Chris Ducker

Expert Business Growth, Virtual Staffing & Personal Branding

How to Start a Blog That Matters and Make Your First Dollar Online!

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8A8ufqrdRc

As you know, it’s not often (I can count on one hand how many times I’ve done it in the last two years!) that I whole-heartedly get behind someone and what they have to offer online. But, I’m gonna do it today.

On Monday I published a post highlighting 3 bloggers that you must follow online in 2012 to achieve the success I know you are all after – one of them was my good friend, Corbett Barr.

Just as I hit the publish button on that post Corbett opened the doors to his 13-week coaching course on How to Start a Blog that Matters. This thing is stacked, jam-packed with everything you’ll need to know to start a blog and kick-ass online – and the price makes it an absolute no-brainer, as far as I’m concerned.

Watch my video above for a solid explanation on everything, and 2 special bonuses that are up for grabs, if you get involved through my affiliate link.

What’s in the Course?

The following list is taken directly from Corbett’s genius set-up:

  • Week 1: Choose the right topic for you.
  • Week 2: Develop the perfect blog name and brand.
  • Week 3: Design your blog to look great.
  • Week 4: Create your social media strategy.
  • Week 5: Develop your launch plan.
  • Week 6: Learn how to create outstanding content.
  • Week 7: Create your launch content.
  • Week 8: Launch your blog.
  • Week 9: Start making friends in the blogosphere.
  • Week 10: Build your thriving audience.
  • Week 11: Expand your reach using webinars, YouTube, podcasts and more.
  • Week 12: Make your first dollar blogging.
  • Week 13: Develop your strategy for taking your blog to the next level.

His Bonuses are INSANE!!!

Not only all of this, but you’ll also get the following amazing bonus videos from him to:

  • How to Start a Popular Blog – The Ultimate Beginners Guide (Sit-down interview with Leo Babuata of Zen Habits)
  • How to Use Authenticity to Feel Great and Build a Huge Following (with Danielle LaPorte of White Hot Truth)
  • Case Study – How I Helped Scott Dinsmore create Live Your Legend and amass 10,000 Subscribers in 6 months!
  • How I Built a Launched Expert Enough using the 13 Factors to Make a Blog Successful

As you can see, he covers exactly EVERYTHING you need to know to be able to get started with your blog in the right way, and with SUCCESS already a certainty! He also promises that if you don’t get incredible results he will spend time coaching you personally, one-on-one! An amazing guarantee!

And, Here are MY Bonuses!!!!!!!!!

Like I said in my video above, I want to make this as useful as possible for my audience. The chances to get involved in courses like this don’t come around very often – especially at the ridiculously low price of just $97 – for everything!

So, I’ve decided to put together a couple of bonuses of my own! If you purchase Corbett’s new course between now and February 3rd, 2012, I will give you the following:

Bonus #1

When you buy ‘How to Start a Blog that Matters‘ through my link, you’ll get exclusive access to a 1-hour webinar that I will do in the next month or so, which is basically a re-vamp on my BlogWorld Expo talk that I gave in LA, last November. It’s entitled ‘How to Work with Virtual Assistants to Help Build, Grow and Monetize your Blog’. The PERFECT companion for those of you wanting to take this course and fundamentally get someone else to do all the work – based on Corbett’s ‘How To’ principles and under your guidance!

And, so you can listen to the webinar (as well as watch it), when you’re traveling, working out, eating, walking your dog… whatever – I’ll include a free audio version, too!

Bonus #2

When you decide that you want to go ahead and hire your virtual assistant, whether that be right now, or anytime in 2012, I will give you a $50 discount on my Virtual Staff Finder service, allowing you to hire your virtual assistant and start realizing the power of outsourcing as a blogger and online marketer – trust me, you have NO IDEA what you can achieve (but, you will do, when you watch the webinar!).

So, that’s it.

CLICK HERE – TO GET CORBETT’S COURSE, HIS BONUSES  — AND MY BONUSES, TOO!

And like I said in the last video – in 2012 I’m going to be focusing on providing very focused content on Start-Up and Marketing principles here on VBL. Showing you how I’ve been able to create and market successful businesses (both my own and other peoples!) and launch them online to huge success. Some of them being real ‘online’ businesses, and some even traditional ‘brick n mortar’ businesses, that have simply blown up after getting active online.

In the meantime, if you have any questions about ‘How to Start a Blog that Matters, please leave them below – I know that Corbett will be more than happy to pop over to the blog and answer them for you!

Blogging from the Heart… But, Smart! My Chit-Chat with ProBlogger, Darren Rowse

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Happy New Year, everyone…!

To kick-start 2012 I’ve decided to post this video a little earlier than I had originally anticipated. Even though it was shot at BlogWorld in LA, last November, I was going to release it at the end of this month, as part of a little series I plan on doing. However, when I was looking at it earlier today, the content just grabbed hold of me again, and I realized how important of a message it is for all of us bloggers! Hence the decision to post it earlier than planned.

Darren Rowse is known as one of the most successful bloggers and online entrepreneurs around. I’d met with Darren originally at BlogWorld in Vegas in late 2010, and we reconnected in LA, where we got to hang out and chat together a lot more – he’s a top guy and someone that I hold a massive amount of respect for.

So, in this video you’ll see me and Darren discuss the subject of one of his BlogWorld sessions, which bears the same title as this blog post.

I feel the content of this video is massively important to all bloggers out there. Not just because it helps us to come up with some cool post ideas, but also to capture the attention and imagination of our communities, and also allows people that follow us online to perhaps get a deeper understanding to what makes us tick and why we all do what we do in business, and life.

As a side note, I’d like to thank my buddy, Pat Flynn for playing cameraman for us for a few minutes on the middle of a very busy expo floor!

I’d love to hear what you guys think about this topic – please comment at will, below.

NOTE: Have you ‘Liked’ the CD’s Facebook page yet? If not, come on ever (click HERE now to join the gang!) and introduce yourself, ask questions and get involved!

My Speaking Experience at BlogWorld LA, and Why YOU Should Have Attended!

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I’ve just got back into the Philippines, and figured I’d get cracking this week with this round-up from my recent (and second this year!) trip to the USA. The last couple of weeks have been a bit of a whirlwind, and I’m feeling a little tired, but also very excited about the next few months, at the same time.

The trip kicked-off with a trip to San Francisco, where I met with a couple of clients, had lots of fun hanging out with my man, Corbett Barr and enjoyed plenty of coffee at Starbucks, which was situated right in the lobby of our hotel – to my surprise and delight!

After a few days, myself and Mrs. VBL jetted off to LA and landed to another couple of client meetings, a dinner and then it was all about BlogWorld. This was something that I’d been looking forward to ever since I attended last year and then subsequently missed the first ever New York event earlier on in the year. This time around, however, it was going to be a little different, as I was going to be speaking!

My BlogWorld Speaking Experience

Unlike some of the speakers I met at BlogWorld, this wasn’t my first time speaking in front of an audience, of any size. I’ve spoken at many different conferences, seminars and training events in the past and before I left for my trip to BlogWorld, I was actually confirmed as the Keynote Speaker at the upcoming Visayas Blogging Summit in Cebu City, Philippines which is taking place at the end of November.

All that being said, I always get a little nervous before speaking in front of a crowd (there’s something wrong with you if you don’t!), and BlogWorld was no exception. Especially as the crowd there is very savvy!

I had already got into the mood by shooting my video promo for the event, and had a load of people coming up to me, doing mafia impressions at the show, which was awesome!

All in all I was very happy with the way that my session, which was well attended and on the subject of working with VA’s to help build, grow and monetize your blog, played out. Not only did all the preparation for my session pay off, but I was very happy to see several friendly faces in the audience, as well as some of the biggest names in the blogging world, too!

I did have a little video shot at the session, and as I have had several requests to put something together, I’ll do my best to go ahead and do that in the next week or so, after I recover fully! 🙂

Why YOU Should Have Attended BlogWorld!

If you didn’t get the chance to attend BlogWorld in LA then you certainly DID miss out. The event just gets better and better, seriously. Just to make you feel worse than you probably already do, here are my top 5 reasons why YOU should have attended:

  • Networking opportunities up the yin-yang!
  • The chance to learn from the best in the industry.
  • The opportunity to meet and greet your online buddies.
  • Swag, baby – lots of swag on the exhibition floor.
  • You would have been able to attend my fantastic presentation, obviously!!!

For me, the big take-away is being able to hang out with people that I get on well with, admire, respect and general enjoy talking to. Here you’ll see myself, Pat Flynn and Darren Rowse posing for a snapshot at some point in an hour or so of just ‘chit-chatting’ together. Good times.

If you still want to check out the fantastic sessions that made up the entire 3-day conference, then you can! Simply hop over to the BlogWorld website and purchase a Virtual Ticket. You’ll get access to every session, as well as a bit of extra stuff, too!

Thank You to Everyone!

There are way too many people that I met at the conference, came up to thank me after my session, shook my hand on the exhibition floor and in the corridors of the LA Convention Center, as well as in the Speakers Room throughout the course of the event, to thank here.

However, a few people I’d like to point out and say thanks to are Corbett Barr from Think Traffic, ‘Handsome’ pro-blogger David Risley and Srinivas Rao from BlogCastFM for their unwavering support. I’d also like to thank Darren Rowse from ProBlogger for not only showing his support by attending my presentation, but also for sitting down to record a quick, but memorable video Q&A for the blog (coming soon!) and my buddy, Pat Flynn from Smart Passive Income, with whom I spent plenty of time with, both during the event and after, in his home town of San Diego, where we relaxed together for a few days, along with our families. SeaWorld, baby!

And last, but by no means least, I’d like to thank Rick Calvert, Dave Cynkin, Deb Ng and the rest of the BlogWorld Team for all the fantastic support they showed myself and the other 300-odd speakers, as well as for their hard work in putting together an awesome industry event.

The next BlogWorld event will be in June 2012 sometime and probably in New York. Its a little soon for me to tell if I’ll be able to make it – but, I can assure you, if I can… I’ll be there with bells on!

Did you attend BlogWorld in LA? If so, tell us about your experiences at the show! And if you didn’t, what do you think you would have gotten out of it the most, if you had…?

Get Busy: Top Tips For Choosing The Right Format For Your Web TV Show, or Podcast!

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DAVID SITEMAN GARLAND - The Rise on Top

This post by David Siteman Garland, is part of ‘VBL Guest Post Season 2’.

When it comes to building a virtual business of your dreams there are of course many routes you can go and as you probably know it is definitely not a “one size fits all” model like The Snuggie.

In my bias opinion, one of the coolest, most challenging, potentially profitable and rewarding is to create your own web show/podcast. Heck, maybe even a network of ’em.

Quick background: I’ve been creating and hosting shows since 2006 (with zero experience, training or background in broadcasting/hosting/creating shows) and have experimented with all kinds of formats, business models, topics and more.

For example, the first show I ever did was actually on traditional radio in my glorious hometown of St. Louis, Missouri called “Get Inline: Your Source For Professional Inline Hockey In St. Louis” (how about that for a freakin’ niche?) and now most people know me from my web show/podcast The Rise To The Top: The #1 Show For Mediapreneurs which has (coming up on) 250 episodes and over 300 interviews with mediapreneurs, entrepreneurs, show hosts, bloggers and other awesome people. And, because I’m possibly insane, I’ve got two more shows in the works with one focusing on health and fitness and the other on professional wrestling (seriously).

Now, there are a lot of components to creating and running a successful show including creative aspects, business model and monetizing, marketing and promoting, logistics, technology, etc. Similar to a puzzle, they all go together and missing a piece might lead to a bit of a disaster. Nobody wants a disaster, right? But perhaps one of the biggest and often overlooked questions that is SO important is choosing the correct show format that works for you, your goals and your personality.

Of course formats can change over time (nothing is set in stone in this world), but getting off the right formatting foot can be the difference of spring-boarding vs falling in the mud and swimming. Here are a few to consider, an example or two for each one and some pros and cons:

Interview Show:

What it is:

An interview show is just like it sounds. You bring on a guest or guests and you interview them.

Examples: My show The Rise To The Top , Mixergy 

This is awesome because…

-Having a conversation is often easier many people as opposed to writing out an entire scripted show.

-If the show is great, there is a BIG chance the guest(s) will help market and promote the show to their audience.

-A great way to meet to new people and expand your network of relationships (when you interview someone it is sort of like a first date and you might end up friends for life…or lovers if you are into that sort of thing.

Challenges:

-Interviewing *looks* easier than it is. Similar to all creative arts, it takes lot of practice to develop a unique style.

-Logistics can be tricky as you have to become a master scheduler (or highly recommended…hand it to virtual assistant).

-Guest selection and being able to interact with different types of personalities, egos, etc. can be challenging.

Pundit/News Show:

What it is:

Normally based on a specific topic such as politics, sports, technology etc., a pundit/news show reviews headlines and news in a specific industry or around a specific topic and also, often times, the hosts offer their opinions, commentary, agreements, disagreements, etc. Topics can be wide ranging to a show about a specific TV show to a show about the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team.

Examples: TWIT (This Week In Technology), all the shows on the This Week In Network.

This is awesome because…

-There is normally plenty of content to talk about if you pick something that has consistent news i.e. sports, politics, technology, etc.

-Nothing is cooler than talking about a subject you love and you don’t have to be a complete “expert” to do a show like this. You do need to be knowledgeable, willing to learn and passionate about the subject matter but expertise will happen over time (unlike the “expert” show listed below).

-Is a nice opportunity to bring in a co-host or do a show with a friend.

Challenges:

-Keeping things fresh and sticking out from the pack. That is up to you, your creativity and personality.

-Staying consistent. If it sounds super easy to put together a show each week (or more than once a week), it isn’t. But don’t let that deter you. Realize you will get the hang of it with practice.

-If you go the co-host route, finding someone that you have great chemistry with and is reliable as you.

Q&A/Tips & Tricks/”Expert Show”

What it is:

Think about all those advice shows out there. Essentially you are the expert and you are giving advice on something specific. Examples might include relationships, finance, taking care of dogs, who knows. There are zillions of possibilities. There are many formats that work here ranging from classic “call in” shows to answering questions submitted via social media, etc.

Examples: The Podcast Answer Man , The Tech Guy

This is awesome because…

-If you are an expert in a subject matter people really need advice on, there may not be a better option.

-Q&A format allows for ENDLESS content assuming you can keep getting/finding great questions to answer.

-If you know your stuff inside and out…answering the questions and putting the show together will be like child’s play.

Challenges:

-Receiving great questions to answer when you are just starting out. You might have to “ask yourself” a few questions just to get the ball rolling.

-If you DON’T know the topic inside and out…it will show.

-Live callers/chats can present their own unique challenges (i.e. difficult people, angry people, etc.) which of course you can learn to handle.

Review Show:

What it is:

Essentially a review show is just as it sounds. You pick something and review it, discuss it, etc. Classic examples are movie review shows, but of course this can be everything from video equipment to stamps.

Examples: Wine Library TV , Freezer Burns

This is awesome because…

-You can’t really be wrong. As long as you have a strong opinion, you are in good shape.

-As long as you pick something replicable, content is easy to come by.

-Companies mind end up sending you free stuff to review. Who doesn’t love free stuff?

Challenges:

-Careful not to run out of content. If there are only 50 things to review, then you are done after 50 shows. Make sure to pick something ongoing.

-Up to you, like all formats, to make sure it doesn’t get stale.

-Must be super consistent and have a real passion for offering opinions.

What’s next?

See anything that gets you fired up? Do you point at any of the above formats and say YES! THAT IS FOR ME! If so, you might have just taken the first step in your virtual media empire.

Get started.

Do something amazing.

Do it now.

David Siteman Garland is an avid WWE wrestling fan, husband to the best wife in the world, son of two cool parents and the creator/host of Internet-based TV show, blog and resource The Rise to the Top which features conversations with web show hosts / bloggers / podcasters / other mediapreneurs, tips, tricks, advice, inspiration, resources and much more!

Top 10 ‘No BS’ Tips to Creating & Launching Your First Virtual Business! (Part 1)

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Starting a Virtual Business - Part 1

I’m in the process of editing my first ever VBL-related product, and I have to say, its been a massive learning experience for me.

The fact is that I could have released this thing months ago. But, I have changed things around, procrastinated a certain amount, and quite frankly, put it on the back-burner a lot because of other, more pressing business opportunities and commitments. However, I now have a goal in place to launch this sucker by the time I fly to LA to speak at BlogWorld at the beginning of November.

So, today I’d like follow on from last weeks fantastic discussion on this subject – and present the first part, in a two-part post series with my quick fire tips to getting a virtual business up and running, from scratch, possibly even, for the first time ever…

Lets start…

1. Start a Blog

If you haven’t already got a blog up and running, start one. People like to do business (and spend money) with people. Not businesses, or websites – as far as I’m concerned, anyway. Since starting this blog, my business empire has grown and grown, and even my core business, the Live2Sell Group has expanded – I’ve even had new clients come to me from this blog, who now have 10-15 full-time employees sitting under my company’s roof. Love it!

2. Build Your Brand

Get onto YouTube – now. Again, the personal branding side of doing business virtually, or online, comes into play again. Talking into your webcam is all you need to start off with. Keep your videos short and sweet, provide value, stay on target and include a call to action, such as ‘visit my blog for more free info’, for example.

3. Engage Your Tribe

As the weeks and months go by you’ll start to build a following. FACT – your following online doesnt have to be huge to make good money. I know some marketers online with lists as small as 800-1,000 subscribers who are making $5,000+ each month. Engage your tribe and make them feel welcome. Thank them for commenting on your posts and retweeting your links. Doing things proves you’re real, appreciative and most of all starts conversation – conversation leads to relationships. And relationships are EVERYTHING in business.

4. Ask Your Audience

Before you start putting ideas in place to create a product or service, ask your audience what they need help with. Solving a problem for someone is the oldest sales shooting-star in the book! People will pay good money for things that solve a problem, or make their life easier, or help acheive their dreams… You get where I’m coming from, right? Collating information from the people that follow you will enable you to create a product or service that will knock ’em off their feet and put their hand in their pocket!

5. Start Planning Your Offering

Whether you are anticipating putting together a product (either downloadable, or physical), or a service related offering, start planning sooner, rather than later. The worst case scenario is that you have to change a few things in the future, before launching. I have been planning my upcoming eCourse ‘Virtual Business for Virgins!’ for over a year. I have tweaked its message several times, but the overall ‘guts’ of the product have remained the same – show people how to create and launch a virtual business in 30 days or less!

Having a solid marketing plan in place is also extremely important when planning and launching a new business – whether it be virtual, or not. In the second part of this two-part series, I will go over how you should ‘think in the now’ when producing a solid marketing and launch plan, instead of copying what people were doing years ago – just because it worked for them.

Real time marketing is upon us, ladies and gents. Jump on board, or be left behind. Plain and simple.

Anyone got any comments, insights, feedback and ideas on these first five points? Please jot them down below so we can ALL benefit from them – plus, feel free to include ideas for the second part of this series, too!

UPDATE: Part Two of this series is now LIVE and available HERE! 

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Are People Unsubscribing from Your Blog? Relax. It Happens To Me, Too – But, Why?

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How to Avoid People Unsubscribing from your Blog

Last month exactly 125 people unsubscribed from my Aweber email list.

This shocked me quite a bit, I have to be honest. But, as a businessman, it’s intrigued me even more. You see, I’m a firm believer that we are not ‘perfect’ in any way, shape or form. We all have our flaws. But, I believe I’ve built a pretty solid blog here, and a decent online following, too. However, was the reason behind people unsubscribing down to my content, or something else..?

I’m forced to ask myself the following six questions, and more:

  • Does the pop-up I have on my site get me ‘real’ subscribers/fans, or just freebie-collectors?
  • Am I doing something ‘wrong’ on the blog?
  • Is my content not thought-provoking enough?
  • Am I not being ‘real’ enough?
  • Is my content not helpful enough?
  • Is my content not entertaining enough?

If You’re a Freebie Collector, We Don’t Need You!

I’ve been averaging around 15-20 opt-in’s a day (M-F) here at the VBL Blog. About 60% of those new sign-up’s come from the pop-up I have on my site. It’s a proven fact that these opt-in enticers work – but, are they REAL opt-in’s? I personally think that a lot of them are not. I’ve seen people come in and out of my email list within days, all too often.

Don’t get me wrong… I like the idea that someone wants to read my eBook enough to at least ‘subscribe’ for a brief moment and then unsubscribe, but in terms of REALLY subscribing to the VBL… Ah, that’s a different story, right!?!

See how I say ‘we dont need you’ in the sub-title text above. That’s because the VBL Blog has become a lot more than just a blog over the last 6-8 months. It’s now a hustling, bustling community of like-minded people that are all ‘in it to win it’. And, lets face it, fake numbers on a mailing list are simply not part of the long-term plan.

I want REAL subscribers. REAL people. And entrepreneurs with REAL passion subscribing to VBL.

I Need Answers – from YOU!

So, I intend to make a few changes here at VBL pretty soon. Some of them are inspired by my video grillin’ with Derek Halpern last week… Some from my own feelings, concepts and ideas. Firstly, I believe I will be getting rid of the pop-up. Secondly, I will probably stop sending out the ‘post update’ emails each time a new post is published, too. If people like what I have to offer that much, then they will pop over to the blog once or twice a week to catch up, anyway, right…?!

My question to you, of which I will treasure every single answer to, from everyone, is quite simply:

If you were the one in control of VBL, what would you change about it, and why…?

Thanks, so much, in advance, everyone.

Why Your Logo SUCKS and How to Fix It!

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvum91pNZsE

While I was in San Francisco last April I didn’t get as much time as I normally do to shoot video for the blog. My schedule was simply very hectic… However, I did shoot this one clip on my iPhone4 (along with all the B-Roll footage that goes with it), on the importance of logo design and implementation for branding and business growth.

In the short video I discuss and show you:

  • Why its important to keep your logo clean, and not too busy looking.
  • The original design for my company logo, and why I made several changes to it.
  • How making the changes enabled us (my company) to be seen as a ‘bigger’ fish in the ever-growing world of the outsourcing industry.
  • The ideology behind the logo for my Virtual Staff Finder service.
  • Why so many big brands spend so much time focusing on their logos.
  • Much more…!

Smart Logo = Big Business!

To enable yourself to be seen as a serious business entity, you simply cannot underestimate the power of a strong logo design for your company, and even your personal brand.

I’ve spent hundreds of hours going over logo designs for everything from business cards to letterheads; websites to online products; retail packaging to TV presentations – and every one of them has been priceless in the search for the perfect logo design that ‘says it all’.

I’d love to know what your ideas and ‘rules’ are when it comes to designing logos and branding your businesses and products. Leave a comment below to help everyone out, and look incredibly sexy in the process – a bit like me, in the video! 🙂

Creating a Kick-Ass Free eBook to Build Your Brand (Part 3 of 3)

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Here we are with the final installment to this 3-part series on how to be able to create an eBook to give away for free to help build your brand, promote your blog, market a product or service, or simply just to get the word ‘out there’ about what you’re doing online.

In part one we went over the eBook itself. The concept, the importance of quality and the way to lay your eBook out and design ideas. In part two we discussed the importance of building your list through partnering with someone like AWeber, for your list management purposes, and utilizing a great WP plugin tool called PopUp Domination, to be able to super-charge the growth of your subscriber list. We also discussed the importance of utilizing the PDF format of an eBook, by including relevant links and the ability to make a little money (never a bad thing) through using affiliate links relevant to your topic, too.

Nothing comes to those who sit on their ass waiting for the riches they dream about to just land in their laps. Building a solid, profitable email marketing list is no different. With this in mind, today I present to you my Top 10 List of additional things you can do to help promote and market your eBook to make sure that as many people as possible sign-up, by opting into your list and downloading your eBook to devour all its creative splender!

So, lets not waste any time at all, and get going!

1. Share it with Other Cool People!

You’ve worked hard on your eBook, now get it out there. Email a copy of it to other bloggers, particularly those within your niche, and ask for their feedback and if they would like to let their audience know about it. Any good blogger will be happy to point their subscribers in the direction of additional helpful content. You should be that insecure, people. Really.

2. Becoming ‘Social’ on the Subject!

Not using social media to get the word out about your free eBook is like literally going to an awesome water park in the middle of the summer and not jumping into one of the pools! Tweet and Facebook the hell out of it for a few days, and then stop being irritating and calm down, sending the odd-tweet out here and there throughout the course of the week (note to self, Chris – tweet about your free eBook… NOW!)

Tweet sent!

3. Create a Press Release for Online Distribution!

Online press releases are awesome. Why? Because they rank – FAST – in the SERPs. Create a press release, and be sure to stick in the title of your eBook, plus a couple of other related keywords (note: your eBook title does not have to be keyword heavy. Thinking branding FIRST, ranking second!) and you’ll see that it gets listed on Google very quickly. The reason behind this is that the search engines love new, relevant content, PR submission sites are great for that stuff. Better yet – have your virtual assistant do it for you – it can be a little timely, theres a lot of PR sites online!

4. Get Vocal!

If you have a podcast, or get the opportunity to be interviewed, or become a guest on other peoples podcasts, be sure to mention your free eBook. I do this regularly, and it always brings in a spike of sign-up’s. In fact, I went one step further and purchased an additional domain name, VirtualAssistanteBook.com, specifically for mentioning it in podcasts and videos – its a lot easier than saying “Download my eBook by going to my blog and finding the sign-up form to the top of the site and then entering your name and email to get it!”. Instead, its simply… “Click over to VirtualAssistanteBook.com to get my free eBook!”. Much easier.

5. Get Visual!

Shooting a quick promo video for your eBook is a great idea. You can start by showing a front cover image and then cutting to you talking about the contents and why people should download it. Putting yourself ‘out there’ on video is also a massive branding exercise, too (perhaps I should do a post on that – what you think?!)

6. Use Your Other Websites!

If you have other websites, or blogs, produce a quick post on the launch of the eBook, and link to the site you are wanting to promote/market with the free eBook, so that people can sign-up and download the eBook. You’ll be surprised how many people might check out your sites regularly, but dont actually subscribe to any of them. I find this happening more and more, as the Virtual Business Lifestyle blog gets more and more popular.

7. Create Some Additional Awesome Content!

Creating some additional awesome content, related to the content in your eBook and then posting it on other peoples blogs as a guest post, or on article submission sites, such as eZineArticles.com is another great way to drive traffic to your landing page. Just be sure to write well, and dont just do it for the link. People will see ‘link bait’ a mile away nowadays!

8. Blog Commenting (The RIGHT Way!)

Commenting on other, likeminded blogs to your own is another great way to help build traffic to your landing page. Again, just make sure the comment is a good one, with a genuine ‘let me help you’ approach – otherwise it will either a) probably get deleted by the blogger, or b) not get any clicks. I used to do this a LOT when I first started blogging, but nowadays I dont have as much time. I can tell you, however, it does work!

9. Start a Facebook Page for your eBook!

Not a lot of people think of this. They might prefer to just create a Facebook Page for their blog in general, which is okay, and something you should certainly do, but having two pages that you can cross-promote and mention whilst surfing around Facebook is better than one. Disclaimer: I have not done this with ‘Saving the Day’, but I have with other projects and although you have to do a little legwork in getting people to ‘Like’ the page, etc., it can really help to spread the word quickly. Try it, and let me know how you go with it. Again, this is something a virtual assistant is perfect for!

10. Mention your Free eBook in Your Email Signature!

Such a simply thing to do, along with a direct link to your landing page – yet, so, so many people forget to do this one very easy thing. Go for it!

11. Over to You!

I sincerely hope you’ve enjoyed this series, and that its perhaps answered a few questions and solved a few problems for you, in case you’ve been thinking of putting together a free eBook, or perhaps have been stuck in the middle of finishing one up! Let me know of any other ideas and ingenius ways that you have seen free eBooks marketed and promoted online. I’m sure that there are tons I haven’t mentioned here… And we can all help each other with something like this. Just comment below!

In Closing… I will be getting this 3-part series put together in – you got it – a downloadable free eBook format next week. I will drop you guys an email when it is available. So, be sure to sign-up for my free eBook now (Below!), to get it via email, as soon as its available!

Creating a Kick-Ass Free eBook to Build Your Brand (Part 2 of 3)

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Welcome back to the second part of this 3-part series. So, in the first part, I went over the importance of creating a solid concept for your eBook, focusing on quality, rather than quantity and then wrapped things up by going over some important stuff on the design and layout of your eBook.

Today we’re going to be focusing on the reason behind WHY we have created an eBook to give away for free in the first place (above and beyond helping people with our awesome content, obviously!). In other words, to help build our brand, promote our mission online and to market ourselves, our products, or our services (or perhaps all of the above!). We’re going to look at our email list provider, a simple tool that will increase our sign-up’s by over 200% on average, as well as a technique that will actually allow you to make money from your ‘free’ eBook, after all.

But, First!

The best way to distribute your eBook is in the format of a PDF document. PDF’s are great, because they are low on size, they are quick to download and cant be edited, so you know your content is going to be seen and enjoyed the way you want it to be!

Also, you can include links in PDF documents that when clicked on, automatically open up in a browser. Which we’ll go into a little more in a while.

Converting your eBook, regardless of how, or in what software package you’ve created it, is easy. In fact a lot of programs will now have a built-in function to do it automatically. If not, don’t fret – click here for a ton of freebie options.

It’s All in The List, Baby…!

Personal branding to one side, the main reason why most people giveaway free eBooks online nowadays comes down to one thing and one reason only – to build a list. This list is more than just a collection of email addresses of people that want to read your free eBook and subscribe to your blog (although for some people thats enough!). As an online marketer – its your most powerful tool. The better the list, the better your earnings online.

See how I said better, and not BIGGER!? Personally, I’d rather have 1,000 people that really enjoyed what I did, loved everything that I put out online and genuinely would have no problems putting their hands in their pockets (or Paypal accounts!) when I came to them with a product I had created to sell, or an affiliate offer of some kind, than having 10,000 people on my list that either rarely opened my emails, or did open them and never took any action!

So, below are, in my humble opinion, the three most important things you’re going to need to be able to benefit from all that hard work you put into creating your labor of love, before giving it away for absolutely nothing. Enjoy.

Dependable Email List / Auto-Responder Provider

This is your lifeblood. This is what controls your entire email list set-up. Utilizing the services of a solid, dependable email list auto-responder provider is probably the most important investment you’re going to make as an internet marketer / web entrepreneur.

There are a few good, solid providers out there in this space. However, I use AWeber for a number of reasons:

  • Cost Effective
  • Very Easy to Use
  • Great Sign-Up Form and Email Templates
  • Flawless Auto-Responder Set-Up (if I can do it, anyone can!)
  • Brilliant Reports and Analytics
  • Awesome Customer Service
  • Lots More!

Check out these screenshots from one of the lists I have built for a niche site I have… Great info!

I did a hell of a lot of research on this subject before I actually put my free eBook live online and starting promoting it. Since I’ve been with AWeber, they have never let me down and have even updated their API and other customer service side of things several times since being with them. I’m impressed and suggest you use them and no one else. Simple.

Powerful, Cool Sign-Up Partner!

A lot of people hate ’em. I used to be one of them. However, pop-up’s, lightboxes, or whatever you want to call them, WORK! Plain and simple.

When I first came across PopUp Domination I was a little concerned as to how it was going to work for me. After all, I had been using my AWeber form to capture my new eBook subscribers, and it was working well. However, I went ahead with it because of my relationship with its creator, Michael Dunlop (be sure to catch my interview with Michael on the VBL Podcast!) and was absolutely BLOWN AWAY with how many more sign-up’s I was getting daily.

That was months and months ago, and I am still surprised when I check my sign-up’s from time to time now. Before, I was averaging around 4-5 sign-up’ a day, which I was happy with. Nowadays, I average around 15-20. And the number one source is the PopUp Domination plugin.

The other really cool thing about this plugin is that it works with any website set-up, and any email list provider, too. And… this is super-cool… you get all of the original PSD source files, too. Meaning you can even play around with the design! Above you’ll see that I’ve had my designer tweak the template a little to ‘funk up’ (careful if you’re reading that aloud!) the design a little – it really makes a difference.

Adding Links to Your eBook to Make a Little $$$

As I mentioned at the top of this post, the best way to distribute your free eBook is in the form of a PDF document. There are a ton of reason behind this, but one of the main reasons why I like it is because it allows you to include hyperlinks. This is good because you can send people to other useful resources, such as different blog posts, or websites – to help them in their continued efforts to learn more on whatever subject your eBook is focused on.

However, one of the most under-utilized type of links in free eBook’s are links that send people to products and services that you are an affiliate of. They click. They buy. You make money. Simple as that.

Seriously. Think about it. No matter what subject you’re writing about there MUST be at least a couple of products or services out there that you can help promote and make money from, whenever anyone clicks on your links. Even an Amazon Affiliate can do that for books related to your topic – and there’s tons of books related to EVERY topic!!!

I know of one marketer that gives away an 18-page eBook on the subject of travel for teenagers. He makes around $600 a month on affiliate commissions from that eBook! Links to shoe stores, apparel stores, Amazon, and a couple of additional online resources / guides. He doesn’t lift a finger and is making $600 a month, month-in-month out.

That’s a beautiful thing!

So, that wraps up the second part of this series. In Friday’s final installment I’ll be breaking down my Top 5 ways to ‘get the word out there’ about your eBook and what it stands for, to enable more sign-up’s, downloads and followers! See you then.

Creating a Kick-Ass Free eBook to Build Your Brand (Part 1 of 3)

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On Monday last week I announced this series of three posts that begins today. I was blown away by all the awesome comments and emails I received. Seriously – you lot are a seriously smart, demanding bunch! Just joking… After digesting everything and going back to my original mindmap for this series, then adding in your suggestions to hopefully fulfill your ‘needs’, here we go…

So, today we start the series on how to create a kick-ass free eBook which you can use to help build your brand, as well as help promote and market your blog, product, service, with taking a look at Creating the Concept of your eBook, the time-honored question of ‘Quality, or Quantity’ and how important the Design and Layout of your eBook is.

Initial Housekeeping Notes

Although I have tried to make this series of posts as informative and as easy-to-follow as possible, you might still see the odd crack in the ‘process’ being presented here. This is because, quite frankly, I wanted this to be a simple to follow series, with practical advice and tips, and not go into too much detail on any one subject matter – saying that, there is still plenty of meat on the bones, and if you have any particular questions, feel free to let me know.

Kindly note, this series is about creating a FREE eBook. One that you will give away for absolutely no profit. If you want a more in-depth guide to creating an eBook that you can sell, I strongly suggest you check out Pat Flynn’s eBookstheSmartWay.com (free), and Dave and Naomi’s HowtoSellYoureBook.com (paid) – I’ve read and used BOTH in my eBook marketing, and they’re great.

Most Importantly: Create something that you feel is good enough to sell, but then give it away for free! This will ensure that the quality of your eBook is high, that its incredibly informative and will genuinely make a difference to the reader once they have finished reading it. I did this with ‘Saving the Day, the Virtual Way’, and have had so many awesome emails from people, that it was certainly worth all the effort.

Creating the Concept

First and foremost, don’t write about anything that you know nothing about. It’ll be so obvious that you’re bluffing and simply not worth your time! Secondly, here’s probably the biggest, most important tip you will get from this entire series – write your eBook for your audience, not for yourself. Look into solving problems for other people. If this comes about by taking care of a problem YOU have to start off with, thats fine. Solving problems for people is the oldest and most powerful ‘sales’ strategy out there.

You might have a very clear picture of what you want to write about. If so, and you know it’ll benefit your audience, then go for it! One thing that you should also consider is doing a survey with your current readership first. I did this a while ago when we re-designed the VBL Blog, and I can tell you, the feedback I got was priceless – worth more than any amount of sales, as it allowed me to tweak the design of the site to help people navigate it properly and enjoy their experience on the blog more. I also did something similar when trying to find my ‘core’ readership, and when when asking for feedback on an upcoming product I’m putting together.

Among the most successful digital products out there, almost all of them are ‘How To’ types of products. Your giveaway eBook should be no different. Not only are ‘How To’ guides really simple to put together, but they are easy to read and generally get downloaded more than the other types of freebie eBooks out there.

Every good story has a beginning, middle and an end. Your eBook should be no different. So, break your contents down into three main sections. It’s a good idea to sit down and plan this part of your eBook out very clearly. I’m a big fan of mindmaps. I use them, literally, every day. Now I use my iPad to do most of them, but, back in the beginning of 2010 when I produced ‘Saving the Day’, I mapped things out on a small whiteboard I have in my home office.

Here’s a quick snapshot of the original mindmap… You’ll see I already intended to add additional content to it, and make an audio version, even back in those earlier days. Although I did it nearer 3000 downloads, not the 1000 noted here!

Firstly, I presented the problem. I talked about how busy entrepreneurs are, and that if only they had solid, dependable help they could get so much more done on a daily basis. Then, I went into the solution side of things. Again, by way of example, in my free eBook I talk about virtual assistants, what they do, how they do it, etc. Then finally, I wrapped everything up with the ending – what the solution can mean to the person reading. In my case the solution is finding, hiring and working with a VA to enable the busy business owner to gain more time in his/her day-to-day life, create more business ideas, strategize for growth, spend more time with family and ultimately become more successful, all by utilizing a VA.

Quality, or Quantity?

This is a highly debated topic when it comes to giving away a freebie eBook. Fact is, if the eBook has lots of pages, then it looks as if people are getting a lot more for their ‘download’ buck. However, what if all the content on those pages is a load of old rubbish..!?!!

A while ago, when I was discussing how often I was going to be updating this blog, and the struggles I was having in keeping up with the schedule I had put in place, the most commented-on topic was over the fact that quality matters more than anything else. Visitors were very clear that they would rather come to the blog twice a week, or three times a week for QUALITY posts, than five times a week, for soft or ‘weak’ quality posts.

So, bottom line here – quality – every time. The fact is that I’ve downloaded some eBooks that are just a handful of pages long (personally, I wouldn’t call these ‘eBooks’, but rather ‘Special Reports’, or something similar), and they have been great. However, I’ve downloaded 100+ page eBooks for free and they’ve been mediocre at the best of times.

There are a few exceptions to this rule. Namely, Jonathan Mead and Colin Wright – their free eBooks are nothing short of spectacular, and both great in length and content. I’m sure there are more, but these gentlemen really stand out for me, personally. Note: You’ll see interviews with both these guys on the VBL Podcast soon. They are in being edited, as we speak!

Things Not to Forget

There’s a few things that you certainly do not want to forget to include in your eBook. Firstly, make sure you have some kind of disclaimer / copyright page set-up. In my eBook’s I dont go too heavy on this, but I do make sure to tell everyone that they should feel free to distribute the eBook further afield, however, not to remove or edit anything in anyway, shape or form – that just aint cool, baby!

You should also be sure to include some links to other valuable sources, either on your own blog, and other peoples, too. You can also link to relevant products and services that might help people further, too (we’ll go into this a little more on Wednesday) – just be sure not to link-stuff, too much!

And lastly, be sure to hype yourself a little, at least. A simply ‘About the Author’ page is certainly needed, with a nice image.

Design & Layout

Most people I have spoken to on this subject believe that you can have the most amazing design in the world, but if the content is crappy then you won’t get very far, in the overall scope of things. I agree. However, the importance of standing out, and making sure that the design of your eBook is nice, clean, professional and helps to build your brand is, as far as I’m concerned, just as important as the content.

Although I have a flare for creativeness (my father was an architect, my mother an interior designer), I do not know how to use Photoshop, and quite frankly, when I have such phenomenal support around me, there is no real reason for me to learn how to, either. I come up with the concept, sit with my designer and then he will put it all together. We’ll work as a team, finalize the layout template and then he’ll simply dump the rest of the content into the approved layout. Viola! Your eBook will be finished in no time.

Firstly, having a rockin’ cover will certainly help gain attention. Be sure to spend time on the title. Be original here, guys! Innovative, don’t follow… And the internal pages should be on a white background and a dark covered text, just in case the person that downloads your labor of love wants to print it out. I like to keep images to a minimum in my eBooks, this gets the reader to focus on my content, rather than pretty pictures and colors. See some examples from ‘Saving the Day’, below:

Front Cover, Internal Content Page and the ‘About the Author’ Page in “Saving the Day!”

You’ll see with this eBook, I came up with a superhero theme. Hence the title and the colors, and front cover Superman-style logo. I loved this when my designer finished it up – but, I will say, the ‘concept’ was ALL ME!!! 🙂

You’ll also see that we continued to brand the eBook with the logo internally, too (my designers idea, not mine!) and it worked out great! I highly recommend going with a landscape style layout, as its easier to read on a computer screen – the way eBooks should be read – on a monitor. When you’re done with the layout and the design aspects of the eBook get to focusing on the editing of your content.

Go back through what you’ve written. Focus on just the MEAT of the content itself. Any ‘prettying’ of sentences, etc., lose them. As I always say, sometimes less is more. Remember that. This will enable you to create content that is easy to read, keeps people turning (or clicking) the page and ultimately means that the reader experience is top quality all the way to the end of the eBook.

So, that just about wraps up this first installment of this weeks 3-part series. Let me know what you think in the comments below, and in case you have any additional questions on anything that you feel I might have left out on this part part.

If you’d like to see my entire eBook, including the additional content and the AudioBook version, you can download it here.

See you on Wednesday with Part 2 of the series where I go into how you can now use your eBook to start gaining more subscribers, building your email list, and the tools you can use to make this important activity easier and more successful than you can possibly imagine and… how you can STILL make money with your eBook, even though you’re giving it away for free!

If you liked this first installment – Please share on Twitter, or Facebook!