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Author: Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero Article source: http://www.red-hot-copy.com/. Used with author's permission.
Be a Winner! Answer the Challenge! An e-course is a sequence of emails set up to be delivered automatically without any effort on your part after the initial set up. Just set it and forget it. Setting up a free e-course is a great way to keep your services on top of mind and educate people about what you can do for them.
I highly suggest you subscribe to other people's e-courses in your field and study what information they offer too. Psst! To make this e-course work, you'll need a sequential autoresponder service. I use http://www.clickstartcart.com. (It's an entire shopping cart system, but I actually signed up with them initially because of the sequential autoresponders. They have a free 30 day trial).
HERE'S HOW TO GET STARTED
STEP ONE: Outline your topics. First you have to figure out what you think people would want to know about. Do a brainstorm exercise where you limit yourself to 5 minutes (use a timer). Write down all the topics you can think of on your area of expertise. Then edit down what you think is most relevant. For example, here's the basic outline of my free e-course on copywriting.
- Day 1: Overview of copywriting
- Day 2: Tips on attracting your target market
- Day 3: Features/benefits brainstorm exercise
- Day 4: Single most important aspect of writing copy -- headlines
- Day 5: Keep them reading with the inverted pyramid
- Day 6: Copywriting tricks the pros use
- Day 7: The Cardinal Rule of Copywriting: Expect to Rewrite
STEP TWO: Go deeper in each subject. Really provide some content here.
Make 2-3 points about each topic. Don't be afraid to do some hardcore research. Find statistics and trends and use them. Two of my favorite resources for current info are http://answers.google.com/answers/ and http://www.ceoexpress.com. Your message doesn't have to be long, just information-packed. You have the attention of people who "asked" to learn from you. So give them something valuable.
STEP THREE: Tease them till next time. After you've educated them, let them know that the next lesson will have something even more mouthwatering. The less specific you are, the more tantalizing the copy. Here are some teaser phrases I used in my e-course. Feel free to swipe versions of them for your own use:
- Hang on till tomorrow and I'll give you some tips to turn the heads of your target market.
- In Day 3, you'll learn the secret method I use to getting copy to sell.
- Tomorrow you'll learn the SINGLE most important aspect of copywriting.
- Next I'll show you how to keep them reading once you've snared them with your headline.
STEP FOUR: Sign off. End your email like a real letter with a closing like "sincerely", your name, business and some ways to get a hold of you. Add your website and any tagline you use too.
STEP FIVE: P.S. Alert them to your other products or services. You have something to sell, right? But the purpose of your e-course is to educate and develop a relationship, isn't it? Don't worry. You can do both. As long as you're giving good content, people often like to know if you have something else to buy they would be interested in. For a gentle call to action, I recommend putting a product link with very little text in the P.S. (Studies show that people read the headline first THEN the PS. Weird, huh? But it's true.)
So to recap. Follow up is one of the biggest problems in doing business. Autoresponders do it effortlessly.
THE CHALLENGE Write your 7 day e-course and have it ready to go in 7 days. For sequential autoresponders, again, I recommend http://www.clickstartcart.com. Writing a free e-course is a great way to get business. And you'll use it for years with only minor tweaks. It gives people a reason to go to your page. Best of all, they get to test drive your material at no risk. Autoresponders save you time and make you look professional. I can't wait to read YOUR free e-course!
Author Blog: http://www.red-hot-copy.com/blog.htm World class copywriter, Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero is the author of the highly acclaimed home study course, Red Hot Copy to Woo Your Target Market and founder of the online copywriting school Red Hot Copywriting Bootcamp, (http://www.red-hot-copy.com/rhcbootcamp.htm). Learn insider secrets to great copywriting from a pro who's been in the trenches with Lorrie's f^ree ezine, Copywriting TNT. Sign up at http://www.red-hot-copy.com.
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