Harness the Power of Fiverr.com to Generate Leads,
Drive Traffic and Create an Additional Revenue
Stream for Your Business

Perhaps you’ve heard the buzz surrounding the launch of Fiverr.com — a marketplace where buyers can obtain a variety of products and services for the flat rate of just five bucks.

Users simply create “gigs” listing what they are willing to do for $5. The listings are limited only by your imagination — you’ll see everything from offers to be a Virtual Assistant for a day to offers to become your “fake girlfriend” for a week.

Despite the small number of bizarre listings, there are a handful of marketers that are quietly leveraging Fiverr.com to generate leads, drive site traffic, and create a tidy little side business.

And you should be, too.

Perhaps you’ve tried listing a gig or two on Fiverr.com, and haven’t had any success. Or maybe you’ve been on the fence about taking time out of your day to set up a listing — I mean, after all, it’s only five bucks, right?

Well, that all depends upon how you look at it.

True, there are users who are only making $5 per hour on their listings (if they’re lucky). On the other hand, there are users making 15 times that much per hour.

Honestly, it probably isn’t your fault.

You probably haven’t had access to the right tools – the right information – to give your listings a fighting chance.

The good news is, that’s all about to change for you, right now.

Why Should You Listen to Me?
I’ve spent the last 20 years working in marketing and promotion. I got my start in a Fortune 500 environment as a team member in the marketing department of one of the nation’s largest industrial manufacturers. I’ve managed million-dollar budgets and high-profile client projects, and conducted market research studies that launched multi-million dollar ad campaigns. At the start of the new millenium, I set out on my own, and began taking what I learned and applying it to my small business clients. Over the last decade, I’ve earned a solid reputation as a thought-leader with a demonstrated commitment to the small business community. My clients include some of the web’s best and brightest — both in this country and abroad.

My digital small business magazine, Entrepreneur & Self-Employed Business Journal, is an acknowledged pacesetter in reporting on the topics of interest of small business owners — and has been lauded as one of the best publications in its class.

Evaluating & Testing the Fiverr Marketplace
Shortly after its launch, I began testing and evaluating various gigs in the Fiverr marketplact. I quickly discovered a pattern for what types of listings yielded consistently successful results. I’ve taken those findings and compiled them into a step-by-step guide to help you eliminate the learning curve and begin leveraging the power of Fiverr right away.

In this 38-page, no-fluff guide, I’ll take you by the hand and show you what it takes to create an attention-grabbing, high-converting listing. But more importantly, I’ll show you some of the pitfalls that many first-time Fiverr.com users make without even knowing it.

With just a determined decision and a simple click of your mouse, you’ll receive your key to unlock the vault that will give you direct access to the tools, resources and detailed instructions to help you start taking advantage of the full potential of Fiverr.com.

Why Should You Use Fiverr?

• Identify new leads for your existing business
• Employ it as a portfolio to showcase your talents
• Introduce your product or service to new prospects
• Conduct small-scale tests and market research
• Leverage it as a networking tool
• Drive traffic to your website or blog
• Generate extra cash to pay off bills or save for big purchases
• Let it fund side projects, vacations or expansion plans

Whatever you decide to use it for, an additional stream of revenue that you literally spend just minutes a day tending is something that you shouldn’t easily dismiss.

Unlike other money-making methods you may have read before, the process I’ll outline for you is 100% ethical and legal — you won’t find any black-hat tricks or shady tactics in this guide.

This guide offers tons of information to help you jump light-years ahead of the competition. It features over THREE DOZEN links to resources that will help you come up with gigs to offer for sale.

So, while one user is knitting toilet-paper kozies for $5 each, you’ll be processing orders in just minutes a day, and laughing all the way to the bank.

RAVE REVIEWS:
“This book is amazing! I am so glad Traci created this training guide on Fiverr. Talk about over delivering. I found out about Fiverr a couple of months ago and ever since I’ve been addicted. I started buying “Gigs” and now I’m selling my own products. Information on how things work is a little hard to find. Traci’s ebook not only answered all of my questions, but she even tells you how to make money selling free products and information. This isn’t just some standard training manual; it’s that and much more. It’s more like a business blue print. Fiverr is an awesome site, but with Traci’s ebook you now have the knowledge to start a business or enhance the business you already have. After reading this book I would have expected to pay much more. Thanks Traci for being so generous.”
Brian Blanc – http://greenstream360.com

“Originally (about 2 weeks ago now) I just slapped up an ad… offering something I knew would only take me a couple minutes to do, I found a quick image (required) to attach to my listing and logged out assuming my inbox would be full of “requests” for my gig by the following day.. but nary a whimper.

I eventually bought a gig from a Fiverr user named Traci (someone I now affectionately call the Fiverr.com lady)… the gig I purchased was unrelated to Fiverr but as we got to talking she offered me a copy of her eBook Five Dollar Fortunes to review.

I applied just a couple of the tips in it and my sales increased significantly. I took the image in my listing more seriously.. there’s a page in the book just on the importance of the image.

I was able to earn $320 with a little over 3 hours work over the span of 10 days. She makes the process simple and concise allowing you to be up and running making some “fivers” in no time.”

Keith James Lock – http://keithjameslock.com

Here’s just SOME of what you’ll learn in this guide:

• A crash course in how Fiverr.com works — how to set up an account, and how to buy and sell in their marketplace.
• Step-by-step instructions with helpful screenshots to walk you through the process with ease.
• How to avoid a newbie mistake that could prompt a Buyer to cancel their order with you.
• Why you need to sell only specific types of products or services on Fiverr.com — and what it will cost you if you don’t.
• What makes a GOOD versus a BAD gig.
• Four crucial elements that must be in every gig listing if you expect it to sell.
• Words that you can employ that get customers to BUY.
• Why you should set up a well-written profile BEFORE you ever list ANYTHING.
• The importance of selecting a kick-butt photo for your listing.
• A pre-listing step that most users avoid doing that is costing them MONEY every day.
• Four excellent resources for promoting your newly-listed gigs.
• How to insure that your customers leave you raving reviews.
• Dozens of links to resources that will leave your head spinning with the possibilities.

The fact is, Fiverr.com is still a very new site, and there are significant earning opportunities there for those that know how to use it. Once you discover the types of listings that will make you the highest dollar per hour, you can create a tidy little side project that pays dividends for weeks and months to come.

So go ahead, Click Now on the Add to Cart button below and receive the guide you’ll soon be calling the secret weapon of your Fiverr.com success.

Order Your Copy Now – Just $17.00

Fiverr™ is a trademark of Fiverr.com, and is only used for reference. There is no implied endorsement.

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We’re living in challenging economic times, and that is certainly reflected in consumer spending.

It’s not as if there was some surreptitious tightening of the belts across the country; it’s simply an obstacle that everyone is aware of — especially the small business owner.

Now, I’ve said this before — you shouldn’t be positioning yourself solely on price. If your aim is to be the “Walmart” of your niche, then by all means, slash those prices. For the rest of us, we need to take a good hard look at our sales letters, our sell sheets, and our pitches.

Bottom line: your prospect must want your product MORE than they want their money.

What I’d like to do is share with you a few techniques I have used, and share with my clients. This is by no means a comprehensive list, and simply reading the list over is likely to spark a few more ideas of your own. That’s the point — so let’s get started!

• It’s all in the expression. Years ago my father shared this tip with me, and it has always stuck with me. Let’s say for example that you are selling a widget for $1.00. Sales are steady, but not brisk. If you are interested in moving more volume, you could change the way you sell this item to a “buy two, get one free” offer. We would change the individual price to $1.50. You’ll still make the same amount as you would have by selling the same item at $1.00 each — but you’ll move more product as a result of the “free” item.
• Don’t bench the benefits. Many salespeople get this wrong. Instead of focusing on all of the features of an item, zero in on one thing — what will your product DO for the customer? What problem will it solve? Will it make them better looking, wealthier, smarter, or more popular? Consumers will pay for solutions — but they often need you to help them visualize the end result that your product will offer.
• The Rule of Three. This is a very old selling technique, but it is timeless. Offering a product or product mix at three different price points can be very effective. This accomplishes multiple goals for you. First, for the customer who may not be able to afford the high end product, they may instead select the midline product. For those who are inclined to scrutinize and compare packages, this affords you the opportunity to showcase the additional benefits that the higher end product provides. You may also wish to offer some manner of “upgrade” for those who select the midline or economy end packages — this gives you an opportunity to make additional sales after the initial purchase.
• Size Matters. Do you offer a product or service that is offered on an annual basis? If so, why not consider breaking that price down into an almost laughable price (i.e. $.40/day)? This forces the prospect to reconsider the pricing, and will often be the impetus they need to make the purchase. They can easily justify spending forty cents per day — you can’t even buy a can of soda for that price! To really drive this point home, use this technique in conjunction with an example of how much money your product or service could save them (or make for them) during that same one-year timeframe.

We’re all familiar with the sobering statistics of small business success, even in the best of times. Despite this, history has proven that there are some businesses that not only survive, but thrive in tough economic times.

Their success isn’t by chance — it’s by surveying and adapting to the market, and making the necessary adjustments to service their niche. It’s a smart strategy that is worth adopting as your own.

Otherwise, you may well find yourself left out in the cold.

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When my husband leaves for work in the morning, I am seldom awake, let alone coherent.

So, when he returned to the house this morning just moments after heading out to the car to leave for work, I was startled.

Perhaps that’s an understatement. I was scared witless. Think of the “Lost in Space” robot with arms flailing, shouting, “Danger, danger!” — but with half-slit eyes and bedhead.

Not a pretty picture.

After taking a moment to bring my pulse back to a more normal rhythm, I got the details on what had happened. As it turns out, he had mistakenly left our car unlocked overnight — and subsequently, our satellite radio was stolen.

Crappy way to start out a Monday, no matter who you are.

We phoned the police, who quickly arrived and took a report — not that they can really do anything about it. A few minutes later, John headed out for work, minus the musical diversion of Radio Margaritaville.

Here’s where the story gets interesting.

Once he got to work, John phoned SiriusXM radio to report the theft, and have the service cancelled on the radio. He fully expected to have to purchase another radio — and, while not a huge expense, the notion did add a certain amount of insult to injury.

Much to his surprise, SiriusXM offered to replace the radio, at no charge. While I am not sure if this was because we are long-standing customers, or if this is standard procedure — but either way, we were pleasantly surprised — and relieved.

Knowing this, it should come as no surprise to anyone that both John and I tweeted about our experience this morning — sharing our praises of SiriusXM with all of our followers. We were already loyal customers — having purchased radio service for ourselves, and both sets of parents. I think it’s a safe bet that we will be lifelong customers now.

SiriusXM made a smart marketing decision this morning. Regardless of their actual cost on the replacement radio, they scored big with us. We’re happy, and we are keeping our service. But more importantly, happy customers become customer evangelists — a fact that has been multiplied exponentially by social media.

So here’s the takeaway — it is easy to drop the ball on customer service in the frenzied pace in which we live. But make no mistake, those subtle nuances can make a huge difference to your bottom line. It costs less to keep an existing customer happy than it does to find, qualify, and cultivate a relationship with a new one.

Make a customer happy today, and they will become brand evangelists for you tomorrow. I don’t know about you, but that is music to my ears.

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A funny thing happened while I was shopping at the mall over the weekend.

John needed to get a couple pairs of blue jeans, so we headed over to JCPenney. They were having a sale on his favorite brand, so we knew exactly where we were headed. I say this only to explain that we weren’t on a typical Traci “let’s look around” kind of mission. We went in with a plan, and we stuck to it.

In the short time between entering and exiting the store, we were greeted by no less than FIVE sales associates. I’m not talking about your standard, “can I help you find something?” that comes off fake and creepy — I’m talking about a genuine, look-you-in-the-eyes-and-smile greeting. There was something immediately different about the way in which they greeted us, and we immediately noticed.

I worked at JCPenney in high school and college — in fact, it was my very first “real job.” This was back in the day when James Cash Penney (for whom the chain is named) appeared in the training videos. Mind you, that has been MANY moons ago, but even so — I knew that there was something different here.

And it was really nice. In the eternal words of the late Billy Mays, “but wait! There’s more!”

We left the store and headed out into the food court for lunch. We decided to grab a quick sandwich at Chick-Fil-A. While placing our order, a food court attendant brushed past us to place a stack of trays on the counter for the CFA folks. The clerk taking our order apologized profusely for “the intrusion.” We laughed, replying that it would take more than that to offend us, and left the counter moments later with our order, and a slight smile still on our faces.

While we were enjoying our lunch, another Chick-Fil-A employee asked if we’d like for her to refill our beverages. Get out of Dodge! I couldn’t believe we were getting that level of service in a crowded mall food court.

Minutes later, we headed out of the mall, but the discussion as we headed to the car was all about the many examples of great service we’d received during our brief visit.

The Takeaways:

In a tough economy, price is often removed from the equation. The huge discount retailers will often match prices on popular items. If the product is identical from multiple retailers, and you’ve removed the price barrier — what’s left? Service. Focus on providing the customer with a better experience, better service, or a better value, and you’ll win their loyalty.

Create a better buying experience, and leave an impression on the customer. In tough times, customers hold tight to the wallet. If they are going to open the wallet to make a purchase, you want them to feel GOOD about it, not experience buyer’s remorse. In each of the examples I noted, we walked away having noted that it was a positive buying experience. We felt good about making the choice we made.

Yes, times are tough, and they may get worse before they get better. But, consumers will still have needs to fill. If you want to be the retailer they choose to fill those needs, start finding ways to make yourself the obvious choice. Offer value-added services. Offer superior service. Create a better experience.

Do that, and your customer walks away happy, comfortable and evangelizing your business. In the end, you’ll get more mileage out of that than a good pair of blue jeans.

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Killer sales copy is often the difference between profit and loss, between success and failure. While there is certainly no shortage of opinions as to what constitutes great copywriting, there are a few structural points that remain universal. When used correctly, they can cast a rhythmic spell over the reader, and entice them to make a purchasing decision.

“I Heard He Sang a Good Song, I Heard He Had a Style…”*

Perhaps a prospect has landed on your page because of an advertisement or offer that they have seen. Some may be referred by a friend or colleague. Regardless of what brought them to you, once they have arrived, you have precious little time to gain their attention. Your choice of headline is crucial to the success of your writing. It must grab the attention of the audience, and draw them in. There are various structures you can use to create a winning headline.

“Strumming My Pain With His Fingers…”*

You are offering a product or service to fill a need; that said, you should focus on capitalizing on the prospect’s need for what you have to offer. Are they losing sales? Missing out on finding their soulmate? Shine a bright spotlight on their problem — whatever that may be — then show them how you can solve it. This structure makes your readers believe they are being given access to information that someone is trying to keep from them.

Make sure your first sentence follows on from your headline and doesn’t disappoint your readers. If your headline promises something, make sure your first sentence supports the idea that you are going to deliver on that promise. Once a headline has captured interest, the supporting sentences must build upon that interest.

“Singing My Life With His Words…”*

To create killer copy, you must be able to visualize your audience. Your copy should read as if you are speaking directly to the prospect. To do this, you must zero in on your target customer. How old is your target audience? Are they male or female? What is their average income level and what is their level of intellect likely to be? Speak to them directly, as if they were sitting across from you. Speak to them, not at them. Telling them stories offers an effective way to convey details in a manner that is far more palatable than a blatant sales pitch.

Your readers will make up their minds whether to carry on looking at your webpage in less than ten seconds — use that ten seconds to convey clearly and concisely why they need what you have to offer, and how they will improve their situation as a result of purchasing.

“And There He Was This Young Boy… a Stranger to My Eyes…”*

Customers purchase from people that they know, like and trust. There are a number of elements you can add to your writing to increase its credibility, including the following:

• Testimonials
• Detailed Case Studies
• A Powerful Guarantee
• Free Bonus Material

No matter how well your copy sells your product, your customers will be more convinced by other people’s opinions, real life examples of how the product will work for them, the possibility of getting their money back if they are not satisfied, and the offer of free material.

The Song That Never Ends

Opinions are divided over whether long or short copy is more effective at increasing sales. Both offer some advantages, and which one you opt for may depend on what you are trying to sell. It may be worth testing both long and short versions to see which produces the greatest amount of conversions.

Long copy gives your customer more information and may reduce any anxiety they feel about buying the product. It might also reduce your customer service obligations by giving them the facts upfront. You can use bold phrases with long copy to allow skim reading if your customers don’t want to read the whole page.

Short copy gets your message across quickly without losing the interest of your reader. It keeps your page neat and sleek, without that feeling that it goes on forever. You can include links with additional information for those that want to read more detail. Shorter copy avoids the perception of an overly repetitive and hyped sales pitch.

The things to bear in mind when writing killer product descriptions are your structure, style, length, and grammar. Make sure you are selling directly to your target audience, and that you include some additional elements that will make your customers feel more comfortable about buying from you. Incorporating these tips into your copy will help you turn more prospects into buyers.

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* “Killing Me Softly with His Song” is a 1971 song composed by Charles Fox and Norman Gimbel. Lori Lieberman was the first to record Fox and Gimbel’s song, in 1971, but it became a bigger hit when covered by Roberta Flack in 1973. Her version won three Grammy Awards: Song of the Year, Record of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Female Performer and it was number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for 4 weeks.

In 1975, an instrumental version of “Killing Me Softly” served as the main musical theme of the film The Drowning Pool, starring Paul Newman.

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Those who read this blog regularly know that I tend to find my marketing inspiration in unusual (and often unorthodox) ways. Consider this fair warning…today shall be no exception.

The single best piece of marketing advice I can offer you as we close out 2008 is this — if you aren’t yet using the social media phenomenon that is Twitter — get off your keister and start.

Right now.

Over the holidays, my husband and I were watching a marathon of reruns of NCIS. We really haven’t been fans of the show for very long, so this provided us an opportunity to catch up on the episodes we’d missed. My favorite character is Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs, played by Mark Harmon. Harmon’s character is a no-nonsense, “just the facts” kind of guy, and is well-known for cutting his coworkers off mid-sentence, and, on occasion, hanging up on them when they get too verbose. Ouch.

A light went off in my head when I realized that many 21st-century prospects are a lot like Gibbs — if we want to hold their attention, we need to cut to the chase.

Twitter is an excellent tool to help you hone this precious skill. Twitter provides you just 140 precious characters to convey your message — something that Gibbs could certainly appreciate.

Legendary salesman Elmer Wheeler was a big fan of this concept, saying “Sometimes your first 10 words—or your first 10 seconds—are as important as the next 10,000!”

Social media has developed its own shorthand to help us keep our messages short. Here are a few of the more popular abbreviations:

LOL : laugh out loud
ROFL : roll on floor laughing
BRB : be right back
AFK : away from keyboard
THX : thanks / thank you
TTYL : talk to you later
YW : you’re welcome
GTG : go to go
SRY: sorry
NP : no problem
FWIW: for what it’s worth
IMHO: in my humble opinion
LMK: let me know

Don’t misunderstand me – I am not advocating you begin spamming the social media sites with endless sales pitches. Social media is first and foremost to establish relationships. We all know that folks will buy from people that they know, like and trust — focus on those goals, and the sales will surely follow.

Speaking of following, if you’d like to follow me, you can do so by clicking here, or on the link at the top of the column to your right. I will endeavor to keep my messages short, sweet, and entertaining.

Until next year!
Traci

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The relationship a business has with its customers is its single biggest asset and should be carefully nurtured.

One important secret to business success may involve asking yourself a pivotal question: If your company’s only product were the customer relationship itself, how good would your product be?

Entrepreneurs and business owners have the opportunity to understand, communicate with and relate to their customers as never before. Building the most successful customer relationships calls for effective use of today’s online tools–many of which are geared specifically for small businesses–while also demonstrating business and customer savvy.

Small-business experts from Constant Contact offer some tips on nurturing customer relationships and building a lasting, successful business:

Understand the relationship factor: Recognize that the individual relationship is your single most important asset. Great relationships will change the way your business grows and how many times customers refer you to friends.

Know your customers: Know what your customers want and how they want you to communicate with them. Connect with them using cost-effective and personalized methods. E-mail marketing is one such tool that can help you build stronger relationships with your customers and result in big cost savings.

Ask and listen: Listening is the heart of every successful relationship. Establish an authentic exchange by using tools such as online surveys to stay in touch with customer needs.

Earn and protect customer trust: Above all, people value trust in their relationships. Earn your customer’s trust and keep it by continuously working to maintain the integrity of your customer relationships. Use engaging e-mail newsletters to build familiarity and trust.

Share your expertise: The exchange of knowledge turns trust into loyalty by allowing your customers to tap into your expertise. E-mail marketing campaigns can feature your knowledge and serve as an ongoing resource for your customers.

The secrets to growing great relationships are simple, but the more creative and resourceful you are in applying them, the stronger and more valuable your relationships will become.

To learn more, visit http://www.constantcontact.com/emailmarketing/index.jsp and http://www.constantcontact.com/survey/index.jsp.

Tell Traci What You Think!

How are you building stronger relationships with your customers?

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As the end of the year draws closer, more and more of our clients are voicing the same concerns — striking a balance between garnering every sales dollar that they can, and avoiding overstock inventory going into the new year.

Whether you are in the business of selling physical or information products, the same rules apply. Take a good hard look at those items that you are most focused on moving, and design some creative promotions around them. Below are some examples that should help to get you started.

The “Samplin’ Sam’s” Approach
For everyone who has ever tried to “run the gauntlet” at their local wholesale club on a Saturday, this one’s for you. Never underestimate the power of samples. Whether it’s body lotion or book editing, offering a sample will invariably help turn prospects into customers.

Bundling Bonuses
You can’t go 15 feet in your local shopping center without seeing this practice at work. Retailers love to help you simplify your gift-giving by creating bundles of products. Don’t limit yourself to using it only during the holidays – bundling works year round!

Packaging a slower moving product with more popular items achieves multiple goals — you’ll move more inventory, as well as introduce customers to a new product. Buy-One-Get-One promotions build customer loyalty and goodwill — both of which can be tough to come by in a sluggish economy.

Customer Continuity Programs
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve no doubt heard the buzz about membership sites. You don’t have to have a membership site to enjoy the benefits that a continuity program provides. For the sake of an example, let’s assume that you offer a coaching program. You might offer a “Charter Membership”, with a pricetag of $99.00, with a recurring monthly fee of $150.00 thereafter. This initial fee is to secure a lower monthly rate (perhaps you’d charge subsequent members $175 per month), and for their quick response, you “gift” these charter members a set of eight videos, delivered digitally.

Your new client happily joins at the lower price, because they see this offer as one that is saving them $300 over the course of the next year by joining early (in reality, it’s $201, because you’ve gotten the $99 upfront.

Now, for that investment, your new coaching client receives a series of video presentations that you’ve compiled from several speaking engagements over the last year. You already had these videos, so you’ve incurred no new expense. By building in the video bonus, you’ve created value, as well as an incentive for fast action.

With me so far?

Let’s go back to the $201 you saved folks who took advantage of the early bird offer. Interested in making some of that back? Simply build a one-time offer into the back end of your checkout process. You could offer things like transcripts of all of the videos, add in some audios, a monthly group tele-seminar for the early bird participants (which you could then use to leverage other products), quick start guides, etc. You could even offer the early birds a chance to earn even more of their fees back by promoting the program as an affiliate. Considering that you’re offering a digitally-administered program, you still enjoy a healthy profit margin.

This is by no means a comprehensive list — but it should give you some food for thought.

Now, take a fresh look at your overstock books and inventory, and your digital assets. Think about how you might pair them up in new and creative ways. Then, start selling!

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Back in the early 90s, when I was still working in industry, the ISO 9000 quality system was all the buzz. ISO 9000 refers to a system of internationally accepted quality management standards.

Many large corporations that outsource various portions of their manufacturing processes utilize the ISO certification as a method of “qualifying” suppliers for that outsourcing business. For a manufacturer, having the coveted ISO certification provides a way of differentiating yourself from the competition — and it often plays a major role in their overall marketing campaign.

So, what’s the point of this rambling trip down memory lane, you ask?

I’m seeing far too many small businesses that are potentially eclipsing their own success by failing to institute their own set of quality control standards. And to be fair, I should say that I am seeing these same problems among many of the so-called “gurus” out there as well. What aggravates me most about the whole thing is that most, if not all of these cases, they are simple things that could easily be remedied.

The Value of Honest Assessment
In working with the magazine and Gurus Lab, I often have the opportunity to review various products, books and ebooks. There is no shortage of blogs that offer paid reviews — with some amounting to little more than an advertorial. That said, I don’t approach reviews that way. I won’t offer a review of any product I haven’t personally used, and I don’t sugarcoat my assessments. My clients and colleagues could certainly attest to the fact that I have a long and storied reputation of “calling ‘em like I see ‘em.” It may not be the most popular path to take, but so be it.

Earlier today I was reviewing a relatively new ebook that was covering a popular marketing topic.

Without going into great detail, let it suffice to say that the ebook was filled with spelling errors (the first one being in the opening sentence), grammatical errors and a lack of a cohesive progression of topics. While some of the information was of value, it was difficult to identify all of the potential gems — they failed to link to all of the resources. Some were mentioned, but no link was provided. Another resource was mentioned by an incorrect name.

I do recognize that many marketers prefer to write in a conversational and informal tone, and there is nothing wrong with that — I do it myself. But, there is a difference between an informal tone and one that you might use to IM a friend. If a customer is purchasing a product from you because you have purported yourself to be an expert on a specific topic, you have an obligation to live up to that.

In the case of this ebook…if I had ordered it, I would have requested a refund.

The fact is — none of us are above quality control. Whether it’s asking a friend to take a look at your newsletter before you hit send, or hiring an editor to go over your ebook before you start your market assault, these are measures that are well worth the time and effort.

The extra time you invest in quality control will pay long-term dividends.

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How many newsletters are you currently receiving by email?

I don’t have an exact number, but I know there are several dozen. Over the last few weeks, I started to trim the herd a bit, as I noticed that I was receiving less information — in favor of more sales messages.

Now, let me be clear here…I don’t begrudge anyone for trying to make a living — your customers don’t, either. I fully support those businesses whose mailing lists I subscribe to; however, in return, I do expect to receive information or news that is useful to me, or to my business.

If you offer a newsletter or periodic mailing to your customers, now is not the time to depart from the tried-and-true formula of providing news, content and value. Instead, use this tool to connect with your customers like never before. Enlist their cooperation, their opinions, and their suggestions. How can you improve your business, be more attentive to their needs, or utilize their knowledge to broaden your existing content?

Such measures will not only gain their respect and loyalty, but it will help you to stand out in a crowded marketplace.

Providing more valuable content – some ideas to get you started:

• Are you offering products for resale? Offer your customers PDF sales materials that they can use, and personalize with their business information.
• Create short tutorial videos or audio podcasts with product information, instructions, or providing answers to common technical questions.
• Do you serve a tight niche market? Compile information that is of use to your customers from complimentary (but non-competitive sources). Sharing content builds allied relationships in the marketplace, and doubles the value you bring to your customers.
• Keep a pulse on market developments by using tools like news feeds and news alerts. Posting recent headlines in your newsletter. Your customers will appreciate the time you have saved them in searching.
• Set up a Twitter account, and start asking your customers what they need. You’ll gain quick, succinct responses that you can immediately put to use. Your customers can be a great resource for stories you can share in your newsletter.

In times when your marketing budget may be tight, utilizing resources like your customer newsletter can pay dividends.

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