Sunday, October 28, 2012

How Growth Hacking Came to Be - The Next Web

The buzz on ?growth hacking? has spread all across the world. Classes on growth hacking are being taught in Singapore. Companies from San Francisco to London are recruiting growth hackers. The first Growth Hacking Conference popped up a few weeks ago. This rapid craze beseeches an explanation. Why has growth hacking so strongly resonated with the startup community?

One explanation is that ?growth hacking? is just a catchy way to rebrand marketers, but this begs the question as to why ?growth hacking? went viral in the first place. The real answer is that the phrase ?growth hacking? caught fire because of its particular emphasis on growth, which determines the life and death of every startup.

Startups are facing growth challenges that were not apparent a few years ago. The platitude ?build it and they will come??made popular by the movie Field of Dreams?has since died and is now an antique of the dot-com era. Growth hacking has resonated in the startup community due to today?s growth challenges: new channel creation, channel saturation, the ?best product? fallacy and ?product-growth? fit.

Channel instability

The creation and destruction of channels is a common occurrence today. In early 2012, Pinterest became an overnight sensation and is now a major source of traffic for women-focused sites. This month, Facebook released a new site-wide paid promotion feature. On the other end of the spectrum, MySpace, Delicious, Digg, Friendster and numerous others are all hallmarks of how quickly growth can unravel.

Deloitte?s Shift Index, which tracks economic competitiveness, has shown a long-run decline in a firm?s ability to retain market leadership. Over the course of the past decade, a firm?s lifespan as a market leader has fallen by an average of between five and seven years. This shift occurred due to the rapid pace of innovation with the onset of the Internet, the proliferation of information and the empowerment of consumers with a mind-numbing number of choices.

Firms across industries have struggled to keep pace with this instability, as new channels usually result in market encroachment. A new channel presents both opportunities and dangers to market leaders. Growth opportunities are large with new channels but doors can open and close very quickly. Market leaders may be left behind.

Channel saturation

For every one successful company, there are several other bright and savvy startups trying to solve the same market problem but in a different way. With the cost of starting and running a startup at all time lows, it is now easier than ever to attempt to take market share.

From this competitive market, existing channels tend to go through cycles from newness?rapid, cheap growth?to saturation?slow, expensive growth. For example, Viddy?s and SocialCam?s integration with the newly released Facebook OpenGraph explains the majority of their rapid growth.

But this door quickly closed: Facebook changed the OpenGraph?s parameters due to, in its view, a bad user experience with over-optimized and aggressive video posting. Since this change in the OpenGraph, both products have seen their traffic decline.

Paid advertising channels follow the same pattern. Andrew Chen said CTRs have fallen from a high of 78 percent in 1994 (via HotWire) to .05 percent CTR on Facebook in 2011. Whether free or paid, a successful distribution channel typically becomes saturated quickly as competitors jump in. These channels will eventually run their courses and flatline, producing diminishing returns, until a market player rethinks how the channel is utilized for greater arbitrage.

The best product fallacy

The once-iconic perspective that products ?sell themselves? online has died. The best products do not always win. The inception of the distracted, self-interested and overloaded online consumer ended this rouse. ?If anyone tells you products sell themselves, they probably want you to fail?, said Phil Libin, co-founder and CEO of Evernote.

Tech companies naturally lean and rely on technologists to create value for their firm; however, the market has a long history of ignoring technology in favor of products that understand people. The list of the top ten best selling automobiles in the U.S. has little to do with high quality and more to do with marketing, customer satisfaction and customer service. The classic Betamax and VHS battle had little to do with a superior product and more to do with a superior distribution strategy.

Today, a stronger distribution strategy can beat a superior product. Go-to-market strategy is just as important as a good product roadmap. ?The number one reason that we pass on entrepreneurs we?d otherwise like to back is focusing on product to the exclusion of everything else,? Marc Andreessen said. ?Many entrepreneurs who build great products simply don?t have a good distribution strategy. Even worse is when they insist that they don?t need one, or call no distribution strategy a ?viral marketing strategy.??

Product-growth fit

Startup advisers and successful entrepreneurs regularly evangelize that product-market fit as the number one challenge of a startup. Even after product-market fit is discovered, startups will still struggle to find the right channel to leverage to grow. Typically, startups think distribution or ?marketing? will be the easy part. Thus, their growth strategy is often scattered with numerous possible channels.

Speaking on distribution and marketing Simon Rothman, founder of Glyde and former head of Ebay motors, said on Ethan Austin?s blog, ?Startups don?t fail for a lack for ideas, they fail for a lack of focus and prioritization.?

After discovering product-market fit, finding ?product-growth fit? is the second most daunting challenge for a startup. Product-growth fit is finding the most effective and efficient means to distribute your product or service. With hundreds of possible channels, a startup?s challenge is to move quickly to find the right method to acquire a customer and monetize that customer. The most effective methods today may change tomorrow by channel saturation and the appearance of new channels.

Growth hacking as a response

Growth hacking started to spread as a market-driven response to the above challenges. Long before Sean Ellis first wrote about growth hacking two years ago, smart marketers and product people were growth hacking without the phrase or the title. Over time these growth challenges have become nearly universal and the ?growth hacking? term appeared.

In response to channel instability and channel saturation, growth hackers quickly test and scale to be the first mover in a new channel and to rethink established channels to create new opportunities. A core element of growth hacking is testing new distribution paradigms. The ?hacker? element of ?growth hacker? refers to the ability of an individual to solve growth-related problems, not coding ability (see Design for Hackers). A growth hacker looks for opportunity creatively and is not satisfied with what is known to work for growth today.

In response to the best product fallacy and product-growth fit, growth hackers seek to leverage product as way to scale a growth strategy and ?bake-in? growth concepts that are organic to usage. The primary goal with product for a growth hacker is to utilize the user base to create sustainable growth, also called an ?engine for growth? by Eric Ries. A warning sign is a ?leaky bucket?, which is a massive hole in the gas tank for the growth engine. This reflects superficial growth and bad product-market fit.

Growth hackers appeared on the startup scene out of a need. It is much harder to grow today than in the past. When you build it, users won?t come. A growth hacker understands this challenge and lives to convince users to try something and to stick with it.

Image Credit: STR/Getty Images

Source: http://thenextweb.com/entrepreneur/2012/10/28/build-it-and-they-wont-come-how-and-why-growth-hacking-came-to-be/

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How To Get Hired In 30 Days Or Less

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Sudy Bharadwaj is a co-founder and the CEO of Jackalope Jobs, a web-based platform that combines search, social networking, and the overall user?s experience to provide relevant job openings. Learn how Sudy and Jackalope Jobs obsess over job seekers by connecting with them on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Sometimes it seems that a job search is a race against the clock: How soon can you get hired? Everyone?s search is different, but no matter what your situation is, there are certain techniques that are guaranteed to push you in the right direction.

Follow these tips to kickstart your job search and be signing an offer letter in 30 days or less.

1. Get Organized

Organization is key to staying on track (and on time!) in your job search. Keep track of places you?re interested in applying and what step you?re at in the application process. One good strategy is to create an Excel spreadsheet with the following columns: company name, relevant position, link to job posting, materials needed for application, date applied, date of follow-up and notes. This will help you track when and where you applied, help you remember if and when you followed up (see tip No. 5 for more on this), and notes on any feedback from the company. If you?re not a fan of Excel (we understand), try tools like Fresh Transition or JibberJobber, which offer organization and management tools for your job search. This crucial first step will help you get organized and get going on your job search.

2. Research

The best way to find openings and get hired is to be informed ? very informed ? about the company, industry and position for which you are applying. Research each and every company and position before applying, and be sure to brush up before an interview. Some great information to find: where the company is headed, what it has done in the past, who was in the desired position before it became vacant, background of the interviewer and anything else that could come up in conversation. Being prepared to answer questions and being informed enough to ask smart questions (remember: always ask questions!) can make all the difference in an interview.

3. Be Social

Get on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. Yes, social networks can help you snag a job. How? By correctly leveraging social media (in a professional way, of course ?- no party pictures!), job seekers can establish themselves as thought leaders in their desired industry, network with professionals who may geographically be out of their reach, interact with companies that are hiring and establish their personal brand. Remember, it?s not enough to have social network accounts ?- you need to use them correctly. Connect with companies you?re interested in on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to show your engagement and your social media skills (plus, this will help you get even more details on the company to prepare for an interview).

4. Network

You?ve heard it before, but it?s worth repeating: Networking is absolutely, positively crucial to any job search. Sometimes, it?s all about who you know ? and who knows you. Use social networks, local professional events and even social gatherings to increase your network and connect with relevant professionals. Remember, with networking, it?s all about creating a mutually beneficial relationship; if you give as much as you take, people will be more likely to lend you a helping hand ? and refer you to a job!

5. Follow Up

When job searching, you can just fill out an application, submit it and wait to hear a response ? right? Wrong! Following up is one of the most important steps in a job search. Two important follow-up strategies: One, follow up with a handwritten thank-you note after an interview, thanking the interviewer for taking the time to meet with you and reiterating your interest in the position; two, if you haven?t made it to the interview step yet, follow up with a phone call within two weeks of submitting an application to get your name on the company?s radar and check on the status of your application. Following up can be the difference between your resume landing in the ?hire? pile and the trash.

Use these five critical tips to take your job search from zero to 60 ? in 30 days or less.

How long have you been job searching? What tips do you have from your experience? Tell us in the comments.

Social Media Job Listings

Every week we post a list of?social media and web job opportunities. While we publish a huge range of job listings, we?ve selected some of the top social media job opportunities from the past two weeks to get you started. Happy hunting!

Image courtesy of Flickr, Juska Wendland

Source: http://mashable.com/2012/10/27/get-hired-fast/

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Video: Meningitis cases continue to spread



>>> we're back now with an update on the deadly outbreak of viral meningitis tied to tainted steroid injections. the cdc said today 25 people have died. the number of cases up to 344 in 18 states. there are disturbing new findings involving the massachusetts pharmacy that made the drugs. the latest from nbc senior investigative correspondent lisa myers .

>> reporter: george kerry's wife lillian died of meningitis after she and her husband received injections of tainted steroids for back pain.

>> it's a tragedy that my wife and i and the thousands of other people have been exposed to this contaminated medication.

>> reporter: now his family says george is in the hospital with meningitis, though it's not yet confirmed that tainted steroids are the cause.

>> this is a large and ongoing catastrophe.

>> reporter: one leading expert predicts there will be many more victims.

>> i think we are in the middle of the meningitis outbreak. and the end is not yet in sight.

>> reporter: the fda revealed friday that federal inspectors who investigated the new england compounding facility found greenish black foreign matter and white filamentous material and supposedly sterile vials and residue in clean rooms or those used to mix medicines. the fda said the pharmacy's sampling repeatedly found bacteria and mold in supposedly sterile rooms between january and september 2012 . yet no documented corrective actions were taken. an nacc spokesman said we will review this report and will continue our cooperation with the fda .

>> the fact that this has been occurring, it seems like under the noses of the federal and state regulators is shocking.

>> reporter: massachusetts regulators are under fire for rejecting a staff recommendation six years ago to reprimand the company and put it on probation after necc claimed that could put it out of business. the company was allowed to simply agree to change procedures. state officials say they are now reviewing the decision. the fda said its authority is limited but it is committed to strengthen the system to prevent future tragedies. lisa myers , nbc news, washington.

Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/nightly-news/49582313/

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Saturday, October 27, 2012

PFT: Rob Ryan says Giants dissed his 'Boys

North Carolina v DukeGetty Images

Peyton Manning could have gone anywhere and worked with anyone while he rehabbed from neck surgery last year.

But Manning chose to work with one of the people he trusts the most.

Jeff Duncan of the New Orleans Times-Picayune details the lengths Manning went to rehab on his terms with trusted confidante David Cutcliffe at Duke University, showing both his loyalty and desire to keep things quiet.

Cutcliffe was Manning?s college offensive coordinator at Tennessee, and Duke?s indoor facility was an off-the-beaten-path place to work.

?It was really kind of a fun experience for he and I both,? Manning said. ?We kind of both got to go back in time, if you will. I can?t thank him enough for sacrificing that time for me.?

After his third neck surgery on Sept. 8, 2011, Manning didn?t throw a football until late December, when he made the first of several trips to Durham, N.C. He stayed in a guest room at Cutcliffe?s home, and the Duke coach didn?t even tell his assistants who was dropping by.

?Our equipment people knew he was there,? Cutcliffe said, ?and that was it.?

For months he?d work out quietly, with a few spare players.

In March, Cutcliffe put Manning through the most grueling workout, a recreation of his 2009 AFC Championship Game win over the Jets, replaying every play from that day.

Manning flew in former Colts teammates Jeff Saturday, Austin Collie and Dallas Clark, current Broncos receiver Brandon Stokley and former Colts offense coordinator Tom Moore for the simulation.

?It was pretty impressive,? Stokley said. ?It showed you exactly what kind of detail Peyton went to in trying to get back. Most people would never even think about doing something like that.?

After evaluating the tape of that practice, and comparing it side-by-side with the Jets game, Cutcliffe was able to pronounce Manning was back.

?He was on it,? Cutcliffe said. ?Some throws were better than what he did before, with the amount of the velocity, the throws across the field. His conditioning, his legs were back.

?Afterward, guys were saying, ?Dang! This is Peyton.??

While it might be a bit of a stretch to say he looks like the old Peyton, he looks close enough to himself for the Broncos, thanks to the work Cutcliffe did during the winter.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/10/27/rob-ryan-giants-showed-cowboys-no-respect-a-bunch-of-b-s/related/

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How To Launch a Fitness Product On The Internet ? Kick Back Life

Hey there, I hope you?re life is going good and you?re fitness business is going great

In this post I?m gonna show you how to launch a fitness product on the internet, and the 15 steps I usually take when launching an info-product

With the Internet, you?re able to?

- Create multiple sources of fitness income

- Get new clients on a steady, reliable and predictable basis from the search engines, social media sites like Facebook, video sharing sites like YouTube, Daily Deal sites like Groupon and Living Social and from list building and email marketing

- Sell your knowledge of health and fitness information products and online training and coaching programs to people all over the world? 24 hours a day? 7 days a week? 365 days a year

- Make big profits referring people to fitness affiliate products you believe in? like supplements, nutrition programs, workout programs, ebooks, fitness software ? you name it? and often times you can get as much as 75% of the sale

These are just a FEW examples of what the internet can do for you

The problem is, VERY few trainers know how to use this incredible tool effectively when it comes to making money

Sure, you probably have a website up, maybe you?ve messed around a little bit on Facebook and even built yourself a small email list for yourself?

Maybe you?ve even written your first ebook

? But if you?re like most trainers, chances are? your website is bringing you very few clients, your Facebook efforts are only about 10% as effective as they could be your email list is growing much slower than it should be and hardly anyone is buying your ebook

It doesn?t have to be like this though

Because once you learn the ins and outs, the world is yours Chico? and everything in it

Whether it?s getting more clients for your local personal training business, fitness studio or boot camp?

? Or launching your own info-products, membership site, software, supplement line, online training or coaching program? there?s simply NOTHING like the Internet when it comes to ?

- Automating your sales and marketing

- Enjoying more freedom in your business

- Leveraging your knowledge and time

- Creating multiple sources of income

- Expanding your reach

Take me for example?

I went from spending my 20?s bouncing in and out of jail, periods of homelessness and mostly un-employed, and when I did have jobs, it was almost always under $10 an hour?

? To in my 30?s.. because of the internet?

The Logo for my very first online product back in 2008, it did $304,000 in billable sales in the first week it was open

- Building a $40K per month personal training business

- Launching close to 20 Information Products ? With my 1st info-product? Market Annihilator, doing $304,000 in billable sales in the first week

- Enjoying over 10 streams of income

- Making 6-Figures a year from affiliate promotions

- Making 6-Figures a year from coaching programs

- Helping people all over the world ? and ?

- PROFITING from helping people all over the world

- Making money 24/7/365

- Working when I want where I want

- And DOING WHAT I LOVE, what I am passionate about, and would do even if there was no money in it

Consider this?

- According to BIA/Kelsey and ConStat, 97% of consumers now use online media to shop locally? that means nearly everyone looking for training, looks online? and if you?re not there to be found first, all of those people are going to your competition who IS online to be found first

- The mobile e-commerce market is growing at such a rapid rate year after year it?s expected to? exceed 23.8 BILLION DOLLARS by 2015? meaning there?s billions and billions of dollars flowing and exchanging hands for those who know how to stake their claim on the internet and reach out and grab some of that money

- Today, 73% of consumers today prefer to shop online because of how much time it saves

- Ecommerce sales in the United States is growing at approximately 10% each year and is expected to exceed $273 billion by the year 2015

- Globally, ecommerce sales are growing at a rate of over 19% per year and are expected to reach almost $1.4 TRILLION by the year 2015

- Over $10 Billion Dollars is spent each year on books? one of the purest forms of an information product there is? people are buying up information products like crazy? and health and fitness is one of the three biggest markets to be in

Simply put, there?s a lot of damn money flowing around on the internet for those willing to reach out and grab their share

And everyone else will be left to fend for themselves out in the cold

Now, when it comes to selling information, there?s three big markets..

- Self-Help and Make Money

- Relationships

- Health and Fitness

Health and fitness is one of the biggest markets there is!!!

When launching a product there?s a strategy that I like to follow, because it works

For example, I?m about to launch a product right now, Fitness Internet Profits, and invite you to follow along

First off, make sure you?re on my email list so you can get the launch email

Leading up to the launch, I?ll be releasing a series of 3 launch videos? the first one will be on a squeeze page that looks like this:

Now, the reason the page looks like that is because squeeze pages like this work!

There?s only one thing to do, give your email to discover the 5 ways to get new personal training and boot camp clients from the internet? notice there?s very little copy on the page? notice where the girl is looking? Where she?s looking is naturally drawing your attention to the opt-in box? this is all thought out in advance

I first tested this kind of squeeze page in the Group Training Profits launch, and it pulled real well

In that one, I used a few simple Kajabi template squeeze pages, BTW I use Kajabi in most launches these days, they just make it really easy to create squeeze pages, sales pages and membership sites? plus it?s user friendly, here?s my affiliate link if you wanna check it out?

I actually make nice money promoting Kajabi as an affiliate and have for a few years? each month that money plops into my bank account from them? mostly because of the promotion I did for them a few years back.

Affiliate marketing is a great way to make money... you promote other peoples products or services, and get a cut, usually between 30% and 75% right off the top? all for sending a few emails.

You can promote info-products ( lots of fitness affiliate products pay 75% ), meal plans, nutrition services supplements, software, training equipment, you name it. But obviously you only wanna promote people, products and services you believe in

A lot of fitness affiliates and fitness info-marketers like using Click Bank for a number of reasons for promoting fitness info-products

The Fitness Internet Profits launch is gonna go like this?

You give out cool free information that either helps your audience get something they want, avoid something they don?t want or solve a problem they have

You give out this information in the form of ethical bribes? free video, ebook, software or ______ that does ________.

What it does for them is much more important than what it is.

People trade their email for the thingy you?re giving away

You have affiliates ? other people who have lists of your audience, all mail to the squeeze pages. You get the emails to add to YOUR list, and a cookie is placed on that persons computer they sent over, so if the person buys your product when it comes out after your series of ethical bribes, the affiliate gets a commission.

Being on either side of the launch is great? seeing the emails get added to your list by the hundreds or thousands, if you?re the one launching your product, and if your on the other side, promoting someones product you believe in, seeing the sales and money come in to the tunes of hundreds or thousands is awesome

Promoting affiliate products is truly one of the easiest ways to make money there is, you just send an email to your list, and sit back and watch the money come in, it?s like you?re in a toll booth without having to actually sit there all day, you just collect money

In many launches it?s about three ethical bribes, the person launching the product releases? 3 squeeze pages > 3 free thingys ? before the product comes out. So you get a nice bump in your email list, and your affiliates have a chance to firmly make sure their affiliate cookies are planted on their lists computers

AND? you get to build up some nice hype? or should I say ?buzz? in the market place, before you release your product.

Kind of like when you see a release for Batman 7 or something? everyone knows its coming out, everyone?s talking about it and there?s huge lines waiting to get in on opening day.

Same thing

Now, when the doors open, if you?ve done your job right, sales come rushing in? it?s typically the biggest day for sales, with the last day being the second biggest day

In launching a product, I typically do it like this?

1. Figure out where there?s a need... for this product it?s the need of fitness professionals to better understand the internet so they can make more money? be it get more clients from the internet, or tap into the global online marketplace and sell info products and/or affiliate products, fitness software, supplements, you name it.

Helping them understand all things internet marketing that apply to them. A lot of what the mainstream internet marketers teach has nothing to do with selling fitness online, in fact most of it doesn?t.

So there?s a definite need of fitness pros who want to make more money, to be able to do this stuff? and a lot of em? know it.

2. Mind Map The Launch ? Usually I either do this on paper or using MindJet ? on the right is part of a mindmap I made, not of an actual launch, but for content of just ONE of the portals in the the actual product itself

During the launch process I typically mind map out the following?

- The overall launch strategy

- The prelaunch content

- The product content

3. Alert Affiliates ? I typically have between 5 and 10 big affiliates and a few minor ones?

They get an email from me about 3 to 4 weeks before the dates I wanna launch, checking to make sure no one else is launching anything big for the target dates and then letting them know they can ink the official launch dates into their calendars.

And then about two weeks out I send em all a kind reminder email about the launch as well

4. Come Up With a Name ? I?ll typically write a whole bunch out on a yellow pad, run it by a few of my internet marketing friends and then go with my favorite.

This time my first favorite was ?Fitness Internet Entrepreneurs Club?? but it has 4 words in it and I typically like to go with just 2-3 words for a product name

My second favorite was ?Internet Uprising? ? going with the whole uprising ?fist in the air? concept, HOWEVER, I was concerned people wouldn?t know what the hell it was

Finally I settled on ?Fitness Internet Profits? ? three words that tell you exactly what it does? make money selling fitness on the internet, each word in that name is critical in describing what it does

5. Order Graphics ? I order graphics from my graphics guy, get a timeline, review the mock ups, tell him what tweaks to make and then make the final approval? If I go all out on the graphics, like I am with Fitness Internet Profits, it typically cost me between $100-$150 for a full set? if I don?t go all out, it?s about half as much

Here?s an example of the product spread for this program:

And my guy made me individual graphics for each part of this spread

On this set, for logo, product images, header graphics he charged me $125, and I sent him $150 to be a good client

The logo was about $75 of the expense and the product graphics about $50, and $25 was like a tip.

I like to use DropBox for stuff like getting and sharing graphics

Always remember to get the PSD files as well as JPG and PNG versions of your graphics, the PSD version is the photoshop files, in case you ever want someone else to go in and edit the graphics for you for any reason

6. Create Pre-Launch Copy for the Squeeze Pages ? I?ll whip up the copy for the squeeze pages that the affiliates ( and myself ) will be sending traffic to

This is pretty easy as it is usually anywhere from just a headline to a headline with 3 ? 5 bullets. This launch will be predominantly just headlines, typically I just plug-in the Kajabi link squeeze page templates, making everything super-easy

But on this launch, since I was so excited about how the simple squeeze page, with just the clouds in the background pulled in terms of conversions for me, I wanted to try some ?Simple? headline based squeeze pages with a fitness theme, instead of just clouds or a beach or something

SO?

I went and bought stock photos in large sizes, used Creately to create a basic sample of what I wanted it to look like to give to my web designer / web developer guy ( my web guy does both, a lot don?t though )

And what I came up with is the one up higher in this blog post with the girl on the bike and the two below ( Notice how in each, their eyes on where I want to draw my readers attention to? the opt-in box )


7. Create Pre-Launch Videos ? I mindmap these, then put them into powerpoint, then record, for this launch I created them with Camtasia video screen capture software

8. Write Copy ? I actually start writing the sales copy way back at the beginning of this entire process, but don?t finish until near the end. The copy is one of my favorite things to do, and I re-purpose chunks of it in blog posts ( like part of the intro for THIS blog post you?re reading right now), as well as for emails for my list and pre-done affiliate swipe emails.

The copy can make or break the sales, and if you?re gonna get into fitness info marketing, it?s one of the most important things you?ll ever learn, and fortunately it?s a skill that?s evergreen, unlike SEO or Facebook marketing

9. Create Pre-Launch Blog Posts ? Just like this blog post you?re reading right now?

- It gives people useful information they can apply

- It ?pre-sells? the product? by the time readers have gotten to this sentence you?re reading right now,a lot have already decided they?re gonna buy this product right when it comes out? and I haven?t even mentioned how much it?ll cost yet

Kind of like when all the stuff starts coming out about Batman 7, the trailers, posters, fast food cups, toys, you name it? people are already set that they?re gonna go see it.

Same thing

Top of upsell page for the platinum version of Fitness Contests and Challenges

10. Create The Actual Product Content ? Most newbies do this first, but I do it last because it?s the easy part, and once you?ve committed by letting the world know about it, you HAVE to do it? most newbies create the product but don?t do all the other stuff that really makes the sales, big mistake

There?s hundreds of people with products for every one who actually is able to sell their products

11. Plot-Out Upsells IF I Forgot To Do That Earlier ? DOH!!!! 0=

Not sure if you?re ever purchased anything from me before, but if you have, chances are after you made the initial purchase, I offered you something else? like McDonalds offering you fries with that burger, or with your lean chicken breast salad if you?re eating clean.

It?s not by accident that they do this, they know the best time to make a sale, is right after you just made a sale.

Same thing? now this works best if the 2nd purchase enhances the first purchase, making it work better or making it easier to use.

Often times I double the money made on a launch by offering a few simple upsells, especially if they?re available only during the checkout process and you let the buyer know it.

For example, on a recent launch I did for Fitness Contests and Challenges with Adam Mckenzie, I offered a Platinum Version of the program, with 3 done-for-you fitness contests laid out step-by-step by Adam.

On the first few days of this launch, we had 45% of people take the upsell? 45% of people added a $197 upgrade to their purchase

This added A LOT of money to our launch profits. It wasn?t a huge launch, but it did around $50K in sales, and a lot of this came from the upsells

Now, because I?m more excited about the launch of ?Fitness Internet Profits? than probably any launch I?ve ever done, and the product itself IS about as platinum as you can get, without me flying to your house and setting this stuff up for you personally, I *probably* won?t have upsells, at least not during the initial launch? however, you never know, I may add something in, but at this point am not planning to, at least not until after the launch period

I may just add in upsells for anyone who purchases AFTER the initial launch period

12. Plan Scarcity ? Plan out what goes away for people who don?t purchase during the initial launch phase? like?

- The product goes off the market

- The price goes up

- Some big bonus goes away

At this point in time I?m not sure what the scarcity plan is?

Scarcity works, that?s for sure, it?s one of Robert Cialdini?s Weapons of Influence

The last day of a launch is almost always the 2nd biggest day, and sometimes it can be the biggest

13. Drip The Swipe Email to Affiliates ? About 1-2 days before each pre-launch video comes out, I send the email swipes to the affiliates, often times with their affiliate link embedded in the email itself, making it as easy as possible on them to promote during the launch

Even if they don?t use the email swipe I sent, I?ve made it as easy as possible on them

I do the same for actual ?cart open? emails once the product goes live

14. Open The Cart ? At this point most of the heavy lifting is pretty much done, and it?s time to just watch the sales some in? every day during the launch I pretty much obsessively check sales, it?s really cool to see all those numbers go through

15. Plan The Next Launch ? Lately I?ve been doin one product launch each month? I don?t know of any info-marketers who can just live forever off of one product. Some keep re-doing their core product with 2.0 and 3.0 versions and versions with different Cadillac names, but for most of us, myself included, once you do a launch it?s time to start working on the next one? and obviously fulfill on the one you just launched, an example would be if you have any type of continuity tied into it

It?s not the 4hr work week, and I don?t know any of us who make money laying around the beach in a hammock

Between launches, I?ll take a day or two off, promote products for a few affiliates AS an affiliate, put out some quality blog posts, focus on improving my blog for conversions as well as doing some things to get new leads

Now, I gotta be brutally honest here?

- If it?s your first launch, you need to create affiliate relationships in advance, it?s not like you can just send some emails asking people to be affiliates and they?re gonna promote you. My first launch took about 3 months of focused affiliate building efforts? affiliates only like to promote people they know, like, trust, know they?re gonna make money promoting and know that you?re gonna take good care of the customers they send you

- Becoming a successful info marketer is not something you can do just giving it an hour a day of your attention. it takes work

HOWEVER, it does get easier each time, and it?s the coolest gig I know of? there?s simply nothing like getting paid to create something that helps people all over the world, and make profits from it 24/7/365?

My favorite part is explaining to people what I do when asked ?So what do you do for a living??

They look at you in awe, in shear wonder of how you got into doing something so amazing, most people can?t even fathom that it?s possible?

So cool to be living the dream

If you?re interested in learning the launch process, I urge you to follow along, you can do so by getting on my email list here, on top of seeing how the launch is done, you?re gonna learn a lot of cool stuff in the free pre-launch videos about how to get clients from the internet AND how to use the internet to create multiple sources of fitness income

And if you want to?

- Get people who are searching on the internet in your local area for fitness trainers and funnel them into your client base

- Leverage your knowledge of fitness into multiple streams of income

- Become a well known fitness guru

- Help people all over the world and get paid for it

- Launch your own info-products

- Make money promoting fitness affiliate products ? like other people?s info-products, meal plans, cook books, fitness equipment, software, meal delivery services, supplements and so on? whether locally or globally?

Then Fitness Internet Profits is something you?re gonna wanna become part of when it goes live? if it feels right in your gut, go with it, that?s what I always say

But for now, just follow along with the launch and enjoy all the cool stuff I?m gonna send you

Do you ever get frustrated that a HUGE portion of the potential fitness training market out there are going to any one of the large number of cheap low-value, watered-down $5 Boot Camps to be popping up on nearly every corner?

Looking for a way to separate your business from the rest and get the lion?s share of the HIGH QUALITY clients in your local area that you KNOW you deserve? If so, keep reading, because? Click Here To Read More

Source: http://www.kickbacklife.com/2012/10/26/how-to-launch-a-fitness-product-on-the-internet/

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Friday, October 26, 2012

Apple camera RAW update for OS X supports Canon EOS M, Nikon D600, compulsive photography

Canon EOS M

Not every update Apple makes to its RAW support in OS X merits attention, but when a new revision covers several of the biggest camera launches of the year in one fell swoop, we'll have our eyebrows raised. The company's not very elegantly titled Digital Camera RAW Compatibility Update 4.01 supports the unprocessed photos from Nikon's 'starter' full-frame DSLR, the D600, as well as a handful of hotter mirrorless cameras like the Canon EOS M, Nikon 1 J2, Panasonic Lumix G5 and Sony NEX-F3. Those who aren't keen on swapping lenses still get native RAW support for higher-end compacts like Canon's PowerShot G15 and Sony's Cyber-shot RX100. Provided you're running the necessary OS X Lion or Mountain Lion, Apple just gave you free rein to pick a cutting-edge camera and shoot (in full detail) to your heart's content.

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Apple camera RAW update for OS X supports Canon EOS M, Nikon D600, compulsive photography originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 25 Oct 2012 10:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/25/apple-camera-raw-update-supports-canon-eos-m-nikon-d600/

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Bullet in chest doesn't keep cop from catching suspect

By Shimon Prokupecz and Brynn Gingras, NBCNewYork.com

An off-duty NYPD officer chased after a trio of robbery suspects in the Bronx, N.Y., after he was shot in the chest by one of them, authorities say. The officer then fatally shot one of the suspects.

Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said Officer Ivan Marcano, 27, was sitting in the passenger seat of his car on Harrison Avenue around 6:30 p.m. Wednesday when his girlfriend saw two men robbing a third.

She told Marcano, who got out of the car, pulled out his gun and shield and identified himself as a police officer, Kelly said.

"As soon as he did, one of the suspects fired, striking Officer Marcano in the chest,'' Kelly said Wednesday evening at a news conference with Mayor Michael Bloomberg at the Bronx hospital where the officer was taken.

Read the original report??| ?More from NBCPhiladelphia.com

The wounded Marcano got back into the vehicle with his girlfriend behind the wheel. She took off to seek medical attention when their car became held up at a red light behind several vehicles, Kelly said. She honked at the cars; the one in front of her, a white Mustang, turned out to be the suspects' getaway vehicle. It jerked forward, hitting a livery cab and then a parked car before going onto the sidewalk where it came to a stop.

'Remarkable display of marksmanship'
Three men got out of the Mustang and started running on foot.?Marcano got out of his car, taking cover some distance away. Holding his left hand over his wound, with his gun in his right hand, he approached the men and fired one shot, Kelly said.

He then moved to another location and fired again.

"In a remarkable display of marksmanship and cool under fire, Officer Marcano fired, striking one of the suspects in the head,'' Kelly said.

The man died at the scene. The other men ran off in different directions.

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Marcano followed one of the men, and came across an ambulance, which got him to Bronx Lebanon Hospital, Kelly said.?

A gun was recovered at the scene.

"There's police standing on every corner, all day and every day," said neighbor Crystal Lopez. "So for something like this to happen in police presence is scary."?

The group COP SHOT has posted a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrests and convictions of the two suspects on the loose.

Marcano, who joined the force in 2007 and was assigned to Transit District 12, is expected to be alright.?

He is the 12th NYPD officer to be shot in eight separate incidents so far this year, according to Kelly, and the second shooting of a police officer this week. On Tuesday, Nassau County Officer?Arthur Lopez was killed?after getting shot in what had started out as a traffic stop near the Belmont Park racetrack.

Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/10/25/14696581-with-bullet-in-chest-ny-cop-chases-after-robbers-kills-one-authorities-say?lite

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