Updates
#1 – There’s a new fully fixed and working version of the Page Template Plugin available if you have it – v1.0.4. Just nip back to your personal download page and re-download it from there. I’m sorry for the inconvenience, but it now seems to work on all the servers we’ve tested it on and not just half of them. Ahem.
A modified version of that bundle will be available as a WSO shortly with 100% commissions, so watch for my email about that.
In case you don’t know what the Page Template Plugin is or does, it allows you to easily set up sales and squeeze pages on WordPress. Just activate, select a template, fill in the blanks and write some copy. It couldn’t be easier.
#2 – Shortcode SEO is now ready if you missed my email the other day. Again go back to your personal download page for that product and snag it from there. Had some VERY positive comments back on it so it will almost certainly end up as a WSO.
The plugin does two things – a) allows you to create shortcodes containing HTML, PHP, javascript that you can place in your posts, pages and widgets, and b) optionally adds any meta name data to the header of your pages that to my knowledge no other plugin does.
It’s VERY flexible in the way it does its thing.
#3 – The weekend “twofer” plugin sale is still live until Tuesday. Both plugins are SEO related and at $10 for the pair it’s a snip. You can pick that up from here.
http://plugingreat.com/backlinks-and-rotations/
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Question
From time to time (average 2-4 weeks?) I’ll promote third party products that I think are truly worth getting. I buy a lot of stuff and most of it is sub-par so you never get to hear about it from me. I also DON’T buy a lot of stuff because I’ve learned to spot the stinkers a mile away (don’t get me started).
I’ve noticed that there’s most interest in tools and lesser interest in educational products (ebooks, videos, courses). I guess it’s not that big a surprise when you consider what I do and the mailing lists I’ve built that I get a better response for scripts plugins and themes.
But I sometimes find a really good educational product that I want to share but because of the poor response I get I’m not sure if I should continue to do that or only tell you about useful tools.
Some people find these tip offs really useful.
The bottom line is I don’t want to bug anyone with things they’re not interested in.
You see my quandary?
(I’ve been experimenting with various ideas for updating subscribers outside of email, and one that I’ve considered is something I’m not sure would appeal.)
So my question is should I continue to promote educational products too, or just stick to plugins, scripts and themes?
-Frank Haywood
Frank, I think BOTH are equally important! one can NEVER learn too much, especially with all the ongoing changes online (google et al).
Hi Hal,
Thanks for that. Yeah I agree – you never can get too much education and I’ve spent tens of thousands educating myself over the last few years. But I also know some people don’t think like that.
From my perspective I don’t find that many products that I think are worth promoting, but when I do (then just like buses in the UK) they tend to come in twos or threes. I get all excited and I *want* to tell people about them as I feel I’m doing a disservice by not giving people a choice.
What I don’t want to do is bug people who don’t want to know. We all get way too many emails in our inboxes and we do a mental filter as we skim through many of them, so I’ve been trying to think of ways not to add to that while still getting the message across for those who really do want to know.
For example, I’ve just come across an edu product that I took one look at and said to myself “yes this would work for anyone”. It’s dead simple to do, and ideal for anyone looking to start an online business and I even think it may be the best edu product I’ve ever come across. It’s ideal because it’s free to do, you don’t need a web site, and it’s totally scalable. My head is buzzing with ideas around it – it’s truly novel in a stale market.
In fact after watching the videos (which were a delight) I left a comment on the WF about it saying how good I thought it was. I *never* do that – that’s how impressed I am with the product.
I can see angles for work at home types, “regular” marketers, how to outsource it all (scalable) once you’ve got it working the way you want, and even the local biz consultancy mob. It’s pretty much amazing and I *will* send an email out about it. I’m very tempted not to though as I also think the fewer people who know about this the better. 😉
Anyway…
I’m still thinking of ways I can let those know who want to know and not bug those who are only interested in tools and scripts. I could split my lists, but not everybody wants to do that – I need to give it some thought.
Thanks again for your comment, enjoy the PR1 dofollow link. 😉
(It may not be PR1 today but it typically will be after a few weeks.)
All the best,
-Frank
Hey Frank,
I run several blogs and have been marketing/studying/buying internet marketing since the days of Compuserve and AOL being the only two big players! 🙂 My suggestion: simply add a separate Category & Page Tab to this existing blog (or site) labeled, for example, Educational or Training or Tutorials..etc…have another as Scripts/Tools…leave TWO hyper links on your Signature files for your emails/ads send out frankhaywood.com/tutorials or frankhaywood.com/scripts at the bottom of your emails. I prefer it that way for myself. This way, people can navigate to the location on your blog/site for either thing you are promoting.Dont limit yourself or us readers. And again, I prefer both Education and Tools (as I feel, even after 10+ yrs, one can always learn something new). Thanks for the PR1 link!
I feel there is so much stuff out there in the educational arena and there is little doubt that almost all of it is just a regurgitation of what is already out there in a new package, new bow, etc. I like buying plugins and programs, etc. esp. if they work and I get follow up on upgrades, etc. just like you currently conduct your business. I personally think you would be better off sticking to plugins, scripts, themes, etc.
Hi John,
Ah the other side of the issue to balance it out, thank you! 🙂
I totally agree with what you’re saying about the regurgitated stuff – you’re right on the bean there. And there’s tons of it out there isn’t there? And most of it is just plain crap and at worst misleading.
I see people buying stuff on the WF and I’m shouting “NO!” at the screen – this applies to tools and edu products both. I know we were all newbies once and we have to learn somehow, but some of the stuff that sells I wouldn’t have the hutzpah to create in the first place, let alone sell. And then I even see many of the big ticket items that are just as bad as the $5 stuff on the WF. It’s a damn shame.
(I’ve been seriously considering going into the edu side of things but with all the basic stuff for free. Just so that newbies get a good grounding in what works and what doesn’t and how to go about things from day one. Still thinking about the best way to go about it all though and even wondering if it’s the right thing to do.)
Thanks for taking the time out to leave a comment, I really appreciate it.
-Frank
Frank I enjoy all the emails you send. I even clicked on a few. If I didn’t get it I felt I didn’t need it. I vote keep doing what you are doing. Thanks for all the help.
Manny
Hi Manny,
And there we go. That’s how I feel too. (There’s some great comments on this post.)
I’m on a lot of mailing lists and I don’t mind that some people send me a promotional email every day as long as it’s interesting and I think it’s relevant. As soon as I start to see the BS products being promoted I move them to another email address I use that I only check once a week or so – or I unsubscribe. I’ll let a couple go but then that’s it, three strikes and they’re out. 😉
But those people who keep me informed about the good stuff are still read almost every day. I don’t mind giving a few minutes each day to check something out – I’m quite good at separating the wheat from the chaff now.
Like you, I’m big enough to make my own decisions. 🙄
My main concern is bugging people. I’m hoping that bit of discussion here will throw up some suggestions that I wouldn’t normally think of or give me an idea of how to go about it. I know better people than me have tried to do this, but I have to give it a go.
Thanks for your comment, much appreciated.
-Frank
Hi Frank,
It doesn’t bother me to receive news and product offers. I don’t buy educational products, but I buy a lot of plugins, scripts and themes that perform marketing functions or transform a site into a machine of some kind.
As for your plugins, for the most part it appears that I’m actually in a different market.
As I mentioned once before, I only use wordpress in multisite/network mode, so some plugins work for me out of the box and others I have to modify. Plus, there’s another issue for some plugins, because I use hundreds of databases for a single wp install. If the coder uses wp dynamic hooks to call the database then it will most likely work fine.
I can generally modify a plugin and make it work for me with just a couple of minor changes, but it can be a real hassle dealing with various upgrades when they occur. Other than that, I’m fine.
Best Regards,
Michael
Hi Michael,
Yeah… I don’t know much about the whole multi-site thing as it’s not something I do myself and I have no pressing need (that I know of) to go learn more about it as I enjoy WP as it is. Maybe if I learned a little bit more I’d change my mind about it all.
As a result some of your comments puzzle me like the “hundreds of databases” per WP install – I just don’t understand (yet) that side of it and I’m not sure where to start either. If you’re experienced enough to know of some small changes we could make to our plugins to make them more likely to work multi-site then we’ll do it. 🙂
Thanks for your take on the edu / scripts issue. I have a feeling it’s going to be a 50-50 thing.
-Frank
So far you haven’t sent me any rubbish so I don’t mind getting your tip offs as long as the BS is filtered out.
Off topic … when do you plan to have your own affiliate program. I’m not a lover of WSO’s … too much BS.
Hi Brian,
Thanks for the vote of confidence. I try very hard to weed out all the rubbish I get told about and only when I’ve bought something and looked it over myself and can see a *personal* use for it do I even consider telling anyone else about it.
Not all WSOs are BS, but yeah as you say there are too many aren’t there? There used to be a vetting system but that seems to have gone by the by.
As for the affiliate scheme, we’re working on it like a boss. 😉
The scheme is there using ClickBank and Affiliate Click Pal (ACP) but there’s so much back office stuff to do you wouldn’t credit it. I have my wife editing banner ads and other promo tools, and there’s a talented full-timer starting on the 23rd. I could open it today but there wouldn’t be anything in there and no affiliate promo tools – you could get links but that would be it. When we have the total process down the way we want it, we’ll open the scheme and just work our way through all the products.
In fact… I’ve just right now decided I’m going to change the way we’re approaching it.
Sales page and order button first, then add the product to the affiliate scheme and add the promo tools afterwards.
Thanks for asking the question that stimulated that thought. 😉
-Frank
Great news. When it’s up and running … please let me know. I’m looking forward to promoting your plugins.
Brian
Hi Frank,
As a Newbie who hasn’t yet had the success I was hoping for, I like getting the educational products as well as tools to help. I have purchased a lot of the tools, but sometimes it seems like too much is assumed about the level of understanding of the use. I truly started from ground level and and just the vocabulary is a struggle sometimes. I guess what I am trying to say is don’t leave the educational materials out because some of us need them
Thanks!
Hi Marian,
I know as well as anybody that it’s *hard* to get it all going, and that sometimes things can go backwards just when you think it’s all working out. I also realise that the problem is when you’re a newbie, it’s difficult to know what’s gold and what’s going to turn to sand, and only experience or a good mentor is going to help you with that.
I’ll have a think about what can be done.
-Frank
Frank,
I’d like to see both covered in your mailings. They are always succinct and apposite. “Frank” and friendly, good quality advice is always welcome. If I have a preference it would be for plugins/scripts to appear first with education stuff folliwng.
Chris.
Hi Chris,
Well thanks for that. I know I waffle if left unchecked and I’m careful to cut chunks of text out and move things around when I’m done so that I end up with something small and sweet – most of the time.
I’ll think about what you’ve said, thanks for leaving a comment. 🙂
-Frank
Frank,
Why don’t you just build two lists? One for plugins and themes. One for education.
Subscribe “here” for plugins/themes. Subscribe “there” for news of “new twists” worth looking at.
Sometimes you’ll “broadcast” to both. Most times you’ll be targeting your qualified audience.
You could even become more granular within your existing list focused on plugins and themes. There are those who don’t care to know a bit from a byte and those who love to dive into the code.
Of course there’s a limit to this with diminishing returns. But overall, I consider it a sound approach to specialize and segment in order to target the audience.
Patrick
Hi Patrick,
You’re absolutely right of course and it’s something I’ve considered and I’m still considering – it’s partly why I’ve asked what people think. It’s fairly easy to do for instance on the front of this blog, you just take the form code for let’s say 3 lists.
1) Tools
2) Edu
3) Both
Then you create radio buttons to let people choose which they’d like to hear about and they sign up – this then submits to the relevant list. Thinking about that, it would actually give people greater ownership as it’s their decision to join one of the lists.
But I also pick up subscribers from sources outside this blog.
I guess the first email to them could be to offer them a choice though in return for a reward of some kind to move to another list. Yeah that could work. Thinking out loud there… 😉
Thanks for stimulating that line of thought.
-Frank
Frank:
I was going to say the same thing Patrick did. 🙂
Thanks!
Scott <
Hi Scott,
Ah well, that’s because great minds think alike. 🙄
-Frank