The internet is predominantly a TEXT-based medium.
Most web sites consist of pages and pages of text, or even sometimes ONE LONG sales copy page, called LONG-COPY.
Personally I find this interesting, because since the introduction of television, our attention spans have decreased, and society is breeding a generation of "audio learners". We like to either LISTEN, or watch a video, to learn something new.
If you already grasp the concept that INTERNET MARKETING is all about conversion rates (or closing the sale) then you KNOW you need to harness every available tool to convert YOUR visitors into buyers.
One way to increase your conversion rate overnight, is to start using audio on your site or as part of your marketing process.
Would you like to give yourself an "instant pay raise"? Or even START making money online? Again you do it with AUDIOS.
Is there something that THE BIG GUYS of internet marketing have that you don't have? Are the gurus smarter, better, and faster than you?
Let's assume NONE of that is true ... because likely it isn't true at all!
But if you aren't successful yet ... one thing you DON'T have in place is a SYSTEM. A Step-By-Step Process. Maybe you feel like you're beating yourself over the head chasing the dream of making 5 figures in a month ... because you just KNOW that other people are doing it.
One of my clients said to me once that I reminded him that time-proven marketing strategies still apply today. But why is it that when we approach Internet Marketing so many of are constantly grasping for something new?
Yes, it's an evolving medium ... but you can't throw out what's already PROVEN to work!
I'm NOT going to try to sell you a SYSTEM. There's already plenty of those out there. I'm not even going to ask you to sign up for my FREE system.
Instead, I'll reveal just a couple of the secrets that the BIG GUYS already know AND DO to illustrate.
Secret #1
Create a plan and get it down on paper. This process shouldn't take long ... but it's important for you to critique yourself, and to monitor your progress. 80% of all small businesses fail within the first two years. That's four out of every five! One reason they fail is because they don't have a plan. They just OPEN THE DOORS and have an unrealistic expectation that buyers will flock to them and give them money.
I'm sure this statistic is even worse on the internet. I heard one quoted number ... 94% of web sites lose money. (And I'm sure that's not even counting all the personal sites and blogs out there.)
I call this step ... my ACTION PLAN. What am I going to do today? This Week? Next Week? And Next Month. Once you have YOUR plan in place ... ACT on it. Or as Nike says ... Just Do It!
Secret #2
The best way to automate your income ... or as some people call it ... put your business on auto-pilot, is to sell electronic media. Software, e-books, reports, or even a service that you can deliver via the internet. This might be programming, web site development, translation services, copywriting services and so on.
Everyone is an expert in something! Do you have a hobby? Okay ... watching television doesn't count. Oh wait ... I'm wrong! Movie reviews ... TV reviews .... Yes you COULD do something with that if you're good at it.
Maybe you're good at something that other people have as a hobby! Do you play sports? Do crafts? The list goes on and on!
Secret #3
The big profits are in UPSELLS and BACK-END SALES. So if you have a buyer on your site ready to CLICK THE BUY button, studies have shown that if you offer them an add on, this is how you can add even MORE profits to your bottom line. The magic number here, is 30% of the cost of your product. So if you're selling a product ... add into your sales process an upsell of for another product that compliments what they have already decided to buy from you.
BACK-END sales are sales to previous customers. I read a book a few years ago on the subject of database marketing, and their research showed that it costs about one tenth the price to sell to an already happy customer. Why is that?
You don't have to convince them that you're not out to rip them off or scam them.
This important fact is essential to YOUR business, because this is where you can sell them a MORE EXPENSIVE product.
So back to our example of a initial sale of an e-book PDF. And maybe they even bought the add-on for free lifetime updates.
Now you can offer them a BIGGER package for 2X or 3X the price. Maybe this one includes audios, or videos. Since you already established the value of the FIRST product, when you offer a 2nd product that includes MORE ... a higher price tag is easily understood by your customer.
But honestly, this is where I see a lot of us Internet Marketers fail. Most of the MP3 audios I have purchased sound horrible. They sound like they were recorded using a telephone. (Perhaps they WERE.) That skinny little microphone in a telephone just doesn't cut it when it comes to recording audio.
When it comes time to sell that BIG package for BIG bucks, you'll want to consider shipping them something they can touch, feel, see, and listen to. (If you want to appeal to all five sense, throw in a Scratch N Sniff Card, and a coupon for your favorite burger joint. Okay ... I'm kidding. But I'm sure you get my point.)
Your high-value package can contain audio CD's, a DVD, or a PRINTED version of your e-book. But AGAIN, this is where a lot of guys fail. I have a library of CDs, from Online Marketers that you likely know ... and the audio is HORRIBLE! Bandwidth certainly isn't an issue ... so why is it then?
Back when audio books were on cassette, the quality was MUCH higher than it is today, because each e-book was produced with AUDIO quality in mind!
I'm out to make the next generation of internet marketers SMARTER, BETTER and FASTER than the generation before. Give your customers a QUALITY product. They'll love you for it. And if they already bought one of those bad-sounding products from your competitor ... they will instantly see how much better YOURS is than theirs.
HOW TO CREATE A BRAND NEW INCOME STREAM
Okay, so let's say you have an e-book. Whether you've sold 5 copies or 5 thousand copies, it's still an E-book.
When you take an existing digital product and turn it into a new format, it is in fact a new product. Just like if you're a programmer creating PC products, and launch a MAC version ... you now appeal to a new stream of potential customers. Voila ... a new profit center!
The way to do this with an e-book is to create either an AUDIO version ... or a VIDEO version of your product. Since audio is a passive media ... this is preferred. PASSIVE means they can LISTEN to your MP3 while they're doing something else, while still getting the full effect of what you're teaching them.
But it also comes down to quality. Calling a service that records your e-book over the telephone is NOT the best solution, since the originating file is going to be poor quality to begin with. No amount of editing and restoration is going to give you that Big Sexy Voice, if you start with a tiny little sound file. So you either need to get the good gear ... or go somewhere that already has it.
For the DO-IT-YOURSELFER ...
You'll need a way to record it digitally (into your computer). Make sure you have plenty of hard drive space. You'll be recording in WAV format ... and those files are a monster! Budget a couple of hundred bucks on a decent sound card ... with the ability to plug in a REAL MICROPHONE. (not one of those skinny little "mini" plugs.)
Here's what else your shopping list will contain ... Big speakers - NOT PC speakers. If your speakers are too small you will overcompensate with bottom end, and sound too bassy. (I like Edirol - a division of Roland), a good vocal Mic (I like EV, Samson, AKG, Shure and Rode), a mic stand, some cabling, and last but not least AUDIO EDITING SOFTWARE.
The industry standard is PRO TOOLS, but my preference is Adobe Audition. The reason I like Audition is because it links well with Adobe Premiere which allows me to keep my audio and video files in sync when I need to edit a voice-over for a video project.
Whatever audio editing product you choose, it has to have some key abilities. Before I start speaking greek to the non-techie I apologize in advance. If you're not the do-it-yourselfer ... skip ahead a bit to the next page.
1. Multi-track mode (if you want to mix in some music or other voices on different tracks you will need software that has a multi-track mode).
2. Dynamic Processing and Filtering. Your dynamic range (how soft and loud) needs to be compressed, so it fills up the audio space as much as possible.
3. Built-in effects processing ... this is stuff like reverb, delay, pitch and time correction.
4. Easy simple to use cut & paste where you can zoom-in and clip and fix whatever you need. If you stumble over words, they need to be fixed.
5. Next, it has to be NON-DESTRUCTIVE editing. In other words, it leaves your original source file INTACT, and only edits the new file. Adobe Audition has all of these features as well as hundreds if not thousands more.
Alternatively you could just hire out a narrator who already has all these toys and have it professionally done for you.
BREATHE NEW LIFE INTO YOUR DEAD OR EVEN HOT-SELLING PRODUCTS
If you have a popular e-book that sold once in high volumes but has slowed down over the years, making an AUDIO version is the way to breathe new life into your dead product. In particular, you can market it to your list, to those who never bought the PDF version. Maybe they didn't buy in the first place because it wasn't available in audio. Or maybe sales SLOWED because competitors (perhaps one of the BIG GUYS) are now offering a similar product that includes an accompanying AUDIO VERSION.
If you also package it into a REAL CD that you ship ... not only will you reduce your refund requests, but you add VALUE to your product and can charge MORE.
If you have it done by someone else ... you don't even have to do any of the production work!
But if you're packaging a CD ... make sure you are using a WAV file ... as opposed to an MP3 when you do the audio conversion and duplication. And NEVER use an 8-bit or 16-bit file to make a CD. You'd be surprised at the number of expensive audio CD's that do this.
Books on tape (okay now I'm showing my age) have always been popular. And how the medium is CD's. Audio on CD is portable and is easily taken with you wherever you go!
Make more ... charge more money for your new package ... It's like giving yourself a raise!
GET YOUR WEB SITE TO CONVERT MORE TRAFFIC INTO BUYERS
I already mentioned in the Introduction Chapter how important CONVERSION is. What good is a flood of traffic to your site ... if they don't buy your product.
Marketing is all about improving your conversions. Whether it's getting more clicks to your adwords campaigns, lowering your PPC rate, or moving your prospects further into your SALES CYCLE.
Here's how AUDIO can help with this:
If you are selling only a PDF version of your e-book you are LEAVING MONEY ON THE TABLE!
Your competitors ARE offering audio versions ... and sometimes video. Their products come alive ... have more credibility ... and more value.
AND ... if you promote a mini version of your e-book product (for example under ) you can back-end the new AUDIO version for a much higher price tag.
Furthermore, when a prospect visits your site for the very first time, you have only one chance to make a first impression with them. Are you presenting credibility? Remember that so many Internet Marketers HIDE behind their web site. Sometimes it's cookie-cutter formula site that doesn't even feel like a real person owns it!
Don't be Left in the Dust. A web site WITHOUT audio is like a web site in black & white. It just hasn't harnessed its full potential yet!
YOUR ACTION PLAN
Back in the introduction, we talked about having a plan of action and moving forward with it. Here's my challenge to you ... if you wait until you have the time to narrate your own PDF books how much are you losing in potential revenue every day that you wait?
Creating AUDIOS doesn't have to cost a ton ... but you can make it SOUND like you did! AND it doesn't have to be something you do next month ... you can start selling audios in the next few days!
