In the years I’ve been marketing and selling online, I’ve consistently watched people struggle in their attempt to get visibility for any number of eBased products they hope to move. Whether it be to move by way of a giveaway for the purpose of building a list or selling an eBook, teleseminar, webinar or home study program to additionally generate revenues, most fall short of their desired outcome.
There’s a very simple reason for this: left to our own devices, it’s incredibly difficult to get the traction we need to make a dent in our efforts.
In addition, many people are relying on outdated methods to build their presence, lists and revenues. In the past it was a heck of a lot easier to get people to pay attention to what we were offering and subsequently to opt in for our offer. Engagement was higher, as were open rates when follow-up emails were sent out.
Today, people are on information overload. They are more distracted than ever and there is a lot of “noise” they deal with day in and day out.
More than ever you absolutely must have a multi-prong approach to your marketing and promotions. One prong I love is aligned partnerships.
Recently, I launched Power Up for Profits Podcast. It’s listed on iTunes and Stitcher, as well as on a website dedicated to my show—www.PowerUpForProfitsPodcast.com.
The announcement of my show's launch was very well planned. I didn’t one day think, “Hmmm, I think I’ll start a podcast show,” and immediately put something up on iTunes.
Nope. I assigned two team members the task of getting the website done and securing interview commitments from experts I know my market has an interest in.
We actually worked behind the scenes with the show for nearly two months before announcing it. The results?
Within a week we had over 1,000 downloads and by day one of the second week we hit 35% of the previous week's downloads. This simply means we have momentum building. With the numbers of listeners and downloads rising by the day, I am confident we will hit 10,000 downloads within a couple of months. But! I am not resting on my laurels. Nope. We are continuing to promote the show and our featured experts, as well as running a contest to drive listeners to iTunes, and we announce each new show that rolls out.
As a result, my show has hit #3 in Careers category and #7 in Education in the first week. That's out of hundreds of thousands of shows on iTunes.
Here’s the rub, though...If I stopped doing everything I did in the first week to get the position we have, there’s a great chance the show would quickly be forgotten and all our efforts would be for naught.
On the backend, the benefits of having a podcast are many, but again, not without a very targeted effort on the part of me and my team.
Benefits include market reach, visibility, getting your foot in the door with experts you might otherwise not be able to partner with, driving traffic to your blog, website, landing page, or any number of locations you want potential clients and customers to end up—more of a dedicated following and ultimately increased revenues. The revenues are a result of introducing people to your products and services or your becoming an affiliate of your featured guests. There are plenty more benefits, but you get the idea. Podcasting is HOT!
Do you need a team to get going with a podcast? Nope. You’ll just have to work harder to do everything that needs to be done. For many people, you won’t have a team. I certainly didn’t early on in my business development days.
One of the most evident reasons my show has done so well this early on has to do with the experts I’ve interviewed. People like TFOI founders, Denise Wakeman and Ellen Britt; Internet super star, Jason Fladlien; real estate investment expert, Susan Lassiter Lyons; and Kindle whiz kid, Brian G. Johnson, to name just a few of my hot guests.
Not only have they helped to spread the word about the show, their communities have also jumped on the bandwagon to spread the word. In a nutshell, it all boils down to my circle of influence.
There was a time I dreamed of having this type of circle of influence. The network of influencers where I could just pick up the phone and say, "Hey Bud! I have this thing I want you to do," and they would immediately say yes.
Today, it's part of "business as usual."
There's something to be said for being able to do this regardless of the industry you are in. But this type of influence doesn’t happen overnight. It starts with the first relationship you build. Then the next. And the next. And the next.
It happens by taking a long-term approach to building your online presence. It happens by not burning bridges. It happens by sticking with what you are doing.
It happens by being willing to serve others before you want them to serve you.
When you take this approach, the results can be staggering.
If you really want to have great results with your efforts to give away and sell digital products, start now to build aligned relationships. Avoid simply trying to build relationships for how it will benefit you, but rather, how can you create a win/win/win.
Win for you. Win for the other person. And ultimately, win for your clients and customers.
Discover success insights from experts around the globe who are out there making a difference and making a great living in the process. Kathleen Gage interviews the best of the best with Power Up for Profits Podcast. http://www.powerupforprofitspodcast.com