I’ve been selling information products now for a couple of years and one thing that I always wanted to explore was the “shipped version” option.  There are a few benefits of offering this, too:

• Physical, tangible items = higher potential value (versus downloads)
• Some people prefer a hard version
• Some people may not have a fast internet connection for streaming audio or video
• Some people may prefer learning off-line altogether
• Some may want the option of watching on a TV (like a DVD video)
• Generally, the profit-margin of a physical add-on can be high

That being said, what is the value and time it takes to add a physical version of your product?

In this case, I am going to focus in on DVD’s and CD-ROMs specifically.  These can carry information such as video, audios, documents, applications or other types of software.  These can also be made to play in computers, DVD players and CD players (depending on how the data is formatted).

My biggest concern about implementing this has been cost and time.

COST and VOLUME

There are two ways to get a DVD/CDROM burned:  Replication or Duplication.

With replication, your disk image is made into a master and your disks are printed or pressed (at a physical level).  For large volume (usually over 1000 disks), this can be very affordable:  Usually much less than $1 per disk.  Still, I need to order over a 1000 disks!  (And I don’t do that type of volume…yet!)

With DVD/CDROM duplication, it is similar to what you would do on your own computer.  A blank disk is inserted into a duplication machine and the image is then burned onto the disk.  The process is much slower, but can be done at lower quantities.  Because of this, you generally pay considerably more per disk.

TIME and SPACE

The other issue to worry about is time and space.  How much time do you want to spend ordering, packaging and delivering CD-ROMs or DVDs?  Most information product sellers are in the business to AVOID physical product fulfillment.  Plus, you usually need to house and store the products.

BUT THERE IS A SOLUTION

I discovered Kunaki.com from a friend earlier in the year.  Since then, I have yet to find a competitor that can perform to the satisfaction level that they provide.  Also, the cost is ridiculously low.   Their service is simple:

• You send them a disk image (using their proprietary software)
• You create a package (using your own images, or their stock images) to create a case cover and disk print

From this point, they are your drop shipper!  You pay $1.75 per packaged disk (includes the case, with printing, internal insert, printed disk, wrapped and individually sealed).  Order as many as you like to yourself (and they do offer shipping discounts to a single location) or have them ship the disk anywhere for a flat $4 fee.  That is it.  They even have an API that you can tap into to automate the whole process.

Plus, you can even have Kunaki merchant your product for free, if you wish.  They provide you with a simple order page that you can directly send your buyers to.

Now the process and options are a bit restrictive here, but this is what makes their cost so low.  For me, being an information marketer, it is by far the best solution I have found to test out new physical products without the time and the investment normally required.

And in part 2, I’ll tell you more about ways of using this Kunaki system other offers such as lead generation.

cheers…matt

P.S. no, I am not an affiliate for Kunaki nor do I get anything from them…I just think this service is kick-ass!

*UPDATE:  KUNAKI HAS DROPPED THE PRICE TO $1 EACH!!!

Trying to get three kids to smile and cooperate for a picture is impossible…this is the best I could do!

(Spanish Dancer, Tulip Fairy, Luigi…and my made-up Charger/hippie look)

…I wish I had that much hair!

(For those looking for a treat, check out some free chapters of Worldwide Brands The Whole$ale!)

I suppose it is bad of me, but I have gotten lazy about checking my YouTube InBox (kind of: out of sight, out of mind).  But this morning, I spent a good hour or so looking over the questions people have sent and one stood out…

It was from someone who was upset that affiliates could buy Clickbank products with their own affiliate link.

Is this fair to the advertiser?

Technically, no one referred or marketed this link to them.  Why should I (the advertiser) have to provide them a full commission at my expense?

This is kind of like the “refund” debate (how do you prevent people from buying your product with the intention on refunding it?).  That is a post all in itself, but the two are very similar.

In both cases, the advertiser is losing profit with intention from the buyer.

I think affiliates being able to buy Clickbank products with there own link is GOOD!

Let me give you my arguments…

1) Test Before Promoting

As an affiliate marketer myself, I want to be able to go through both the buying and affiliate process myself.  If I am going to promote a product, I may not necessarily want to use it, but I am still willing to pay the advertiser SOME money for the opportunity to accurately review it.

Also, you want to make sure that your affiliate cookie or link is actually going to give you credit.  I hate to admit this, but there are some rather deceitful marketers out there.

(I know, that is tough to believe)

They may try to funnel the customer onto a mailing list and market them elsewhere.  Or they may stuff their own cookie.  Or they don’t provide you commissions on an important upsell.  There are a lot of bad things that can happen, and I want to test the Clickbank system and the advertiser to make sure it is working ok.

2) Who Even Knows This?

If you are an affiliate marketer or have spent time in the home business space, you are aware of Clickbank, how it works and how buying with your affiliate link can save you money.

But I will promise that MOST people don’t have a clue about this.  If you sell Home Biz products, you will be affected a lot more and you will get people who are “buying for themselves” with no intention to promote it.  (I do it all of the time…I even refund products that I think stink, too!)

But for the general masses and MOST e-products, you will find that the general consumer does not know about this.  (And in this case, the buyers who DO know about it are more than likely buying for the reasons stated in #1).

3)  This Increases Gravity!

So are there any benefits for those of us who ARE in the home biz niche (or other niches that consumers are abusing the affiliate link?).

YES, and it is a good one, too.  Remember that Clickbank Gravity is a function of unique affiliates that have sold a product (to learn more about this, see my post Understanding Clickbank Gravity).  How much is an EXTRA GRAVITY POINT worth to you?  In this case, you still get a percentage of the sale and an increase in gravity.  (And gravity is a viral thing!).

4) A Sale is a Sale

And still, even though are you missing out on profit, in many cases, these people would have never bought from you in the first place without the discount.  You still get the lead, you still make the money, and for most of us selling on Clickbank, our overhead costs are very small (which makes this discounted sale still profitable!).

I would be rather upset if Clickbank started a non-affiliate buying rule.  I don’t think it helps anyone.

But tell me what you think?  Should affiliates be able to buy products for themselves on Clickbank?

cheers…matt

EXCLUSIVE ONE-HOUR PODCAST
(Select the arrow below to listen now!)

(Download the MP3 Here)

Is this the end of affiliate marketing and the internet as we know it?

Ever since the FTC announced their new regulations concerning endorsements and testimonials on the internet, we have seen major chaos erupting throughout the internet marketing world.

• Can you still sell online?
• Can you use testimonials?
• Can you still make a profit from blogs?
• Are review sites legal?
• Is affiliate marketing dead?
• Are these new FTC laws going to protect or hurt the online consumer?
• Is this the beginning of more government regulations on the internet?

So many questions, and frankly, I personally can’t answer these…

Luckily, renowned and well-respected internet law attorney Linda Goodman from TheGoodmanLawFirm.com sat down with me for over an hour to explain what these new FTC rulings on endorsements and testimonials mean not only for my own business, but the state of internet marketing, in general.

She left no holds barred and answered everything I could dish at her…and some of it was a bit troubling!

But let me tell you:  These new FTC regulations are not the end to online business success!  You just need to be educated on what is happening, though.

This one-hour podcast will explain to you what is going on with the FTC and the internet, who it is going to affect the most, and what you can do to protect your current websites (or any new website you plan to create).

By the way, Linda Goodman WAY over-delivered in the information that she provided in this interview.  Don’t take this information for granted!  Thanks for your time, Linda, and allowing me to share this with my clients!

cheers…matt

P.S. I welcome your questions and comments about this topic and the interview below!

EXCLUSIVE ONE-HOUR PODCAST
(Select the arrow below to listen now!)

(Download the MP3 Here)

(I digress for the day to talk a little bit about a product.  I thought it required some attention since I have gotten 3 emails about it and personally, the product got me thinking a little bit…)

I have gotten a few emails over the past couple of weeks from Jeff Walker (you know, the Product Launch Formula guy).

Over the years, in fact, I have been both a good client as well as an affiliate for his PLF product (and I still think it is one of the best on the market).

Now he is opening up a whole dimension of his Product Launch Formula, and this surrounds a program training for you to become a Product Launch manager for other people.

So what’s the deal and should you even consider this…

My concerns first:

- This is not going to be cheap. I don’t know the cost yet but I assume it will be at least a few thousand dollars.

- You are being trained to do a job. I hate that word “job”, too.

- This is about management, networking and finding clients.

OK, I admit that all three of these cause me to scratch my head a little bit. But let’s focus on why this may be good for you…

- It may not be cheap, but this will be intense formal training including some on-site instruction (not just “videos”). When you think about it, it is not much different than any other formal training course you may take through your own job.

- The Product Launch Formula itself is $2000 alone. Here, you will learn all of that, but in much more detail. This training would even be good for doing your own product launch (if you don’t want to do this for others).

- Managing product launches is big business on the internet.

Have you been to Affiliate Summit before? If you have, you p noticed the place is littered with highly sought after “OPM”s (no, this does not stand for “Other People’s Money”, rather, “Open Project Managers”).

I have personally sought out OPM’s in the past and many want a base of $5k-$10k/month plus a 10-25% cut of the earnings.

That is pretty steep. But if your a good OPM (a.k.a., Product Launch Manager), it is a damn good living.

- Yes, managing, networking and finding clients can seem awful, but then again: That is what internet marketing is whether you do it for yourself or others. (And doing it for others is a lot less

risky!)

I do know many OPM’s who started as managers just to understand the business and to meet the people. They later went on to be highly successful in creating, managing and promoting their own product!

Me personally, I would be interested in the training alone (for my own stuff). I’m not in the business any more in working for others. In fact, my goal is to start finding OPM’s to work for me. But I’m in a different position now. Ask me 3 years ago, and I would heavily consider an opportunity like this.

So those are my two cents.

If you want to know a bit more about what Jeff Walker is doing, you can go and watch this video of his at:

Product Launch Training Video

The first and main video does not require any opt-in, but there are a few other videos he is offering if you wish to see more.

The main, fr’ee’ video is pretty interesting, though.

Click Here to learn more…

cheers…matt

Believe it or not, but I am personally not the biggest fan of Starbucks coffee…I’d prefer a 50 cent cup of coffee from the local donut shop, but still, for some reason I am drawn to Starbucks for the atmosphere.  This is where it begins for me.

Over the years, I have seen my online businesses grow, almost out of control.  Most of this is due to the large number “tasks” involved to grow, or even maintain them.  And over time, I have found myself staring at a monitor asking myself:

“WHERE SHOULD I START” or “WHAT’S NEXT?”

This usually resulted in a trip over to Tweetdeck, Facebook profile picture change, possibly a exploration of my Gmail Junk Mail for possible “real messages”.

Not a very good use of time.

So why is my productive time dwindled?

OVERWHELMED?  Possibly.

DISTRACTED? Always!

MIS-MANAGED - Absolutely!!!

I know, everyone always says this, too.  There are tons of tools online that are meant to solve these problems, too.  There are the goal managing software suites, or maybe your MicroSoft Outlook…even Google has their own task tools built into the Gmail system. But do they work?

For some, maybe…for me, it is just another DISTRACTION that I try to avoid rather then embrace.  I have enough things pestering me on my computer screen to really take notice.

I mean really, if Outlook wants to inform me of an overdue task, I am more than likely to dismiss it and ultimately erase it because it gets in my way.

But there is also the problem of creating the tasks, too.  If I am sitting at my computer (which I sit in front of 8 hours per day) and try to figure out tasks, more than likely the superficial stuff comes out and the true tasks to grow and maintain my business are lost.

I’m not saying that computer-based task or goal management software is bad.  It is just not for me!

I’m going ol’ school!  And this is what I used to do when I worked 9-5 and had only 1-2 hours per night to really create my online business.

A simple pad of paper in a different environment.  I think both need to be present to make this work, too.  I know if I get a pad of paper and sit at my office desk trying to write out tasks, I get distracted and loose focus (that pesky RSS feed reader keeps popping up new articles!).

I go to Starbucks now; Once per week.  I do it after I drop off my youngest daughter from Kindergarden (and since Starbucks is always so conveniently located at the corner of every street in America, it seemed like a good place to go).

I sometimes meet my wife there.  Sometimes I do it alone.  Either way, I take my pad of paper, and assign a different page to each company or venture I am working on and then start outlining what I need to do to maintain it, and what I need to do to grow it.

The ideas usually POUR out, too.  And after about 30 minutes and 5 pages of notes, I go back and prioritize the tasks by numbers and names.

Which tasks need immediate attention.

Who is going to do these tasks? (me? my wife? outsource it?)

At the end, (and a well deserved trip to the restroom after the Venti Latte) I have a complete task list for the upcoming week.

This works MIRACLES for me, too.  My productivity skyrockets.  My stress actually goes DOWN since I am focuses on tasks rather than the “big picture”.

Plus, any excuse to get out of the house is always a good and healthy one!

Really try this and tell me how it works for ya.

cheers…matt

At Monday’s mastermind meeting (held at the secret headquarters of Dr. Mike Woo Ming), Deb Micek (known as “Coach Deb” or @CoachDeb on Twitter) and I sat down and tried to hold our composure while talking about the launch of QuanSite, her upgraded and renamed version of the ever-popular Blogi360 website system.

Blogi360 was a leader in online marketing software, website building and new media.

QuanSite is the next Generation of Blogi360!

The video goes into the details of what QuanSite is and how it can help you build, or even re-invent your current websites and blogs.

This more more than just a blogging system (like Wordpress).  The is the complete, installed solution for website development & marketing.

No technical experience required.

The QuanSite system goes on-sale October 13 for a limited release.  Right now, get on her list for up-to-date news and exclusive webinars to grow (or even start) your online business.

I’m planning on moving some of my own Wordpress blogs onto QuanSite.  The build-in tools and plug-ins are more powerful than anything on the market.  And remember, Coach Deb is the queen of social media (she also created Tribal Seduction).  Many of her own personal strategies are integrated within QuanSite.

If creating or even managing your websites is becoming a chore or wasting your time, you must at least check this out!

“What Would You Do with an Extra 40 Hours???”

Click here to learn more about QuanSite

Read the full QuanSite Review

We’ve been seeing a lot of precursors to this lately:

• Rumors about new regulations with Testimonials
• Google slapping down product review sites (I have a few comments about this one!)
• The on-flux of scammy CPA offers hidden as flogs throughout the internet
• Talk about further government regulation of the internet

Yesterday, this all got more defined.

The FTC formally released a new Regulation Governing the Use of Testimonial and Endorsements on the internet.  The actual full publication can be read here.

I’ve been watching this unravel for the last couple of days, too.  Some are saying this is the end of affiliate marketing.  Others are blaming flogs (fake blogs) due to the document’s specific call-out to bloggers and the endorsements they make.  Social media is coming under attack, too.  The virtual “word-of-mouth” seems to need further justification now.

And what about the testimonials?  I talked about this months ago (back in April).  Now the new regulation states that advertisers must specify “typical” results and the old disclaimer “results are not typical” no longer applies.

Wow.

Personally, I think this is a huge step towards further government internet regulation, attacks our own freedom of speech and suppression of content throughout the world.

We know they are initial targeting certain people, but how they are going to regulate it seems to be a mystery.  The fact that they seem to be targeting blogging and social media concerns me even more.  One of the greatest things about blogging and social media is the “conversation”.  And a big part of conversation is always about opinion.

So if someone monetizes this opinion, does it constitute a conflict of interest?

This is a question I have received hundreds of times as the founder and manager of TheWebReviewer.com.  Because I write a review of a product and I ultimately monetize those who take action, does this nullify the validity of my opinion?

This is an issue I have struggled with, but chose to accept by providing evidence to my claims and my own personal successes. I sleep well at night knowing this. (But this did not protect me!  I’ll save that one for my next post!)

So does this mean that monetizing with blogs and social media is over?

Absolutely not!  One caveat to the new regulations is that you do need to state the fact that your link could result in earnings.  Note, though, they are very vague about where you need to do this. Right now, I put a disclaimer at the bottom of any page which I have an affiliate link on.

For bloggers and social marketers, I don’t think this should affect you too much, because you should already have a relationship with your community that is strong enough that telling them it is an affiliate link won’t discredit your opinion (or their decision to buy through your link).

As for the testimonials, this has already been a issue for months (one that has been ignored).  I don’t know how this is going to work.  In my industry (home business), conversion and sales letters are based on these non-typical, inflated results.  How do you even measure a “typical experience”? 95% of those who buy home business products don’t even give them a second look.

Further, how are they going to patrol all of  this?  I think you will find the “bigger”, “scammy” players (those who create the fake blogs, for example) will be under attack.  It will probably require human review and resources.  That still does not mean the even the smaller players should not take notice.  It takes just one disgruntled complaint to draw the attention of someone.

So we return to the initial questions:

“Is the internet a better place to have these FTC Regulations in Place?”

I understand WHY they are doing this - to product the consumer.  BUT, in doing so, they are taking away rights, punishing those who DO run legitimate businesses, and ultimately opening the doors to further regulations and suppression of information.

What’s to say they start blocking IP’s from outside nations (Places that they CANNOT regulate)?  Are you prepared for a change from the world-wide web to the United-States web?  I’m not.

cheers…matt

It’s here!  Oh my gosh.  I’ve been waiting for this since Tweetdesk (or any tool) first came out.

Today is the new release of Tweetdeck (version v0.30.5) and finally, some two-way communication between Tweekdeck and Facebook is finally here!

A few months ago, they added the Facebook reporting, but there was no action to actually respond to any of the posts were making on Facebook (other than re-tweeting it or emailing it).

That has all changed today!

This is going to change the way Facebook is used, too.

This is going to make it almost a “pseudo-Twitter”.

My most frustrating complaint about Facebook is that I have had to log-in and hold my conversations via their website.  Between leaving up a window for that and using Twitter (which I love), it was too much to manage.

Now both Facebook and Twitter are wrapped into one!

By moving your mouse over the Facebook profile, many more features now appear!

• You can comment directly on the current post.
• You can write directly on their wall.
• You can give the post a “thumbs up”.

• You can send them a direct private message.
• You can even translate the message!

Remember that social marketing and using social media is all about the 2-way communication.  Until now, Facebook on Tweetdesk has been a one-way street and required you to log into your Facebook account to respond.

By incorporating the 2-way communication path of Facebook into Tweetdeck, I know my social interacting on Facebook will increase 10-fold, while using the strategies and techniques I already use to build effective relationships using Twitter.

Upgrade or download the lastest Tweetdeck today!  It is a must!

cheers…matt

P.S.  Remember that Tweetdeck is a free utility.  You should at least try it out and see if you like it!

P.P.S. And remember to follow me on Twitter, too at http://twitter.com/MatthewBredel

Today, I wanted to give props to my new graphic designer.

I’ve been doing internet marketing for over 3 years now and one of the biggest challenges always surrounds outsourcing.  I cannot begin to tell you how much money I have spent over the years paying freelancers to do jobs like writing, coding, graphic design, social buzz, and general administration.

Now this post is not necessarily about “how to outsource”.  I have written posts on this and it is really not the point I am trying to make here…this is more of a story.

In this case, it deals with graphic design.

Now me (personally) have a lot of my own online strengths, but graphic design is not one of them.  I can get away with much of the simple stuff (I have a trick to do that, too, which I plan to share soon with TruGuru members), but when it comes to ideas and the concepts of logos, I am usually pretty lost.

For the past few years, I went the “affordable”, even “cheap” route.

I have tried using freelance services like eLance or Rent-a-Coder and have had some mild successes.  The logos and graphic designs were OK.  I didn’t jump up and down, but they did provide some relatively basic logos and banners for about $100 (and for that price, they were all done overseas).  It was relatively cheap, but was not quite what I wanted.

I then decided to start using Logo and Graphic Design services.  These are companies online that specialize specifically in logo design.  They usually have packages…you’ve probably seen them:

“For $250, you’ll get 5 mock-ups.  You can then accept one and make a few modifications to it!”

These services did as they advertise, but there was a huge communication gap between myself and the designers.  Most of these designers I found are in Brazil.  (Nothing against the Brazilian’s ability to do logo design, but there was this huge communication gap between the reps and the designers that resulted in not exactly what I wanted.)  The process took a bit longer than I liked in two of the three cases I have done this.  At the end, my “vision” was not satisfied, but again, at least I had a logo.

About 2 months ago, I made the decision to re-design all of Tru-Guru.  But this time, I didn’t want to “settle”.  The “image” and graphic design were very important to what I wanted accomplished and communication with a solid graphic designer who understood *my* vision was crucial.

I contacted many of the top graphic designers in the business and asked a handful of established online friends (those whose graphic designs I liked).  I called them.  I emailed them.  I detailed my thoughts and time-lines.

Some of them were just plain arrogant.

Some of them were very costly.

Some of the would barely respond to my requests.

I “interviewed” about 6 different graphic designers (and I was willing to pay more of a “premium” for this, too).  At the end, I found Dave Grau. He was referred to me by Coach Deb Micek (she’s awesome, BTW…follow her on twitter @CoachDeb).

At the end, our communication was strong.  We skyped.  We emailed.  He always responded.  And he provided many iterations and concepts without any complaining.  At the end, he got it!  My “vision”, that is.  And in this case, much of it had to do with his patience, his graphic design ability and his communication.

He created designs for the logo, book covers, 3D ebooks, CD-ROM labels, etc.

After completion, he is still there to make a change or two (and in one case, I needed a whole new design, which we prompted completed at a reasonable hourly rate).

I wanted to tell this story because this lesson keeps repeating on me…

When outsourcing, focus on the quality and communication FIRST!  Trying to find bargains or getting tasks done cheaply almost ALWAYS results in moderate/poor results and a waste of money.

You get what you pay for, but your communication with your freelancer from day 1 is just as important.

In this case, there were many other more well-known graphic designers I could have gone with (most who were more expensive, too!), but it wasn’t until I started to talk to them, too, that I was able to find David.

Thanks again, David!  I appreciate both the job you did and the way that you did it!  If you are really serious about getting a quality, top-notch graphic designer, you should really consider David!

To see David Grau’s portfolio, visit:  http://www.davidgraudesign.com

cheers…matt

P.S.  If you watch the video above, you can see a preview of the new TruGuru logo and theme.  What do you think?  Leave me a comment below!