Branding Your Product for Market Saturation

Branding Your Product for Market Saturation – Why Product Launches Really Start Weeks Ahead of Time!

In order for your information product, online course, or eBook to be successful, you have to get the word out that your product is for sale – and that you’re the go-to person for that niche. I’m primarily going to cover free options, because the whole idea is to help you save money! Just remember that branding your product for market saturation is a strategy not to be ignored or forgotten.

However, I am going to cover one key tool that marketers use to drive traffic to their site. Used properly, it will be an affordable option for you to market your talent. But if you use it without knowing what you’re doing, you can lose the shirt off your back before you know it!

Blogging Your Way to Big Info Product and eBook Profits

I had heard of blogs and had even been using them in my business, but didn’t have any idea of how powerful they were for marketing purposes until I set up my first one. Up until this point I’ve been talking about why and how having your own digital product will put you on the fast track to making some really good money. Moving from working for others to building your own money making machine gives you financial incentives, but it’s also very empowering to get that freedom to create for yourself and no one else – everything done on your terms, with no boss to tell you what to do.

Blogs can play a very important role in your business plan and from now on, as a marketer, you have to start thinking of various ways you can spread the word about your products.

There are so many ways to use blogs I could not possibly cover it all here. There are literally thousands of content pages on the web only dedicated to blogs. You can also find tons of info products on blogging that cover every segment of using blogs to generate money, generate leads, connect and survey your target market and so on.

Tip: Use nothing but a free WordPress blog and you’ll never go wrong!

By free, I mean that you will pay for a domain name (URL) and a hosting account (I use and recommend A2 for hosting) and then you will do a one-click install of WordPress that is completely free to set up and use for your business. Why Blog? Here are four very good reasons to set up your own free blog on the internet:
1. They’re very search engine friendly. Blogs get updated often with relevant content, which caters to search engine crawlers. The layout and structure of blogs is also the type search engines love.
2. Blogs are interactive. People can leave comments on your blogs in an instant, which is like updating your blog on autopilot. It’s also easy to connect your blog to social media platforms.
3. More and more people are using them and reading them for their information needs. Blogs, for the most part, are used by the common people not big business – but that is changing fast.
4. Blogs are easy to get traffic to. Traffic in this business of ours means people coming to your site or blog to see what you have going on. Without traffic, you have nothing.

Adding Your WordPress Blog to Your Domain to Start Branding Your Product

These instructions are specific as far as installing on Fantastico if you’re using a c-panel host like A2. It’s super easy. Just register for a blog on WordPress like usual, following their wizard. Then log into c-panel and click on the smiley face (Fantastico).

On the left under blogs, you’ll click on WordPress. Then click on New Installation. That takes you to a screen where you fill out the information about where you want the blog installed.

Choose the domain (if you have more than one). It will ask you for the directory (I usually just say blog so that it looks like this: www.domainname.com/blog). Then enter a username and password you want to use for whenever you manage the blog.

Next enter an Admin nickname you want to use. If you’re branding yourself, use your own name. Then you’ll enter your Admin email address for managing your blog. This is where the data will go if there are comments to approve or if a new user registers for your blog.

Enter your site name, which would just be domainname.com. You can also enter a description if you want to (I never do). Next you’ll enter an email account username, like JDoe for John Doe. Enter the email account password and the server your blog will be resting on, like domainname. com.

Click on Install WordPress and you’re done! Once you have it installed, you can edit the theme by clicking on Presentation/Themes. There’s a little link at the very bottom of the screen that says WordPress Themes Directory.

Click on that, find a free theme you like, and save the file to your desktop. Then upload it to your server under the domain you want it in and inside the blog folder. You have to unzip the file first and upload each item inside, but the c-panel lets you do more than 1 file at a time. Once it’s all in there, this theme will show up as one of your options for themes when you log in to manage your blog.

Editing Your WordPress Blog: The best tip I ever got was… Before you start editing anything in WordPress, copy and save it into NotePad. This way, if you mess it up, you can just go back and replace your error with the original code and try again. So if I’m editing the sidebar, I want to copy and paste the whole existing code before I begin playing around with it.

To the right, it shows me the latest activity, including all incoming links to my blog, comments that were made on my blog posts, posts I’ve recently made, and blog stats.

If you want to make a new post, you just click on “Write a post.” But first you want to monetize your blog for either affiliate promotions or exposure for your own products.

At the top of the screen you’ll see the editing choices. Click on Presentation. There, you can choose a theme for your WordPress blog. Now click on Theme Editor under the Presentation tab.

This is where you’ll include all of the nitty gritty details for what your blog contains. Scroll all the way down to the right-hand side of your screen and you’ll see these options among others:

· ad1.php
· ad2.php
· ad3.php
· ad4.php
· sidebar
· header

Some of you WordPress geniuses out there may use each and every item on the massive list. But all you really need to know is how to edit the above elements. The ad1,2,3, and 4 choices are where you can place ads throughout your blog. One is right below your header, another is right above the footer, and two are in between blog posts.

Your sidebar is just what it says, but it allows you to enter an opt-in form to get subscribers on your list, links to your products (or affiliate items), categories that you want your entries listed in, and more. Anytime you do an update and want to see how it turned out, go to the top of your screen and click View Site.

This is all it takes to have the banner ad in the spot below your header:

<center><a href=”https://yourdomain. com/build/ name” target=”_blank”><img src=”https://yourdomain. com/images/sqsec468b.gif” border=”0″></a></center>

You just have to grab the code of where the image is hosted, which is the gif URL, and plus in your affiliate URL in the beginning. This is the same regardless of what banner or product you’re promoting.

For a text ad, it’s a little different. The code will be:

<div class=”block”>
<h2><center><b><p>NAME <a href=”https://yourdomain. com/pagename.html” target=”_top”>PageName</a></p></b></center></h2>
</div>

In your sidebar, every time you see the “h” codes, you’ll know it’s where you can add a new section. This one: <h3>Last articles</h3> is where I list the latest articles on my blog. Any time you see the h codes, you can alter the text to reflect what you put in that area.

In your sidebar, everything is divided into sections. To add an opt-in, you’ll first need a autoresponder set up like Aweber. Then you get the code for your opt in box from Aweber and insert it into your WordPress editor, like this:

<h3>Sign Up for the Challenge or to Receive Updates</h3>
<div class=”block”>
<ul>Sign Up for Auto Updates Here
<script type=”text/javascript” src=”http://forms.aweber. com/form/65/401637465.js”></script>
</ul>
</div>

This is one of those small details I never see in anyone’s info products. They tell you to put a opt in box on your blog, but no one ever says how! Now you have the code right in front of you – just don’t accidentally copy my own form and start sending me your subscribers! Of course, if you’re just feeling generous, go for it! Branding your product means Branding YOUR product!

Make sure you save all of your changes and test the links after you edit your blog. You don’t want to start developing a niche following only to find out your links are broken or the opt in box isn’t working.

With blogs, all you have to do is add your blog to every single blog directory you can find at this RSS Blog Directory and you’ll begin getting more traffic and followers who hang on your every update. You can also find related blogs and make comments on them. Most blogs will let you leave a link to your own blog so when others read your comment they have the ability to click on your name and be taken right to your blog.

Setting up your very own blog on your domain is better than using one within a blogging network. For instance, my main blog is https://mysite. com/blog – it’s an extension of my own domain.

You want to do this because it will keep you safe from losing your blog when using a free blogging service, which happens from time to time. It also makes you look more serious and professional about what you’re doing.

For example you will have a site address that looks like this: https://yourproduct. com. Now it’s time to set up your blog in a sub folder on your server, which will end up looking like this http://www.yourproduct. com/blog/.

A WordPress blogging platform is the chosen strategy tool of online marketers because it easy to use and again – it’s FREE! If you use A2 for your hosting needs, they have a neat function called Fantastico, which is just a piece of software that installs your blog for you automatically.

All you need to do is type in some information about your blog like the title, email address, etc., and press “install.” It’s extremely easy. Now that you have your own blog that’s related to an up-and-coming product of yours, it’s time to get started posting useful tips and tricks related to your niche. Develop a following and branding before you’re ready for launch day.

Okay, so you ordered your domain name that will host your info product and you have ordered hosting to go with it. On the main domain page, you should set up a squeeze page so that you can start building a database of customers (aka: list) – even if the product isn’t ready yet!

Create a squeeze page form using the code you’ll get from an autoresponder tool like AWeber, which is the tool you’ll use to build your list of names and then market to them using emails from time to time.

You want to do two things – give them something free, and make them feel they’re VIP customers. Tell them about a freebie you’ll be giving them when they fork over their name and email address. But then also tell them they’ll have advanced notice when it’s time for the official product launch, and possibly a discount, if you want to offer that.

Allowing your visitors to sign up to your pre-notification list so they will be the first ones to be contacted or to get a free chapter and tips and tricks related to your product lets you build a list of prospective customers that you can market to from time to time.

Always providing great information telling what needs to be done (but not how) is the way to build a fan base of followers that might be interested in buying your product. The how will come when your product hits the market.

You’ll want to have an opt-in form on your blog for people to sign up by typing in their name and email address to get auto updates for when you make new posts to your blog. Just use the code you get from Aweber and plug it into the sidebar of your blog. Ideally, you’ll want your blog to match your main product site.

Now you’ll go out and bring some traffic onto your blog by submitting your blog to blog directories and commenting on other related blogs. As a result of you posting consistently: at least two times a week, your main product page will be working its way up within the search engines for your main keyword phrase as long as it’s not too competitive such as “mortgage loans” or “real estate.”

Would you rather rely on a search engine to tell you which new car is the best on the market, or would you feel better spending your money after looking at a list of places compiled by a real person? Keep in mind that your goal is branding your product for market saturation.

Branding Your Product to Power Up Your Sales Using Press Releases

You want to utilize press releases both on and off the internet. Online, it’s simple. There are both free and fee-based options. I use sites like Free-press-release.com to distribute my free press releases, but there are dozens more, so just Google “Free Press Releases” and choose a site that has that feature.

Some, such as PrNewsWire.com, eReleases.com, and PRWeb.com make you pay for press release distribution. This might be a viable option whenever your advertising budget has room for this kind of promotion.

For an online submission, you’ll usually be asked to create a headline and summary, enter your contact information, and write the release at a set number of characters. You will also be asked to enter relevant keywords associated with your press release. Some sites allow hyperlinks directly in the press release and others only allow them in your Bio Box.

To submit an offline press release, get a copy of the yearly Writer’s Market and submit the press release via fax right to the trade or consumer publications you want to target.

Either way you distribute, you need to make sure it sounds newsworthy – not like an advertisement. Do not use superlatives like “Best Product on the ‘Internet” or “#1 for Customer Service.” The only time it’s okay to use things like that is if you’ve just won an award for these kinds of honors.

Make sure you answer the Who, What, When, Where, and Why of your big news. It doesn’t have to be earth-shattering, either. It can simply be the release of an update to your product. Don’t make it over 1 typed page or it’ll be tossed in the trash in many newsrooms. Single paged press releases are the industry standard.

Use the template here as your guide:

PRESS RELEASE TEMPLATE

Contact: Name Company namePhone (800) 555-5555Email address Physical address of companyWebsite URL Company Name
Press Release
Opening header
Sub-heading
City, State – Date: This is where your text goes – and remember to always write the pertinent facts first, followed by the more frivolous facts, so that the editor in charge can cut from the bottom if he needs to print it as is. End the release with your website link and/or phone number for consumers to access, along with the words “For immediate release” or four number signs to signal the end of the release, as shown below.

Many marketers forget about using offline media to draw the online consumer to their website. Let me fill you in on a little secret – I routinely buy women’s and other specialty magazines and in each one there are links to websites. If I see a quick blurb about a good find, I’ll tear it out and log on the next time I’m online. In fact, I’m probably more inclined to follow a link I find in a print publication than if I see it online in an advertisement. Over time, it will become evident that branding your product will result in more sales, and possibly market saturation.

If you can get a print publication to see value in your product, and they include a short blurb about it, you could get exposure to millions of average consumers. Even if it’s a small trade magazine published quarterly – if the audience is targeted to a high degree – that could equate to a lot of sales coming your way.

Plus, they could get your press release and then file your name and number away to use as a trusted resource or expert if they need a quote from a real person in the niche!

Sounding Off Through Your Sig File as a Method of Branding Your Product

It may sound like small-time marketing, but it’s one of the most effective ways of driving traffic to your domain – using a signature file. A Sig File is the signature box you fill out whenever you join an online forum or even send out an email.

If you have a list of customers and you send out an autoresponder (an email message set to go out at certain intervals), then you can include a signature file that says something along the lines of:

Connie Ragen Green… Claim Your Special Report on Multiple Streams of Income at ConnieRagenGreen.com

By using signature files, it doesn’t appear like you’re spamming the forum, but yet your link is exposed to thousands of participants and lurkers alike. If you’re using c-panel in your hosting, you’ll see which forums are delivering most of your traffic, and you can increase your participation there.

In the sample signature file above, I have my name because I want to brand my name on the internet, I offer a freebie for enticement, and I make sure my URL is included. I could also include a tagline or motto that describes something about my site’s purpose, like “helping newbie marketers succeed.”

You should always have a signature file in your emails, but you also need to put them in your profile on forums that you participate in. That way, whenever you make an intelligent or helpful post, people will look to your signature file and follow the link to see what else you, as an expert, have to say about a particular topic. I hope you can now see the value of branding your product for market saturation.

I’m bestselling Wall Street Journal and USA Today author, independent publisher, and serial entrepreneur Connie Ragen Green and I would love to connect further with you. If you have an interest in hosting video live streams, even if you’re an introvert, to help you skyrocket your way to success, please check out my comprehensive training for beginners at Video Live Streaming for Introverts so you may get started right away.