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copywriting :: Internet Marketing :: Copywriting
How To Write A Mini-Course
As your knowledge about internet
marketing and affiliates continues to grow, you will begin to see how
internet marketing and affiliates fits into the overall scheme of
things. Knowing how something relates to the rest of the world is
important too. The following article lists some simple, informative
tips that will help you have a better experience with internet
marketing and affiliates.
Do you use mini-courses in your online marketing? If not then maybe you should! Mini-courses are an important part of internet marketing. A mini-course is a tool that enables you to provide valuable content to your subscribers and promote your own or affiliate products at the same time.
A mini-course is fr*ee information on a specific topic. It is normally distributed as multiple articles
in e-mail format over a defined period of time. The mini-course also
goes by the name eCourse, free report or autoresponder course.
Before attempting to write your mini-course, identify a “niche
market” that has a unique need for information. A niche market is a
small segment of the total general market. It is a group of individuals
with a common interest that have specific wants and needs. Individuals
in a niche market may also have a common problem that needs a solution.
Creating a mini-course is similar to creating an ebook but on a
smaller scale. You need to select a “killer” topic that is of interest
to your niche market and satisfies a want or need or solves a problem.
There is an unlimited amount of information that can be used in a
mini-course. The key is to know what information to use. What
information do most people want? Individuals look for informational
products that satisfy their most important wants or needs. This
includes information on: how to do something, money, time, work,
health, self-improvement, entertainment, hobbies and sex.
How can you find your killer topic?
* Listen to your customers. Look for problems they are experiencing when they communicate with you.
* Conduct a survey of your customers and the visitors to your website and ask for comments.
* Join niche discussion boards and chat rooms. What items are discussed on a repeating basis?
* Subscribe to article announcement lists in your niche and identify the key topics being published.
Next, look for common issues or problems in the information you
have collected. Can you solve any of them? If not, locate an expert
that can help you.
Identify creative and useful solutions to the issues or problems.
Develop an outline to be used as a guide in writing your mini-course.
Perform the necessary research to obtain the information you need for
the mini-course. Present your information in a manner that satisfies
the wants and needs or solves the common problem of your niche market.
You need to have a killer title to grab the interest of your
visitors. Select a title that compels your visitor to want to see your
report. You want your visitor to request the report, download it, read
it and purchase your product offerings.
All of your work in creating the mini-course is of no use if nobody
reads it. You want a title that reaches out and pulls the individual
into downloading your course. Instead of using a title like “My Report
on Golf ” use something like “How to Take Strokes Off Your Golf Game.”
Which title is more likely to grab the interest of the high handicap
golfer?
Once you have the attention of your audience you want to be able to
keep them. The opening paragraph must excite your reader and make them
want to know more. Use an opening sentence that pulls them into your
report like “Everything you ever wanted to know about improving your
golf game and more!” Your opening paragraph also needs to define the
main objective that will be presented in your mini-course.
The course content
is the most critical part of your mini-course. Make certain your
information is presented in an organized and meaningful manner. content can be presented to your readers in many different writing formats.
Some of the most common formats include:
* How-to-do something tutorial
* List of ways or tips to accomplish a desired objective
* Interview of one or more experts regarding your topic
* Narrative discussion of the issues at hand.
Whatever format you select, it must be easy to read and understand.
Do not use difficult words or long sentences and paragraphs. Write in a
straightforward manner. Let your personality show in your writing.
People that are comfortable with your writing are more likely to buy
from you.
Be careful in promoting your own products or affiliate products in the mini-course. The products and services promoted need to relate to the content you are providing. Blend the product or service promotions into your content so that it supports the content. Find ways to weave your product or affiliate program information into your content in a low-key manner.
Avoid outright blatant advertising except in the top sponsor, bottom sponsor and other designated areas of your articles.
Blatant advertising in the wrong section will be a quick turn-off. Your
mini-course will be viewed as a sales letter and probably not read.
Keep your audience in focus. They are reading your mini-course
primarily for the valuable content you promised to deliver in the beginning.
The last segment of your mini-course needs to provide a conclusion
or closing section. Pull together what you have presented in the course
and present your findings. It should satisfy the original objective of
your course or provide a solution to the stated problem. Finalize the
mini-course with words of value to your readers. Direct your readers to
utilize the information you provided. Instill in them the desire to get
involved and follow through with your conclusions or implement your
solutions.
Organize the information into article segments of roughly 700 to
1,500 words per segment. Keep the length of the mini-course in the
range of 3 to 8 segments. Try to avoid information overload and
unnecessary padding in your articles. Determine the distribution cycle of the articles.
In general, one segment should be delivered each day or every 2 days.
Personally, I prefer once every 2 days to avoid overloading the
recipient with too much information if they don’t check their e-mail on
a daily basis.
The best way to distribute your mini-course is by autoresponder. Set up the autoresponder to automatically distribute your articles according to your defined time schedule.
Use the mini-course to promote yourself, your business and your
products. It is fr*ee advertising. You can use the following methods to
promote your mini-course:
* Include in the resource box of an article you wrote
* Include in your newsletter
* Include in your signature file
* Provide as a fr*ee bonus on the purchase of your product
* Place in an advertisement
* Provide as a promotional tool for your affiliates to use.
In conclusion, your mini-course should deliver valuable content
to your audience with the side benefit of promoting your ezine and
products. Create your mini-course with a clear picture of wants and
needs of your audience. You have wasted your time and effort if the
report has little or no value to your reader. Produce a quality
mini-course and both you and your subscribers will benefit.
Best of success in your online business activities.
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Copyright © 2003 F. Terrence Markle – All Rights Reserved
Get the FR*EE 8-Day Internet Business Mini-Course at:
http://www.QuikSystems.com/WMC/FreeBizCourse.htm
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About The Author
Copyright © 2003 - F. Terrence Markle has worked for over 20 years
with public and private companies. He has an MBA in marketing and
finance. He has been involved with Internet-related businesses for over
3 years. His primary focus is the marketing of affiliate programs.
tmarkle@quiksystems.com
We hope you found the information on this page useful and will return often to browse
the many articles throughout our site. We will be adding new material on an ongoing
basis in order to keep our visitors up to date on the latest promotion and marketing
information and tools that allow so many marketers to earn a full time living on the
internet.
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