And just in case you did miss that article, a webinar is typically a live video and audio presentation where attendees can see your computer screen and hear you talk as you navigate through a presentation, “how to” demonstration or anything else you’re showing on your computer. They also provide a rich participation environment and give you the flexibility to provide:

• Handouts before or after the webinar
• the ability for attendees to ask questions during the presentation
• live chat with the organizer or other participants
• live attendee polls for getting instant feedback
• automatic follow-up marketing to attendees and even non-attendees

Today’s webinar technology allows you to host LIVE webinars or RECORDED webinars that can be played on-demand or on some type of pre-determined schedule. And before you think you cannot use webinars in your business or think they are too complicated, I want you to know neither of these thoughts is correct and to prove my point, I’m going to describe four ways, four different types of online business owners can use webinars to generate or reinforce their business relationships and create more sales. Think about your own business and how you might be able to use webinars as you read through these scenarios.

Scenario #1: Diet & Health Author – Selling Digital Cookbooks Online
An ebook author could use webinars in several different ways to promote her ebooks. She could host virtual cooking classes for a fee where they show attendees how to make healthy meals. In this scenario, they could show videos or photos of how the food is prepared. She could allow real-time interaction and questions and answers from her paid attendees.

Scenario #2: SEO Expert – Lead Generation and Training Course
An SEO expert could use webinars in several different ways. He could host free, live lead generation webinars to show people how to do keyword research and then offer the opportunity to work with him as a consultant. He could also develop a 10-part course, with each part consisting of a webinar session showing a specific SEO topic. He could sell seats to the live webinars, record them and then use them in a webinar replay system that offers the 10 webinars over the course of 10 weeks in order to get additional sales.

Scenario #3: Internet/Affiliate Marketer – Promoting & Selling Products
An Internet/Affiliate Marketer could easily add webinars to drive new sales to large groups of attendees. Imagine a weekly webinar where she hosts affiliate partners on a content-rich webinar and then offers their product at the end of the webinar. Software demos and Power Point presentations work great as webinar content and are easily created.

Scenario #4: Information Marketer - Product Creation
Webinars provide a great way to create content that could be used to create print or electronic products that can be sold. An info-marketer could host a number of paid or free webinars and on each he is interviewing a guest expert on a specific topic. These webinars could be recorded and turned into videos, DVDs, books and courses.

So there you have four ideas I came up with for different types of online business owners. I know there are many others out there and the use of webinars in your business is only limited by your creativity and imagination.

To help business owners get started using webinars, I’ve created a great product called How to Boost Your Business with P.E.R.F.E.C.T. Webinars! I’ve been using webinars since 2004 and How to Boost Your Business with P.E.R.F.E.C.T. Webinars contains all the strategies, tools and techniques to create hugely profitable webinars, including my proven 7 step strategy to Plan & Promote, Engage, Record, Follow-up, Edit, Convert, and Turn a webinar into a cash machine for your business!

Start creating webinars in your business today!

A webinar is typically a live video and audio presentation where attendees can see your computer screen and hear you talk as you navigate through a presentation, “how to” demonstration or anything else you’re showing on your computer. They also provide a rich participation environment and give you the flexibility to provide:

• Handouts before or after the webinar
• The ability for attendees to ask questions during the presentation
• Live chat with the organizer or other participants
• Live attendee polls for getting instant feedback
• Automatic follow-up marketing to attendees and even non-attendees

The other good news is if you can use a computer - you can host webinars - and I cannot think of a single type of business owner who could not figure out how to host either live or recorded webinars and help strengthen their relationship with their customers, clients and prospects either in a small, 1:1 webinar or a large-scale group webinar.

Today’s webinar technology allows you to host LIVE webinars or RECORDED webinars that can be played on-demand or on some type of pre-determined schedule. And before you think you cannot use webinars in your business or think they are too complicated, I want you to know neither of these thoughts is correct and to prove my point, I’m going to describe four ways, four different types of business owners can use webinars to generate or reinforce their business relationships. Think about your own business and how you might be able to use webinars as you read through these scenarios.

Scenario #1: Restaurant Owner – Online Classes
A smart restaurant owner could use webinars in several different ways. They could host virtual cooking classes for a fee where they show attendees how to make their signature dishes. In this scenario, they could show videos or photos of how the food is prepared. Another way a restaurant owner could use webinars is to create short webinar presentations that showcase the ingredients and how carefully their signature dishes are prepared.

Scenario #2: Estate Planning Lawyer – How to Presentation
Having personally just gone through this experience and having to attend several in-office meetings to go through forms, I can envision an estate planning lawyer using webinars to walk their clients through complicated legal forms and outline the entire estate planning process either live on a monthly basis or via a webinar replay.

Scenario #3 - Real Estate Agent – Virtual Tours
In the ultra-competitive world of real estate agents, rising above the mediocre masses is critical. Imagine a forward-thinking agent who offers her clients the opportunity to learn about a number of homes without hours of driving around. A personalized presentation could be given to a client and then after they’ve narrowed down their preferences, property visits could be made.

Scenario #4: Software/Technology Sales Professional – Software Demos
The smart technology sales professional could use webinars to generate leads for their products and services. Direct mail, email marketing and social media marketing could all funnel leads into a webinar presentation quickly and easily and without ever having to jump on a plane. Software demos and Power Point presentations work great as webinar content.

So there you have four ideas I came up with for different types of offline business owners. I know there are many others out there and the use of webinars in your business is only limited by your creativity and imagination.

Stay tuned for next week's article where I'll discuss different ways online business owners can profit using webinars!

To help business owners get started using webinars, I’ve created a great product called How to Boost Your Business with P.E.R.F.E.C.T. Webinars! I’ve been using webinars since 2004 and How to Boost Your Business with P.E.R.F.E.C.T. Webinars contains all the strategies, tools and techniques to create hugely profitable webinars, including my proven 7 step strategy to Plan & Promote, Engage, Record, Follow-up, Edit, Convert, and Turn a webinar into a cash machine for your business!

Start creating webinars in your business today!

You may have heard the quote, “Big doors swing on little hinges,” from successful business owner and author, W. Clement Stone, in the book, The Success System That Never Fails.

It’s a great quote because it really paints the picture of what any business can do for its customers, clients, and patients. One little tweak (from your business) to someone’s life can make a world of a difference.

I love this quote so much I built a marketing campaign around it several years ago, and still use it today. I call it my “little hinge” marketing template.

As you can see above, the original marketing piece I created had an actual brass hinge attached to it, which I ordered online. The hinge helped the piece get the reader’s attention and it also made the letter a lumpy mailing piece so when people received it in the mail, they would open it immediately.

The letter went out to people who were attending a workshop I was running. I used the letter to remind them to be diligent in looking for all the tips and tricks and strategies I was going to share with them because I knew it could have a huge impact on their business.

Next is a Thank You Card that went out to people who were attending a workshop I ran. It also has the little hinge which you can see on the bottom right hand side of the card.

Again, I was reminding them to be on the lookout for key ideas attendees could pick up while at the workshop.

Recently, I attended an event where there were going to be a number of publishing agents in attendance and I wanted to make an impact so I created a business card and on the back used a little Elmer’s Rubber Cement to attach an actual brass hinge.

All of the above examples are using real brass hinges and they are very simple to attach and send or use.

If you are an online marketer, you obviously can’t use a real brass hinge, but you can do the next best thing by adding the brass hinge image and CopyComic to emails, websites, videos, and more.

This CopyTemplate is perfect for marketing where you want to point out the specific benefits of your product or service that might not be instantly obvious or for having attendees on the look-out for the big benefits of your event.

If you’d like to get access to this month’s “little hinge” CopyDoodles CopyTemplate, simply log into the CopyDoodles Access Club and you will be able to access:

• My letter template with my hinge image (if you would like to send without an actual hinge attached) and copy ready for you to edit and tweak for your business
• My envelope template with a personalized CopyComic
• My envelope template with a personalized CopyStamp
• 11 Unique CopyDoodles you can use on any “little hinge” marketing piece you create
• The resource I use for purchasing brass hinges

If you’re not yet a CopyDoodles Access Club member and would like access to this template, simply head over to our brand new for 2012 www.copydoodles.com site for more details on becoming a member.

Love the template? Have any comments? I’d love to hear them below!

Event marketers have used tickets for centuries to give their events a special feel of exclusivity and as a way to know who to let in. Tickets are cost-effective attention-grabbers that (done right) can really add spice to your marketing. You can use tickets to fill events, seminars, webinars, teleseminars, even for pre-tradeshow marketing. However, as I’m going to show you in a moment, you don’t necessarily have to be hosting an event to be able to use this attention-grabbing marketing tactic. This means EVERYBODY reading this marketing how-to article, can use this tactic in their marketing.

One such company that used tickets in their marketing was a client of mine who was hosting a local seminar. We came up with the idea of including printed tickets to be sent in a direct mail package to a cold prospect (meaning we bought a list and they were not current clients of my client). We thought we did everything right, but the initial response was only around 1.1%, which we thought was low given the importance of the seminar topic and the fact it was free.

Then I had the idea of sending the package out again, but this time letting them know the tickets were in the envelope by adding a CopyDoodle® on the outside of the envelope. The result was a phenomenal bump in response (to 8.7%) and one of my first CopyDoodles success stories.

Recently, a number of other excellent examples of “ticket marketing” have come across my desk and I thought I would share them here. Probably one of the best examples of using tickets to fill an event (and fill it it did) comes from Mike Crow of Dallas, Texas. At the recent GKIC Info Summit(SM), Mike handed out these great0looking tickets inviting attendees to a special breakfast. They were printed on a high-quality metallic gold paper and they got attention. Notice the effective use of copy cosmetics and good “reason why” copywriting. Nice job Mike and his marketing guy, John!

Speaking of the GKIC Info Summit, GKIC sent out a great looking ticket to help fill that event.

James Malinchak, who spoke at the Info Summit created another great-looking, high-response ticket for his recent bootcamp that had over 600 people in the room.

And finally, to show one more example of using tickets to fill up events, here are the tickets Charlie McDermott and I are using to get business owners to attend our Business and Entrepreneurs Networking meetings (www.benphilly.com). We print these up and hand them out to members to allow them to invite their friends to our next meeting.

But what if you’re not hosting events, can you still use tickets in your marketing? Absolutely and one way to do this, would be to create a graphic that looks like a ticket and use it in your ezines, newsletters, sales letters, HTML emails, web site, etc. The idea is to use the ticket to get attention and get your recipients engaging with your marketing.

This month, I released a Ticket CopyTemplate for my CopyDoodles Access Club Platinum members and it contained a number of ticket templates and special ticket marketing CopyDoodles for our members. One such template was a ticket design just about any business owner could use (as you can see) as an attention-grabber.

So I hope I’ve triggered an idea or two on for you to consider how you can use tickets in your marketing. If you have any other ideas or ways you’ve used tickets in your marketing, leave me a comment below!

In the next few paragraphs, I am going to cover some really simple tactics you can use with CopyDoodles direct marketing software to quickly enhance the readability of your order forms.

Below are two real life examples of forms that, due to the use of direct marketing software such as CopyDoodles, were very successful in capturing the attention of attendees and increasing sales.

The example on the left is an order form I used at a live speaking event and the example on the right is from one of our CopyDoodles direct marketing software customer, Susan Berkley. Susan recently sent this order form to me with the note that this order form performed much better than her typical order form.

As you can see in the above examples, there are several ways you can use handwritten notes to capture attention on your forms:

1. Call attention to your deadline – if you want potential customers to hand their order forms in by the end of the day, make a statement on your form with the use of a stamp!
CopyDoodles direct marketing software allows you to digitally create your own personalized stamps without the mess and hassle of typical stamps.

As you can see in the example on the right, I added a CopyStamp in the top left corner which helped to boost the number of respondents. On Susan’s order form on the right hand side, she used red CopyDoodles to call attention to her deadline by stating, “Today Only!,” “Act Now!,” and “Hurry!” Adding a second color greatly increases attention-grabbing power.

2. Use CopyDoodles direct marketing software to create handwritten bullet points! – Placing bullet points on order forms is a great strategy to use, but makes an even bigger impact when they have a handwritten look and feel.

Both of the above order forms are using handwritten check mark bullet points to describe their offer to potential customers.

3. Create arrows to draw your reader’s eye to important areas – Both order forms above also use arrows created with CopyDoodles direct marketing software to call attention to very important areas of the document.

These are great to use around your offer so readers engage with the benefits of purchasing today. They are also a great way to capture your reader’s eye and direct them down the order form to areas where they can enter their personal information.

The above techniques are very simple to implement on any order forms you are using when speaking or sending out to customers, especially if you are using CopyDoodles direct marketing software.

4. Use CopyDoodles to cross out “normal pricing” – Though not seen on the above examples, crossing out the original price on your order forms to then display a discounted price is a very effective way to get increased attention.

CopyDoodles direct marketing software has numerous different lines, large X’s, and other ways to easily and effectively make a statement to readers you are offering a very special price!

5. Finally, one final tip – NEVER name your order forms – “order forms.” I’m using the term amongst ourselves for this article, but the phrase “order form” is typically translated to “I need to spend money”, which is not what how you want people to think about your offer.

I like using names like “Activation Form”, “Fast Action Form”, etc. Subtle tweaks like this make all the difference in the world.

These techniques can be used both offline and online to boost response, increase readability, and make your forms look more personal and unique.

Do you have any special techniques that work for you on your forms? I’d love to hear any comments you have, including comments regarding the use of CopyDoodles direct marketing software program, in your posts below!

Mike Capuzzi presenting at Dan Kennedy’s Business of Copywriting Academy

This intense two-day workshop was designed to help professional copywriters improve their business by learning the fundamental marketing and business strategies Dan is so famous for.  Dan literally pealed back the curtains to his own copywriting business and showed attendees the nuts, bolts (and even warts) of how he built a seven figure copywriting business.

Mike Capuzzi & Dan Kennedy

Even though I was a guest, I still took pages of notes and was reminded of so many important success strategies we all need to be aware of in our businesses.  The most fundamental being one I first read from Napoleon Hill in his September 1921 edition of his magazine, “Hill’s Golden Rule.”

The September 1921 issue of Napoleon Hill’s “Hill’s Golden Rule”

In the issue of his magazine, Napoleon Hill wrote an article entitled “The End of the Rainbow,” where he described a number of turning points in his life and how they affected his path to success.

One idea in particular was fundamental to all others and in Hill’s own words, he writes,

“Here I got hold of the idea that it would pay me to perform more service and better service than what I was actually paid to perform.  This idea has become a fixed principle with me, and it now modifies all of my actions wherein I render service.”

Take a moment and re-read Hill’s words.  While I am sure the idea is not new to you, Hill’s simple idea is profound and truly a key to success for everybody reading this article.   Imagine if every business owner would deliver MORE service and BETTER service than what he or she was actually paid for.

I wonder what this would look like? And more importantly how can you and I make sure we are following this fundamental principle?

After being reminded by both Dan Kennedy and Napoleon Hill, I spent this past weekend remapping some of my own business strategies to ensure I was delivering more than what my own clients and customers were expecting and paying for.

The big result was a “new member” campaign together for members of my soon-to-be-released CopyDoodles Access Club.  My goal is to create an extraordinary experience for all new members and to do as much as I possibly can to help them improve their own businesses.   The campaign consists of emails, direct mail and a very valuable, surprise bonuses that all new members will receive automatically – and without them having to ask.

In 2010, no entrepreneur or business owner can afford to have gaps in their business and marketing.  Now is a great time to consider tightening up your own business practices.

I just got back from the 2010 Glazer-Kennedy SuperConference in Dallas, Texas.  It was another four days of intense learning and powerful networking and as usual, it was great to see old friends and meet new ones.

At the 2009 GKIC SuperConference, I had the opportunity to be a presenter and this year my SuperConference participation continued with me leading a marketing round table and my company exhibiting for the first time ever.

For two hours I hosted a number of packed marketing round tables on the topic of “increasing conversion” – can you find me in the pic?

Many thanks to the hundreds of SuperConference attendees who stopped by and visited us during exhibit hours.  It was humbling to hear so many CopyDoodles success stories and get so many video testimonials!

And a very special congratulations to the following ten individuals who became CopyDoodles customers and won our Mastermind Experience Contest, which includes a one-day mastermind experience and attending a Philadelphia Phillies game with me in a private V.I.P. suite in July.

Mastermind & Phillies Game Winners!

Jeff Giagnocavo, Mitch Tublin, Rollie LaMarche, Traci Bild, Glenn Fukuda, Will Fishkin, Jill Wolforth, Greg Lake, Barbara Hales and Barry Wells.

Dan and Carla Kennedy stopped by to say hi to my wife Becky and I at the booth.

During the exhibit, we showed for the first time ever, the brand new CopyDoodles® Access Club.  Our fans are calling this “CopyDoodles 2.0” and it is indeed the future of all things CopyDoodles!

This exciting new advancement will allow existing and future CopyDoodles customers to access all our powerful, attention-grabbing content –  even faster and easier than EVER BEFORE!  This includes CopyDoodles, CopyComics, CopyFonts, CopyFlash, and our innovative CopyGenerators.

A sneak peak at the brand new CopyDoodles Access Club!

You will be hearing more the CopyDoodles Access Club over the next few weeks as we begin to roll it out, so stay tuned.

There are two things that made the 2010 SuperConference truly memorable for me.  The first has to do with the amazing generosity of SuperConference attendees and Bill and Karen Glazer.  In December of 2009, the GKIC world lost a master marketer and member when my friend and GKIC-Philly chapter member Eric Paul lost his battle to cancer.

Eric Paul

It was just two years ago Eric attended the 2008 SuperConference and predicted (and I agreed) he would be a future GKIC Marketer of the Year.  Unfortunately life threw a curveball and Eric is no longer with us.  He left behind four beautiful young children.

At the SuperConference, my friend Darin Spindler, created an emotional video and attendees donated over $10,000 to help Eric’s family as they deal this their loss.  It was amazing to see a line of hundreds of attendees as they turned in their contribution forms.

On a more upbeat note, GKIC-Philly member and my Elite Experience Mastermind member, Charlie McDermott, won the title of the 2010 GKIC Marketer of the Year!  It was during our February Elite Experience Mastermind meeting that our group suggested Charlie enter the contest and being a man of massive action Charlie accepted the challenge and won the entire contest!

Charlie McDermott getting feedback during our Elite Experience Mastermind meeting in February.

This is an amazing accomplishment for Charlie, especially since he’s only been a GKIC member since the fall of 2008.  Congratulations to Charlie and his team for their impressive presentation at the 2010 GKIC SuperConference!

And finally, I want to thank all the GKIC-Philly chapter members who attended the SuperConference (and stayed up late to get this photo).

GKIC-Philly in Dallas! Andrew Mazer, Becky Capuzzi, Dan Kennedy, Jeff Giagnocavo, myself, Jim Palmer, Bill Glazer, Charlie McDermott and Dave Frees

For the first time ever, we’ve decided to host a booth and get a chance to meet all the great folks at the Super Conference!

We also have some exciting information to share at the event about the future of CopyDoodles and our never-been-seen before CopyDoodles Access Club.

We also have two special gifts for attendees. For the first 250 who stop by and drop off their business card, you can have the official CopyDoodles luggage tag identifier. I don’t know about you, but I can never tell my luggage from the next person’s and these neat little things make my luggage quite visible.

And if you’re not yet a CopyDoodles customer (or you’re want the latest and greatest I have to offer)…just stop by booth #2 – the CopyDoodles booth – for a very, very special opportunity! I’ll be stopping by and my wife Becky (a.k.a “BeckyDoodles”) will be there too!