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[Adrian M King Contribution Level: 1]

I am really looking for feedback on this question as to what my fellow online peers believe to be the case. You see I started off online initially in (a well known online company) before realizing I was way in over my head with not a clue what I was doing! Yet I had still managed to fork out over $8000 for products I never even received (but that's another story). I was basically just another statistic of a failed "online entrepreneur" until I met my business partners that is......

You see I viewed my experience as a learning curve and a minor set back and vowed to not only do this online thing but make a real success of it (been full time for over 18months now and still going strong lol) but I started by writing about what I was interested in.... being a parent and behaviour specialist in mainstream education. I wrote and wrote and put my heart an soul into it then joined forces with my partners and developed my ideas further until we had created our own ebook (putting him as the main author with his kid as initially started as his idea) thinking it would sell.....

How wrong we were!! That was at the end of 2009.....It appears that these strategies do not work any more? Is this truly the case? I know everyone has an ebook giveaway but I am talking over 120 pages of quality info on bonding and exercising and playing with your kids even taking nutritional factors into account etc.... but alas our analytics were shocking with terrible bounce rates....it just appeared the market was not there anymore

I am just wondering if this is in fact a dead industry and whether I should ever consider revisiting it? That book is still out there on its sales page, as is another of ours which my partner and I created and I have a third I have been working on in a rough draft! As well as everything else I have been involved with online, I just wondered are they destined to only become free giveaways to generate my list in that specific niche?

please give me your insights and share your experiences with my dilemma... I have obviously moved on into other areas of teaching etc but I still harbor thoughts of rekindling this first love lol....

[Cara Olson Company: Monitium Contribution Level: 2]

Adrian,

I truly think they still do depending on what kind of sales page you have? Does it include a drop down box capture page. If so is it a video drop box? Video lead pages would probably help you get a list better as well as make sure you have a truly targeted audience.

If you are just doing the a slaes page concept and it is not up with today's technology then the conversion rate and bounces wil probably be higher.

Just my thought,
Cara

[Adrian M King Contribution Level: 1]

Hey Cara
Thanks for that, Yes at the moment it is usually a standard sales page with text and lovely graphics of the ebooks covers professionally created etc and sales copy was also professionally researched and written.

We then blasted out numerous keyword rich articles and ppc campaigns and got the targeted traffic but just poor conversions and even poorer bounce rates..... I do believe in the product but again we need to test and measure and spend more time on other ways to deliver it or present it and maybe even rebrand it... Our initial name has stuck and I reckon it is wrong lol.....

We shall persevere...

Thanks
Adrian

[Cara Olson Company: Monitium Contribution Level: 2]

Adrian,

I think it comes down to attraction marketing and bringing the targeted audience to you. I am not a strong believer of pay per click, (not any more) and when it comes to the articles the articles must be different or you might have well have just written one based on most seo that I know. I have been taught that duplicate copy crosses itself out for backlinks, and lets be honest who uses those article directories for actual learning and reading the articles.

Therefore, it takes time to penetrate the net. Try some video lead capture pages. If you want to send me a message I will share one that works for us but since we are technically an affiliate of it I don't want to just blast it here out of respect of the integrity of the forum.

You also might want to try to go answer some questions related to your e-book on yahoo questions and make comments on blogs related etc. Make it relevant though. It takes more time but it is more valuable.

I know you will persevere and you have a good attitude,
Cara

[kim kitchener Contribution Level: 1]

I think that nowadays people want information quickly and reading a long sales letter does not really work anymore. You need to capture their imagination straight away and this is where a good, to the point, video sales page is a lot more powerful.

[Adam Taha Contribution Level: 8]

Nah. It's alive and kicking.

I work other way round. For example, I've written a book which I haven't launched yet but before writing it; I went on a forum, that is very active with this niche.

Then got to share, know the community, and from there, began asking what type of stuff they'd like to have and well, they gave me the ideas. Some I talked on phone, some on skype, emails and also we did like a webinar too. Big turn out.

I already have 800 ready to buy. And they've even gone and talked to their friends, families, schools, colleges - and they are interested. I know, 800 isn't a lot but it's a good start I think.

Oh, and I didn't use an Opt-in form. I do on other things, but I use other strategies and this one, didn't have opt-in form. It was mostly in the community, in a thread. A big massive thread cause I was given feedback and the people were giving back feedback.

There was also me emailing the people and they'd all proof read a chapter each and email back. It's AWESOME! The buzz, and moving crowd to a frenzy to work together is an amazing feeling. You get to know people's personalities, their life too, because through process you get to know people at a deeper level.

So, it's best to not create first.

First identify market, see level of interest of this market - test, measure, get some initial contact with niche, get them involved. Find out what it is they want. Give them something, make them feel part of the full process.

Be open also to critisms, so they can help, share their thoughts openly. Some may just email you cause they might feel others won't agree. But that's ok, that's what you want anyway too.

One example, is a book I written called I.D. This one published, a physical book and an ebook.

This was a novel. The community in the thread involved. Word got round and more got involved. The community then....

1. Proof read the book.
2. Took photographs for ideas for the cover of the book. ebook and physical book it was for.
3. When time came to purchase it.

So no, it's not dead.

You have to look at the way you approached it. Be creative mate, get people involved especially in the market you're aiming at. People love it when they involved.

I did an interview with one of the people who got involved, and she shares how she got involved, why, and how she bought book. I still got mp3, if you need it. Might put it into video and bang it up so you hear from the prospect themselves.

They got right excited when doing it.

What was the key as well, they felt they were listened to. That it wasnt just someone selling them it. They became part of the process, from begining, right to end. They felt it was THEIR book, even when the people bought a copy each.

Get a community going, or go wherethey are first, and let them get to know you, give value, and find out what it is they'd want to read, learn - then get them involved.

Even if it's you feeding back to them every week.

Hope this gives ideas. But nah, it's not dead. It's very much alive. It's very big mate.

Adam Taha

[Jeff Celentano Company: Solavei, LLC Contribution Level: 2]

Great post. I have almost zero experience in this area so please take my 2 cents with a grain of salt. With so much information overload out there today, it seems to me that anyone with just a passing knowledge on a given subject can pull together a "book" and sell it online. Not saying that's what you've done at all but because of those bad apples, it spoils the rest of the bunch. But...if you offer someone a physical product that they can hold in thier hands and read in the bathroom....well that's a different story. Would Magnetic Sponsoring have been as successful if it were only available as a an ebook? I'd venture to say no..But because most all of Dillard's courses and products have physical versions in addition to the on-line editions, it all suddenly appears to have more of an aire of legitimacy around them. However, offering a free ebook is a great way of building your personal credability which naturally results in a bigger list to market to later on.. Again, just my thoughts on the subject.

[george Ruiz Company: Isagenix Corporation Contribution Level: 4]

I could get into a long answer...but I better go right to the point:

Question: Has the era of the ebook sales page died?

Answer: NO

[Pavol Almasi Contribution Level: 2]

I think a lot depends on reputation. And these days, also use of video.

I personally never bought any ebook just after reading the sale page. I always did a little search, checked what others say. And of course, I was much more inclined to buy if people I knew recommended it, or if I could find some info on forums, Facebook etc.

So at the end, the sales page could be the trigger of my interest, or the final straw that pushed me to buy, but it never ever worked alone. There had to be more triggers than just a great sales page to make me get the credit card out.