, all of my links launch new browser windows OUTSIDE of the ebook if you click on a link inside the ebook. All you need to do is insert a simple line of code into your links inside the eBook. The code looks like this…
Target=”Resource Window”
Now when someone clicks on your link, a new browser window will launch outside of the eBook itself before taking them to the website. Now, you’re safe. EVERY link in your eBook should have this code. You can thank me later.
(NOTE: IF you are using a PDF maker for your ebooks, you should be fine with your links.)
Viral eBooks are tremendous tools. But, there are also some pitfalls associated with them.
I’ve just shared five of the mistakes that I have made.
There is just no way of measuring how much profit I have lost over the years due to those errors.
There wasn’t a manual available to tell me how to do it. History hadn’t really been recorded at that time to tell me what to stay away from and what to make sure I did in order to protect myself from problems.
So, you’re getting something that I didn’t have.
Aren’t ya happy?
In all seriousness, don’t make the mistakes that I made.
History doesn’t need to repeat itself on this one.
Want to learn a NEW viral ebook strategy that isn’t outdated and overused? Check out “How To Get Free Traffic With PLR Reports “ by clicking here . You’ll learn a great way to get free traffic to any site you choose with free “private label rights” reports.
Jun 03
By Jimmy D. Brown
photo credit: websuccessdiva
Writing ezine articles is one of the best business-building activities you’ll ever invest time in on the Internet. They can be used in dozens of different ways to generate web site traffic, build lists, brand your name, earn affiliate commissions and produce sales of your products and services.
They are, unquestionably, a vital part of any successful Internet marketing campaign.
By now - if you’ve read anything in the member’s area - you know I’m a big believer in writing ezine articles. And you know that I’ve devoted many of the lessons in the member’s area toward teaching you how to write, distribute and market with them.
Yet there still remains a lingering question -
WHAT should I write about in my ezine articles?
I want to share with you some brainstorming ideas that will allow you to easily come up with a couple dozen (or more) hot ideas for your upcoming ezine articles. I’m going to briefly share seven (7) fill-in-the-blank article starters along with a brief explanation to help you get started writing attention-grabbing content.
When you’re ready to write your next ezine article, consider one of these not-yet-overused formulas…
01. What To Do When [Enter Problem Here]. The idea with this article is to offer a solution to an existing problem by matter-of-factly addressing the issue being discussed in the article. “What To Do When You Need To Lose That Last 5 Pounds” points out a problem many dieters face and hints that the article will reveal a method for overcoming this barrier. This article’s pointed style makes it a sure read.
02. Can [Enter Solution Here] Help [Enter Problem Here]? Similar to number one above, this article poses a question while emphasizing both the problem and potential solution. What really works here is to ask a “curiosity-building” question by providing a solution that doesn’t seem to fit with the problem. For example: If you’re trying to re-grow hair on your balding head, could you resist reading, “Can Cheerios Help Thicken Your Hair?” I don’t think so.
03. Should You [Enter Activity Here]? (Take This Quiz). People love quizzes. They especially love to see how they measure up in some area that they are particularly interested in. That combination makes this another ezine article that gets a lot of views. “Should You Quit Your Job And Start An Internet Business? Take This Quiz!” is going to attract every dissatisfied, looking-for-greener-pastures, internet marketing wannabe on the block.
04. 7 “Must Ask Questions” for [Enter Activity Here]. This is a perfect article for the entry-level beginner in any particular field. “7 ‘Must-Ask’ Questions for First-Time Homeschoolers’ When Choosing Curriculum” is just about a guaranteed read for all new homeschooling moms and dads who don’t want to blow it for their kids. (Note: The “number” of must-ask questions can be whatever you choose.)
05. 3 [Enter Topical Adjective Here] Lessons from [Enter Pop Culture Reference]. By using references to popular culture events, characters, television shows, news stories and trends, you’ll be able to get some cheap mileage from existing “hot buttons” of the general public. I recentl wrote an article entitled, “3 Word-Of-Mouth Marketing Lessons From the Academy Awards” that garnered a lot of interest. Guess when I released it? Yep, a week before the big awards show.
06. Mastering [Enter Topic Here]: How to [Enter Tutorial Statement Here] Part 1. This is a superb article idea for a series of related tutorials. The word “master” is a bit overused at times in marketing circles, but it means to “become an expert” at something or to “achieve dominance” over something. Who wouldn’t want to “master” their activity of interest? That’s why “Mastering Weight Loss: How To Shed 12-15 Pounds in 30 Days, Part 1″ and other articles in its mold make for much-read content.
07. What Kind of [Enter Desirable Object Here] Is Best For YOU? We all want what’s “best” for us, don’t we? “What Kind Of Internet Business Is Best For You?” indicates there is something revealed in the article that will allow me to determine which of the options available to me is best suited for me. This is a really solid article to point others towards additional resources (such as special reports, mini-courses, etc.) where they can get specific information about which of the “options” mentioned in the article is most interesting and compatible with them.
So, there you have some great ideas to get you started on your next ezine article.
You know you’re going to write ezine articles, so would you like to get a LOT of completely free traffic with them? Check out “How To Get Free Traffic With Ezine Articles” by clicking here . You’ll learn a powerful (but easy) way to get a lot of visitors to your website by using your ezine articles in a special way … all at no cost to you.
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