How to Outline an eBook

If you can learn how to outline an eBook, then the writing will be easy. Why? Because you'll know before you even get started where your ideas will be going. You'll simply be able to string your sentences together, and before you know it, you'll be done. Ready?

What is an outline? It is nothing more than a sketch or a framework on which you can hang your ideas.

You've decided to write an eBook. You know what your primary message is. Now you need to break it up into digestible parts. Within each of those parts, what we call chapters, will be another main idea that is made up of a lot of smaller ideas. All you need to do is to put those smaller ideas into a logical order for each chapter.

Let me try to give you a mental picture of what this will look like. Imagine that you're looking at the final outcome of a tennis tournament. The winner's name is on the far right of the screen.

Just to the left of that is the name of the two finalists. To the left of them is two pairs of semifinalists; and to the left of them is four pairs of quarter-finalists. And so it goes on until all of the entrants have been accounted for.

When we apply this example to outlining an eBook, then what we get is several small ideas that contribute to a larger one, and several larger ideas that eventually contribute to the main one that you want your readers to grasp.

You could do the same thing by creating a kind of hierarchy on paper, much the way that a genealogical chart is constructed. Put the main topic at the top. Then list the chapter headings underneath, and then under each of those list the smaller sub-topics that you want to cover.

Some people can write an eBook with the barest of outlines. Others need to have more detail. You can continue to add as many sub-topics as you think you need so that you don't leave out anything that you think is important.

You'll get a feel for how much you need to put into your outline before you start to do any of the actual writing.

Remember, the goal is not to create an eBook with the least number of subtopics. Instead, it is to create an outline that will enable you to write your eBook as quickly as possible.

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Repurposing: How to Adapt Your Product for Your Customers

Repurposing is commonly practiced among those who have online businesses. If you're unfamiliar with the term, it simply means that you are repeatedly adapting some of your material for different audiences. Those who prefer to read get PDFs. Those who like to listen to the dulcet tones of trainer's voice receive audio. It's really as simply as that.

But, repurposing can seem like "cheating" to those who are new to the online business world; and so the reason I've written this article is to help you to understand the concept better.

The word repurposing is perhaps a bad choice. It can conjure up visions of spin, spam, or sophistry. However, if it's done properly, then it can be a valuable way for an online business person to create a lot of great material for customers. On the other hand, if it's done in order to make a little knowledge go a long way, it will only give the product creator a bad reputation in the long run.

So, how does this concept work.

I mentioned in the beginning of this article that some people prefer reading or listening. But, adapting your material for different audiences goes much farther than that. It does more than address different learning styles. It also enables you to present your expertise in chunks that you're audience can understand easily.

Let's look at a specific example so that you can see what I mean.

Suppose that you want to create a one hour training for your customers. As soon as I mentioned the length of time, you should have tweaked that this would be either audio or video. (Personally, I'm in favor of audio in most instances. It seems to me that video ought to be used when the information that's presented in the audio would be better understood with it.)

What does this mean for those who prefer to read? For that you need to calculate about how fast you talk. Probably the easiest way to do this is to grab your favorite book off the shelf, count the number of words on one page and mark out about five pages. Then switch on the stop watch on your smart phone and start reading.

If you have a lot to offer customers, and you should, then you can break up your training into segments. Begin with an overview, then add the parts in some kind of progression so that your customer has a more complete understanding of what you're teaching by the end.

You could have beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels.

Repurposing is about giving your customers as much as they need in a form that is the easiest for them to use.

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Android As an Ideal Platform for Application Development Solutions

It's an age of mobile gadgets where people are readily accepting all types of smartphones and tablets. To provide a robust mobile operating system to such mobile devices, Android has been launched by Google with a view to provide the best user experience.

Many businesses have been using this platform to develop a variety of business applications and mobile game applications for smartphones and tablets. Let's consider few points that make Android as an ideal platform for application development solutions:

1. High ROI in Limited Budget: With huge number of Android app development companies available, there is no problem in hiring Android app developers who are capable to develop robust and intuitive applications for the end-users. They develop and test all the apps to ensure its functionality on the Android platform. This helps businesses to earn higher ROI by making one time investment.

2. Using Java as the Basic Language: Java is considered as the most trusted and robust language. It is the basic language on which most of the Android apps are written. All the Android application developers are adept in using Java to develop effective applications.

3. Easy to Stay Up-to-Date: As Android is an open source platform; it is easy to start using it for development purposes. Moreover, all the updates are available for everyone so it's not difficult for an Android app developer to keep their knowledge up-to-date.

4. Integration is Easy: Android is a suitable platform for those who want to integrate applications or cross promotes them for different purposes.

5. Easy Distribution: The Android applications can easily be distributed to different marketing channels so as to promote them globally. You can choose Google Play store or create your own distribution channels to sell them in huge numbers.

With so much of benefits of using this mobile operating system, businesses won't mind in making investment on this platform. Moreover, the best part is that there are adequate numbers of Android apps developers who are willing to work on your idea to make it unique and robust in nature.

The applications based on Android can be any business application or any game application that can make your work systematic and easier. So, there's only need to identify your customers' requirements so that the developed application can be very well accepted by large number of people. Start your market research today, identify the needs, hire a developer and become successful in your mobile initiatives.

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Quit Searching "What Product To Sell Online"

If you live in a house or an apartment in the United States you probably have a bathroom. In that bathroom there's usually a sink with a mirror above it. We normally use that mirror to groom ourselves to make sure we look presentable before we head out for the day.

I want you to do something a little different with that mirror today though. Look in the mirror and ask the guy or girl looking back at you a question. Ask your handsome reflection what he or she would like to buy when searching on the Internet.

Some would say you are crazy talking to yourself, yes to be an online marketer you must be a little crazy, but that's exactly what successful marketers do when researching a product to sell. I know you'll hear those who tell you that "You Are Not Your Customer". Yes that's true, but you are a human being and you have wants, needs and desires just like everyone else. What you are searching for is what millions of others are searching for. The real question is how can your product be seen as different?

How many weight loss programs, get rich quick schemes, and self-styled gurus have you seen on the Internet? There are millions of people out there copying each other hoping to tap into the 100's of millions of people searching on the Internet hoping to get rich. Kind of deflates your balloon doesn't it?

The problem is that most of the stuff on the Internet is not original. I know, hard to believe. People are lazy. They want to plug their debit card into their laptop upload some money to the online marketing guru du jour and sit back and watch the cash roll in.

Who wants to put in the hard work of actually creating a product that others are looking for? It's a lot of work creating a product, let alone one that will actually sell. You've got to decide where a need is, figure out if the need can be filled with an info product, create your product with your own unique experiences, find people who want your product, put it in front of their faces in an appealing way, and deliver when they hit the "Buy Now" button.

It's so much easier to buy a "business in a box". Allowing someone else to do all the work for you is one way to go but what have you learned? Did you learn how to attract attention? Did you learn how to research what sells? Did you learn how to create something desirable? No. You learned how to pull your wallet out of your back pocket, that's good because if you go the "business in a box" route you'll be doing that a lot.

What product would you want to buy? If you can answer that you will be on your way to creating your information product. The next question you need to ask is. How can I make my product not only different but be perceived as different in the eyes of potential customers?

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Fiverr - The X-Factor Of Skill

Fiverr is a great concept that really works. It is perhaps easier to think of it as the X-Factor for skills. However, unlike the real X-Factor, with Fiverr you have ample opportunity to come back and perform once again if you failed the first time. As the end user, the Fiverr concept will ensure you save serious amount of money compared to getting an equivalent service from the 'high street'. Equally, for the seller, the system will ensure great income if you are good at what you do and have fantastic customer care skills. Fiverr is great for both the seller and the consumer.

On the Fiverr website, you can post your skills description for absolutely free. When you come to perform your skill for someone, it is known as the 'gig'. The word Fiverr is a play on fiver since most gigs cost a mere 5 USD. However, this price may just be a start point, a basic service with options to purchase extras if you need.

The X-Factor analogy comes into its own when discussing judging and grading the gigs. In the real show the judges and the public rate the skills of the people in front of them. On the Fiverr website, the judges are the consumers of the gigs and they are encouraged to rate the performance of the service received. The service here means the quality of the product and the accompanying customer service. So it naturally follows that if you were the seller, the better your service, the higher rating you will obtain which in turn will attract you more customers. On Fiverr, since each seller is selling the gig for very similar price, the rating attributed to them is what will make or break a deal.

If your rating is bad because you did not provide a great product and/or customer service and you do not do anything to improve on it in future gigs, then you are in danger of falling in to a vicious circle downwards from which you may not recover. Because, once your reputation is crushed it may be really difficult to resurrect it again. However, if after your first bad gig you took action to improve on your weakness, then not only will you survive but you could go onto thrive on Fiverr.

So what type of services would you expect to receive on Fiverr? Gifts, graphics, videos, social marketing, travel, writing, advertising, music and audio, fun and bizarre, tips and advice, business, technology, programming and more are amongst the services on offer on Fiverr.

The process of obtaining a gig is very simple. Just get to the Fiverr site, search for the gig you require and if you like what you see, just place the order. It's as simple as that! The services offered on Fiverr would benefit many new internet marketers who are on a really tight budget as well as those who just don't have the time or resources to get important tasks done themselves.

For instance the making of a video is one area where Fiverr is aptly suited to assist. Videos as mediums of information are ever pervasive these days. Visitors using the internet expect to see a video on a task they wish to perform. Videos are able to convey complex information in a short time and usually in a fun way. However, making a good video requires skill and experience which is what new marketers don't have. On top of that the software and hardware required to shoot a quality video can be pricey. For a new marketer, the cost alone can make do-it-yourself video out of reach.

Then, there is the question of camera shyness. If you are of a gregarious nature then go ahead and make that video. Just ensure you have a good script and you do not veer off it. But for many, appearing in front of their own camera is just not an option especially at the beginning of their internet marketing career. In that case, the solution is clearly Fiverr.

In fact, some of the sellers of video products on Fiverr are professional actors, so camera shyness is absolutely not an issue with them. Furthermore, because they produce videos day in, day out they have most likely invested in professional camera equipment and software. So you can be assured of a professional quality video. You may just have to provide a script and some direction on what you would want to see in the video.

Every Fiverr gig provider is vetted by moderators and given a grading according to what they have achieved. For instance, 1st level sellers are those who have created 10 orders. The next up, 2nd level sellers are those who have delivered 50 orders with impeccable customer service. The highest level sellers are referred to as Fiverr Rockstarr and are handpicked by Fiverr moderators. You really have to be exceptional to achieve this status. The quality is therefore maintained and conveyed through the grading system.

The Fiverr platform is successful in bringing together two communities which are in great need of each other. Those individuals who really want to monetise their skills and those who want product or service at a price that is anything but reasonable.

Whether you are a seller or a buyer, the Fiverr platform has the potential to provide you with a great online income wherever you happen to be.

To your internet business success!

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Max Your Cards

Personalised greeting cards for the 21st Century

Personally speaking, I have never thought of myself as a 'card sender' as such, however, with the dawn of social media, I am more aware now of my friend's birthdays and anniversary dates and, find myself more compelled to send them a congratulatory message.

A 'one liner' on a Facebook wall or a personal Tweet, may not be everyone's idea of showing you care but let's face it, it's better than no message at all. The problem with this approach is that no physical card is received by the recipient; with the personal touch of selecting an appropriate card. A visit to an exorbitantly priced High Street card shop or a bargain budget cheap shop, sends shivers down the most upstanding among us. Many of us are not comfortable with sending 'e-cards' (electronic messages sent via e-mail) and feel they are impersonal and detached from our human touch. The next level up, in terms of recognition of a close friend or acquaintances' special occasion; takes us into the world of personalised on-line greeting cards.

So what are personalised greeting cards all about then? This is a question which will be raised by many people, uncomfortable with the thought of utilizing a third party to send a card to their nearest and dearest. The surprising fact is that the process of sending a card in this way is incredibly easy and, allows for creativity and a personal touch; that even the most expensive High Street card shops cannot cater for. With a simple process of 'clicking through' self explanatory instruction boxes; you can design and create a unique and individual card, bespoke to your friend or family member's favourite hobbies, loves and lifestyle. The payment process is a smooth and uncomplicated experience and, after your initial registration, the activity proves to be quicker and, even more convenient. The payment options with some companies, such as Kukkle.com, include the novel idea of making a payment via your mobile phone billing system; both handy and convenient.

Delve into this new world of creative art and send a card to someone you know would appreciate the sentiment. Whether it is for the scorer of the winning goal in their latest Sunday League football match or your Aunt's unmentionable age milestone birthday, there is a card waiting for your personal touch and message to be sent by you. The technology of linking the service with your social media account and, receiving reminders to save embarrassment at forgetting a big day are now available. This innovation, especially in these days of long working hours and little time for leisure; contributes greatly in helping you to manage the special occasions in your life.

If you need an excuse, send me a congratulatory card for this article; introducing you to a new world of celebrating life's special days with the ones you love and care for.

P.S. You'll have to send the fiver on a paper clip via a different route.

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Using Different Mobile OS for Developing Business Apps

The high-functionality smartphones are an instant hit in the mobile industry wherein users can use the mobile device for other purposes rather than restricted to simply making calls. These smartphones are supported by different operating systems to provide a variety of features and functionalities into it.

With the advent of various mobile operating systems, the users have flexibility to make a choice as per their preferences. This has created a lot of competition among mobile manufacturers to use the most optimum operating system that can meet the demands of maximum audience. On the other hand, the businesses are also developing new applications to engage a wider audience.

Let's talk about different mobile operating systems that can develop your business apps:

1. Android: This operating system launched by Google holds a major share in the mobile market. The versatility of the platform featured with powerful applications makes it a popular choice for everyone. There are many manufacturers that are using Android as their operating system. The users can add applications of their choice to personalize their mobile device. The businesses have a great chance to reach a wider audience with their attractive and interactive business and game apps.

2. iOS: This platform is used for developing Apple remarkable products like iPhone and iPad. It is also loaded with features that are approved by Apple before it is launched for the users. It doesn't provide flexibility to add applications to the Apps store without their approval. However, the businesses can rely on this platform to ensure maximum ROI. You can develop commercial apps successfully on this operating system with intuitive user interface and visually attractive features.

3. RIM BlackBerry: The enhanced security features in this platform has helped it to position itself as a popular choice for professionals and entrepreneurs. It has launched various mobile phones that have become a hit among young population. In comparison to other popular OS, this platform supports less advanced web browsers that provide average user experience. However, this issue is addressed in newer versions by using the latest web kit browser.

Android has captured a major position in the industry. However, the market position of Apple products is also not less. Hence, it is recommended to develop cross-compatible mobile applications that can be used in multiple platforms for higher reach and greater popularity.

In the competitive environment, it is important for you to develop high-quality premium mobile applications for your business. Therefore, you must hire a professional mobile development company that can develop interesting and unique applications to suffice user needs.

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How Often Should You Release New Information Products To Make Money?

The great thing about the internet is you can create one video or one report, put it online, and sell it over and over again. But the question is, how many products do you want to make to keep making money?

The answer is up to you. I find that if I really-really have to, I can make one new information product start to finish, including the website, membership site, sales letter, in about one week. When I first started I was not sure which of my ideas would sell the best, so every single week I made it a point to make a new information product, put it on the market and market it to make money. And then after a while I began developing larger and bigger and better information products.

When you're leasing these products, you should ask yourself what makes you money based on what you've sold already. Should you create a new product or market an existing product, in which case it's the best use of your time to either make something new or promote something that's existing, and what are you doing every single day to build your list.

I think that you should get to the point where you can make at least a thousand dollars for every product that you create. This means that if you sell a product for ten dollars, you need to find a way to sell one hundred copies of that. That may mean that at first you have to partner with someone else who has an existing community, who has an existing list, but try to make at least $1,000 for every video or report you make, at least within the first month of launching it.

After you do this five, six or even ten times you'll notice that some of your products sold quite well even in the thousands and thousands of dollars, and a few might have been duds, maybe those only made you a few hundred dollars, if anything at all.

Now you can figure out what the next product needs to be and if you're time is better spent making something new or similar or the next logical step, or if you should just market your existing product.

Here is how money is made on the internet, you have products to sell and you have a list of email subscribers, and you bring traffic to your site. Now the thing is that making new products is one to make money but you'll get tired very quickly. What you should also be on the lookout for is what do I have that is selling very-very well that my subscribers have not seen yet, or maybe some of my subscribers have seen them but not all the ones who would have eventually bought. And, it's great to make money creating new products but it's even better by doing less work, by getting more people to see your offer and not having to do all this work of creating videos, creating web pages - just get more people onto your list.

Now there's a few great ways of getting people onto your list, including having an affiliate program, publishing articles, paying for ads on websites. But it's great to make more money, it's easy to make information products, but it's even easier to get a lead traffic funnel coming to your business on automatic pilot and get people to see those new things you have for sale.

When you're trying to decide how often to release information products look at what makes you money, can you market an existing product, and what are you doing every single day to build your email list of subscribers.

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Conceptual Thinking 101

I get into a lot of questions about the importance of or the need for conceptual thinking; and my answer is always that it is the key to successful products, especially in relation to marketing in today's world, whether on the web or not. It is certainly more than just graphics and code, image and tone, content and prose, it is process development. It is understanding the goals of the product and what the target audience wants and needs to see. It's about the right information in the right way, at the right time. The web has changed... and web sites are no longer just 'sites' with paragraphs of useless information and cheesy graphics. They're information portals, virtual sales tools, social playgrounds, and by far the most readily available, coherent mass media tool available today. The right design with the right ideas wins!

Once you have a plan of what you want to do and have inventoried and accumulated the resources to do it, you then need to figure out exactly how to realize your goals. This is the conceptual design phase, where you try to find accord between needs and resources and produce a detailed plan that can be directly translated into putting content in web pages that look good. Conceptual design is the processing of finalizing the concepts that will drive the design and developing concrete ways of representing those concepts in the form of the final product.

Not a very clear explanation, but conceptual design is very much a process, and sometimes a process can be hard to describe except in terms of its constituent parts. Conceptual design is what those people at automobile companies get paid large quantities of money to do when they develop all sorts of "cars of the future", most of which never see production. It is also what those who do when one of the car of the future ideas pans out and looks like it should be translated into a real, marketable product. One comes up with automotive concepts. The other takes those concepts and tries to develop working designs that embody those concepts.

So how do we engage in conceptual design in the web setting?

Brainstorming

A useful tool for conceptual design is brainstorming. Brainstorming is a getting a group of people together to play with ideas, no matter how outrageous. In the web setting, brain-storming is usually key players (uh, aka the funders), technical gurus (makers & do'ers), and some user representatives (the most important people) getting together and playing with ideas. If you worked for a toy manufacturer, brainstorming would more likely be engineers in a fully equipped work-shop making new toys and playing with them, passing the good ideas on to management for analysis and review.

Brainstorming is playing with ideas, and letting ideas come out, no matter how crazy. Well, okay, if they are a little too crazy then people may look at you funny, but sometimes it is the crazy ideas that win the day. The point of brainstorming is to get as many ideas out on the table as possible, and hopefully to get people thinking out of the box. Thinking out of the box just means taking a step back and trying to look at something from a different perspective. People who can't think outside of the box try to hire others to do it for them.

Brainstorming normally starts with everyone throwing ideas out, which are recorded and then sifted through. Transient media are best for this sort of thing, such as chalk boards and white boards. Things that can be erased and scribbled over. If you are really high tech, then you can get a white board that can take a picture of itself when you find an idea you want to change.

Game playing and role playing are also useful tools. See... all those management conferences do serve a purpose.

Once the ideas are out, you then have to sift through them to look not only for the best ideas, but for relationships between ideas. You are looking for patterns you can work with to organize the information of your proposed design into something useful and powerful.

The ultimate goal of brainstorming is to reach consensus on where to go with the product. People need to be brought together to agree upon and to be willing to collaborate on the mission, vision, and goals of the product. This is the time to identify issues and resolve differences, before internal conflicts become enshrined in the final design. It is also where you start developing the structure of the site, mapping out potential architectures to fit the needs of the audience and the content.

Metaphor Exploration

Metaphor exploration, a part of the brainstorming process, is the exploration of overarching metaphors for the design, including both those that might drive design behind the scenes and those that might become part of the physical site.

Metaphors exist to associate the unfamiliar with the familiar, making the new easier to understand by giving us relationships to work with that connect it with what we already know. As well as explaining by association, they can also be used to generate enthusiasm or to persuade. Holiday sales are good examples of these latter two. It's President's day, so you can celebrate and do your patriotic duty at the same time by going shopping.

Metaphors come in a variety of flavors. For our purposes, we can break them into three groupings.

Organizational metaphors are metaphors that associate something with a given organizational system to make it easier to use. For instance, an intranet may directly reflect the company org chart because that is what employees are used to. Or an online archive may use the metaphor of a library to organize the information. Functional Metaphors relate new tasks to known tasks. Thus online forms that used to be in paper format may be reproduced online with the same structure as the original paper ones. This might not be the most efficient way to organize the forms online, but it is what people are familiar with. Visual Metaphors make use of familiar graphics to create associations between old and new. Much of the metaphor that shows up in the physical site is visual in nature, since to accomplish relevant graphic design you must work almost exclusively with visual metaphors to create a certain look and feel to the site. The conceptual design phase is where you begin to feel these options out.

When working with metaphors, you should always be careful not to overdo it. It is possible to drown a site in metaphors, especially in today's metaphorically over-saturated world of online interaction. People also tend to fall in love with their own metaphors, which may make perfect sense to them and be totally incomprehensible to those actually trying to use the product.

That's why the rest of this is the hardest part of all for some... Test. Endlessly. Forever.

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Common Mistakes While Developing Mobile Applications

If someone asks me to describe mobile development, I would say it is the process of making portable devices which are as useful as computers and may get better than them as time progresses. That is exactly what is happening. Recent studies show that there are about 112 million users in India that is a 13% growth from last year. Research organization also predicts that, there can be an addition of 11 million until the end of this year.

But the interesting news in this research is that in 2010, there were only 1% people using Internet on their mobiles which went to 3% in 2011 and 8% in 2012. Looking at these trends and the exponential growth it is predicted that, there will be about 600 million Internet users on mobile worldwide.

All these survey sums up that mobile development has become one of the fastest growing and competitive market. Mobile phones have become the center of the world, given the fact that businesses and individuals cannot survive without them with all the communication and social networking possible through it. Smart phones are particularly getting the kind of attention which once upon a time declining computers used to get. Laptops and desktops have become impractical choices for quite obvious reason that they cannot be kept in pockets. So we have many reasons that this generation will like to do everything on a mobile platform.

Although there are enough mobile development platforms available, but there are few common and popular one. Some of these are:

- Symbian OS is one of the favorite platform among the developers for its fast real-time response. It is designed and maintained by Nokia.

- Android is another platform based on the modified version of LINUX Kernel which has revolutionized the mobile market. The Java based application of Android are most user-friendly.

- Blackberry OS, as its name suggests is a proprietary platform for the use of Blackberry devices. Research in Motion (RIM) also allows third party developers to write their own software using Blackberry Application Programming Interface (API).

- Apple is a development platform to create applications for iPhones and iPad. It is a UNIX based operating system derived from Macintosh OS.

- Windows Phone is the latest platform coming from the computer giant Microsoft. It uses a design language called Metro which allows developers to integrate the OS with third party services.

Of course, with so many available platforms there are thousands or maybe millions of apps which can be created. Everyone is trying to make their own app by their own, but the learning process is never complete without the understanding of common pitfalls related to it. These days I see so many applications with features which are not really important. There are few common mistakes which I would suggest avoid while in the process of mobile development.

Stuffing too many feature-

This is one of the most common mistake usually committed by new mobile developers or many times experienced developers who cannot resist the temptation of adding all the stuff they got. As a developer, you must understand what you want your app to do, what must be its unique features and how is it going to benefit and serve its users.

It is very important that the first version of your app should only target the immediate requirements of the user or the company you are developing app for. Addition of further features can always be done in the upcoming versions of your app. Constant update of your app also makes you look professional and popular among users.

Creating complicated User Interfaces-

The first version of your app should be intuitive and easy to use. A perfect interface should be such that user learns it simply by using it without referring the user manual. The average mobile user may not be very tech savvy. He or she just wants to enjoy the features your device has to offer. So keep in mind that every aspect, screen, buttons and functions of your app must be well defined to make their lives simpler and enjoyable.

Of course, there are some apps with complicated interfaces which have been a great success among users. But it would be better to start slow with simple apps and go for the groundbreaking apps once you have a name in the market. It is important to provide a manual with detailed how-to section in case of apps with complicated user interface.

Working on too many mobile platforms-

It is important that mobile developers do not start creating apps for all mobile platforms. Adding too many feature and platforms to your single version will raise your initial costs high. You have to do a thorough research and plan out your strategies in advance if you want to develop your app for different platforms like Blackberry, Android, Apple altogether.

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Great Questions for Interviewing Experts

An easy way to create new products is by interviewing other people, in an area that's of interest to your market but doesn't compete directly with you. Many people struggle with asking the right questions, but it doesn't have to be difficult. Here's one simple structure you can use for every interview you do.

First, prepare the questions ahead of time, and share them with your guest. This means that:

You can choose questions that tie in with your area of expertise The expert can suggest questions that are most important in their experience The expert can consider the questions and prepare more relevant answers Your interview will flow more smoothly.

When you make your list of questions, follow this broad formula: Who, Why, What, How, What If, Contact.

Who

These questions introduce the expert to the listeners, and establish the expert's credibility - for example:

How did you get started in this area? What sort of clients do you typically deal with? How long have you been working with these issues?

Why

These questions motivate the listeners to keep listening by describing the problem and the benefits of solving it - for example:

In your experience, why are most people so bad at [customer service, time management, etc.]? The latest research shows that most employees are still unhappy with their jobs, even in the best companies. Why are most companies getting it wrong? Why is it important to use a formal strategic planning process?

What

These questions give an overview of the solution - for example:

What is the single most important principle in [goal setting, leadership, etc.]? What are the keys to success in [whatever]?

How

Now you get into the details by asking the expert to describe the solution in more depth - for example:

So let's go through each of those steps in detail... What simple things can somebody do right away to address this issue? If you're not sure what to do next, how do you get started? What are the typical things that could get in the way of implementing this process?

What If

These questions help the listeners to project the solution into the future - for example:

What sort of results can a typical organisation expect if they put your seven-step process into practice? What companies are already doing this well? How quickly can we expect results? What should we be looking for to measure the success of this process?

Contact

Finally, you give the expert some exposure by asking how they can serve the listeners - for example:

Can you describe a particularly difficult client who used this process successfully? What sort of businesses do you work with? If listeners would like to get more help with this process, what services do you offer them? How can they get in touch with you?

Although this sequence might look artificial at first, you will find that it's a natural progression that makes your interview flow easily.

The Why/What/How/What-If sequence is also based on research in learning styles, and has been designed to appeal to different types of learners.

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How To Write Killer Headlines In Less Than 5 Minutes

Headlines do not sell anything, headlines just get the prospects to continue to stay on the page and hopefully read the offer. A good headline should aim to accomplish the following 3 things:

Calls out the target audience by name Offers attractive solution to a desperate problem Creates compelling intrigue to prod further investigation

Unfortunately, we can't call out every single prospect by their actual name so the best thing to do is to focus on a specific highly targeted segment of any audience that we go after.

The simplest way you can improve a headline is to be more specific with whom it targets. Hint: target the most profitable segment of a niche!

In other words, you should focus on the most profitable segment of the audience that you're going after and write a headline that would call them out by name. Calling people out by their name only gets their attention so the second part of your headline should offer a solution to their problem.

But as you know, not all solutions are created equal! The better solution you offer, the better is your headline. Here's what makes the solutions attractive:

Instant Gratification - people prefer results now as opposed to later. So if you can promise to solve a problem much faster than what's normally accepted, that would be great.

Believability - how many times have you read a headline that had no credibility whatsoever because of the outrageous claims it was making? The headline has to be believable.

Ease - after reading the headline, you have to make the prospect think that is going to be easy for him to continue on than to leave the page.

Simplicity - don't mention the word "steps" in your headline. People don't want steps, they want a system because too many steps make it look complicated comparing to a system which represents the simplicity of it.

Convenience - the headline has to convince them that it does not take much effort and it is convenient for them to read the sales copy now instead of putting it off for later.

Redemption - how this can help the prospects by reading on to get back at somebody or something or prove somebody or something wrong. This one is not as generally applicable as the rest of them but can be used occasionally.

The final part, compelling intrigue - curiosity is a very powerful motivator. What if you said this: "Do you want to know a 13 word sentence from an article published in 1958 that immediately doubled the value of my copy writing skills the first time I used it?" I bet the copy writing prospects would be interested.

That's the power of curiosity! Your headline should go about how you can make this so interesting by not revealing something just yet, just hinting at it to get the person to read on because they have to know the answer.

You should always test at least two headlines at the very least. This is probably the most important thing thus far. You can have two very good headlines but sometimes there is no way to know which one will work better. Even after you see that one of them is converting better than the other, you still may not know the reason why is that happening. Sometimes you just can't control what is going to happen next, that's why you should always test.

The most neglected thing in any internet marketing business is split testing because it takes too long to set up, it takes too long to create the tests and it takes too long to validate the tests.

But if you use the right software, it will take you only five minutes to set it up and five minutes to create two different versions by taking version A, copy and paste the exact same thing for version B and only rewrite the headline. So the total possible time for split testing would be ten minutes, 5 minutes to set up the software that would do the tracking and five minutes to create two different versions.In order to validate your tests, each page should get at least 300 unique visitors ideally in a short period of time to draw any useful data from the split tests.

Now that you've learned all these great tips on headlines, you should start applying them immediately and go back and rewrite or split test your previous headlines for sales copy, squeeze page, email messages or blog posts.

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The 6 E's That Make Audio Recording Easy

Whether you're recording yourself or interviewing somebody else, there are some things you can do to make the recording easier and faster. Here are 6 "E"'s to keep in mind for your next audio recording.

Expertise

Make sure you have real expertise in your topic area (or, if you're interviewing somebody else, make sure they are an expert). This means you will sound confident, the recording will flow easily, and you won't have to keep doing re-takes because of mistakes.

Environment

Choose the best environment for the recording:

Choose a quiet time, and one when there will be less chance of interruption. Tell other people you're recording at this time, so they don't interrupt you. Turn off your mobile phone, and take other phones off the hook. If using your computer for recording, shut down all programs that might chime in with alerts or messages. Have your notes and any other resources organized and close to hand (to avoid rustling papers, moving things around on your desk, and so on). Keep a glass of water at hand.

Equipment

Whether you're recording in person, over the phone or by Skype, investing in a relatively good quality microphone is important. You can get fairly inexpensive high-quality microphones which can make a difference to your recordings. However you may need to experiment with a number of different microphones to get the best one for you.

Recording directly to your phone (e.g. iPhone) is very convenient because you can do it at any time and anywhere. Although you can speak directly into your phone, you can get better quality by using a microphone.

If you're using Skype for your conversation, close other software on your computer during the recording, especially software that's using the Internet. You will also need to invest in recording software (there are a number of free and low-cost recording plug-ins available for Skype).

Enunciation

Enunciation is about speaking clearly, and in a way your listeners understand easily. Speak clearly (but not too slowly), and be aware of any poor speaking habits you know you have (such as "droppin'" the ends of words), so you can take more care with them in the recording.

In an interview, there's not much you can do to improve your guest's enunciation. But if you think something won't be clear to the listener, politely repeat it to the guest in the form of a question (For example, "When you said 'greater economic freedom', were you referring to personal or corporate freedom?").

Expression

If you're doing a solo recording, it's easy to fall into the trap of speaking without expression because there isn't anybody else present. To avoid this, imagine speaking to somebody else, and use all the expression (and even gestures) you would use in this situation.

Even in an interview, some guests become wooden and boring when they know they are being recorded. As the interviewer, it's your job to put them at ease before you start the recording, so the interview sounds interesting and dynamic.

Experience

Finally, there's no substitute for experience. The more you do this, the more comfortable you will become at it. So don't hold back just because you think you're not good enough yet!

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Should You Create Audio Products?

When you're creating a new product, consider whether to do it in audio, video or just plain text. Although audio is a feasible and attractive option for delivering your material, it might not be the best option for you. Use these eight criteria to help in your decision.

1. Experience

If you have already created audio products in the past, you'll be comfortable and familiar with the process, so it's easier to create new audio products. Of course, just because you don't have experience doesn't mean you should never use that format - after all, that's how you get the experience!

2. Speed

Audio can be faster than video, because you don't have to worry about lighting, background, grooming and other visual factors. It's also easier to do the post-production - such as editing, voiceovers and adding music.

3. Margin

Audio products are usually easy and cost-effective to create, and you can sell them for more than printed material, so they have a high margin. Even if you pay for studio time and professional post-production, you usually make a bigger profit on them.

4. Leverage

How can you use this product in different ways? An audio clip can be used as a single downloadable file, a podcast episode, a CD, voiceover for a slide presentation, and so on.

You can also offer this in paid or free versions. For example, an audio CD can be a paid product on your Web site or a gift you send to your top 20 clients.

5. Demand

It doesn't matter what format you prefer; what format does your market prefer? Audio products are ideal for people who drive a lot (and listen to CDs in their car), listen to podcasts, or like listening to educational material while multi-tasking.

6. Technology

What technology does your market use to consume the material? Audio files are smaller than video (so they are faster and cheaper to download), but bigger than text.

7. Convenience

It's not only the technology that matters; it's also the convenience of the technology. For instance, many people prefer audio because they can listen while doing other things - such as exercising and travelling. On the other hand, other users prefer text because they like to print material and take it away from the computer to read.

8. Price

What is your market willing to pay? The traditional view is that video is priced higher than audio, which in turn is priced higher than text. However, there's no point creating material at a higher price than your market can bear.

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Working With Top iPhone Developers for Best Solutions

From information gathering to entertainment purposes, iPhone is used by people of all ages across the world. The recent launch of iPhone 5 has increased the hype of this useful mobile device that has made it easier for people to create a connection between them. It is widely used to share contacts, personal details and information between two or more parties.

With varied features in a single device, it has become beneficial for businesses to reach a wider audience with limited efforts. The businesses are taking iPhone development services wherein a variety of applications are developed to entice users to know more about the company.

You can also take advantage of this radical device in your marketing strategies. Irrespective of your business domain, the investment in iPhone development services will be beneficial to reach a larger audience. When you work with top iPhone developers, you will have the following benefits:

1. Convenience to Customers: iPhone has various benefits that make tasks of mobile users convenient and systematic. It is important for you to use the device to make it beneficial for your type of target market. The iPhone developers will make important information accessible to the customers for higher customer engagement.

2. Improving Engagement Level: The aim to develop iPhone applications is to attract maximum customers and retain them by providing essential information. The best iPhone developers will accentuate the look of the application that can grab a lot of opportunities and will eventually turn it into profits.

3. Attract New Clients: The iPhone development team will build an application that has potential to attract new clients by spreading information instantly. The developers will make sure that your business is available in front of the target market in the form of mobile compatible websites and web applications.

There are many potential iPhone developers who are helping businesses obtain a sustainable position in the industry. You can also benefit from taking iPhone application development services from a reliable iPhone company.

While you are making a selection, you must ensure that the iPhone apps company has ample resources to meet your big requirements well in time. If you have chosen dedicated engagement delivery model, you must have an option to escalate the team to meet the sudden project requirements. When you are sure that the company will meet your requirements, you can sign the non-disclosure agreement with them and start your development project.

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