One of my friends and colleagues, Jasbindar Singh, the CEO of SQ Consulting in Auckland, New Zealand, has just released her new book "Get Your Groove Back". Here she is at the book launch: It's an excellent book, but in this article I'd like to focus only on the title. You see, Jasbindar is a Thought Leader who talks about SQ, or "spiritual intelligence".
Even with blogs, podcasts, YouTube, Facebook, social bookmarks, and everything else that's new on the Web, the humble e-mail newsletter is probably still going to be your most valuable e-marketing tool. When I started my business, it was easy to get people to sign up to my e-mail newsletter, because it was such a novelty. But that's no longer the case; Internet users are very, very wary about giving out their e-mail address; even to people they think they know and they trust.
I've recently finished reading Andrew Keen's book The Cult of the Amateur, where he talks about "how today's Internet is killing our culture and assaulting our economy". His main argument is that the new Internet promotes popularity over expertise, trivia over serious news, and sound bites over substance.
When I talk to experts about creating information products, the most common complaint I hear is, "I don't have the time!" Is that true of you as well? If so, maybe you're not taking full advantage of the material you've already created. Creating new material is fun - and important. But don't overlook the opportunities to take your existing material and spin it into other forms.
The Internet landscape has changed when it comes to copyright. Previously, publishers would jealously guard their material, and could even send lawyers after you if you copied it without permission. But now Web 2.0 sites like YouTube encourage users to copy their material, so they get more exposure and more traffic.
I recently conducted a teleseminar for First Step members on the topic "Create Your Own Membership Site". In preparing for this teleseminar, I asked members to send me their most pressing questions in advance, so I could make sure I answered them in the teleseminar.
In another article, I talked about the three things you should have in place before you launch a membership site. To recap: 1. Value: Do you have proven valuable expertise that people are willing to pay for? 2. Products: Do you have a suite of high-value products you already bundle in with your services? 3. Database: Do you have a database of clients and prospects who might be interested in joining your membership site?
I've recently done a lot of consulting to help clients create membership sites. That's not surprising - it's been one of the biggest trends on the Internet
in the past three years. And it's even more powerful now with the popularity of social networking sites like Facebook.
Expert Author: Gihan Perera | Category: Business When I was travelling back from Auckland to Perth recently, I was watching the greatest movie of all time on my iPod. The movie, of course, is Casablanca: It struck me that the last time I was watching this movie, it was at an outdoor cinema, under the stars on the big screen. And the previous time, it was at home, watching a DVD on TV.
Expert Author: Gihan Perera | Category: Marketing As an expert, your most powerful marketing tool is not your business card. It's not your glossy brochure. It's not your Web site. It's not your client testimonials. It's not any of your collateral material. As an expert, your most powerful marketing tool is your expertise. It's your knowledge, your ideas, your intellectual property - and the way you apply it to your clients' lives and businesses to make a difference.
Expert Author: Gihan Perera | Category: Ebooks How to convert your intellectual property into profitable e-books. I wrote my latest e-book "The Seven Fatal Mistakes That Almost Every Business Owner Makes on Their Web Site" as a lead-generation tool to get new subscribers to my e-zine.
It was at the end of 1995, when I was working in the U.K. on contract. I had no immediate work to do that day, but my boss needed me to hang around in case something came up. So he told me to "surf the Web" while waiting.
I'm sure you've heard of "Web 2.0" and tools like Facebook, Flickr and YouTube. But you might still be wondering exactly how to use them in your speaking / training / coaching / consulting business.
If you're an expert, these are the 5 key Internet tools you must use to build credibility, demonstrate expertise and stay on the leading edge of Internet technology for delivering your expertise:
Make sure that the words you use on your Web site are benefit-oriented rather than feature-oriented. Instead of telling your potential customers what your product can do (features), tell them what it can do for them (benefits). In other words, describe the product in terms of the result it offers rather than the product itself.
I've talked to a number of clients and colleagues who have "almost" completed new products - books, e-books, and so on. The trouble is that the last few steps always seem to stretch out, taking longer and longer.
Imagine going to your local supermarket and watching the shoppers. They pick up a shopping cart, wander around the aisles collecting their groceries, and eventually take them to the checkout to pay.
A few years ago, Stanford University in California, USA conducted a massive survey of over 4,000 Internet users in North America and Europe. Their objective was to answer this question: "What makes a Web site credible in the eyes of Internet users?"
One of the biggest problems with Web sites is that the very first page on the site is turning people away.
Why? Because most Website owners talk about themselves instead of talking about their Website visitor.
Well, here I am on holiday in Italy (in case you hadn't figured that out already). The weather is beautiful, the scenery is spectacular, and the food and wine are plentiful. I seem to be doing nothing but eating, drinking and putting on weight.
