In the past few lessons, we’ve gone through the process of selecting a niche market, and defining the topic of your information product.
Now we need to talk about your branding strategy and come up with a title for your product…
(Watch this video…)
Main points:
1) It allows you to begin with the end in mind, and have a strong vision of the finished product.
2) It enables you to get a jump start on some marketing activities.
3) It helps you determine how the product fits in with your overall brand.
4) If the product is being outsourced, a title helps provide focus and direction.
– Invokes trust
– Builds loyalty
– Connects emotionally
– Trademarks can be registered directly through USPTO government site
– If you want help, try Legalzoom
1) Brainstorm adjectives
2) Get synonyms (http://thesaurus.reference.com/)
3) Focus on the benefits (not the features)
4) Make it easy to pronounce, and easy to remember
5) Must be catchy enough to stop a member of your target market in their tracks
(think shocking, provocative, exciting, controversial, motivational…)
6) Look at the ClickBank marketplace to see the titles of best selling info products (just don’t get suckered into buying them)
7) Consider “How to…”
8] Try my reduction method. (It doesn’t always work, but sometimes it does)
– Write down exactly what the product is.
– Condense it into 1 sentence.
– Then condense it into 4 words or less.
9) Play with the title scorer: http://www.lulu.com/titlescorer/
*Just DON’T put much stock in it (seriously), because information product titles are different from bookstore best sellers.
10) Split test titles on Adwords
11) Consider a traditional title/subtitle format. (Title gets attention, subtitle explains what it’s about)
12) Google it in quotes to see if someone is already using your title.
13) Get feedback.
Action steps:
1) Think about your branding strategy, and decide whether it will affect your title
2) Come up with a title for your product
Keep in mind that you CAN always change the title later on. It’s not set in stone!
After you’ve come up with a title for your product, it’s time to stake your claim on the web and register a marketable domain to go along with it. There are good domains and bad domains, and I’ll be talking about all of that in the next lesson.
As always, you are welcome to post your questions and comments below 🙂
Have a great day!
Yes the same rules would apply. And if you’re focusing on traffic from SEO, then choose an SEO-friendly domain. If you’re promoting mainly through other methods (email, articles, whatever) then choose a short, catchy domain that appeals to humans rather than search engines.
It is not doomed for failure, but domains are cheap so it is something worth taking a second look at.
It really depends on your marketing and web traffic strategies, which we will cover much later in these lessons.
If you want to get repeat traffic from people who are remembering your domain and coming back to it, then yes I would get a domain that is easier to remember and pronounce.
Honest marketing! What a concept! Naming a product based on its output works pretty well. Line extension doesn’t seem to work well in the grocery business. General Mills is a footnote on their product names. New Coke failed in days. Coke should have bought a competitor and run the “new coke” out as that other name.
Miller brewing lost market share on their main product when they came out with miller light. They lost so much market share that it took them years to recover.
It seems like different branding techniques work in different markets. If you are planning on using billboards or 20 foot high signs, then easy-to-determine logos are a good idea. They are based on medieval heraldry, where the majority of the population could not read and a flag needed to be distinctive enough to be seen and identified across a crowded battlefield.
I test product names and logo images like you do, split testing different product names to see which ones work.
Thanks for your “Eric’s Tips” series. It is a thought-provoking series, and lots of fun.
-Wolf
Good comment!
HI ERIC!
THANK YOU FOR THE INFO I CAN USE IT.
HOWEVER, I WISH YOU WOULD STREAM-LINE YOUR VIDEOS.
I LEARNT HOW TO BUILD A BUSINESS ON THE INTERNET IN SIX EASY, SHORT, THE KEYWORD BEING: SHORT, VIDEOS AND I LOVED IT. I SIGNED UP TO THE SITE.
SHORT AND SWEET IS THE WAY TO GO.
THIS WAY IT IS EASY TO REMEMBER AND EVEN EASIER TO KNOW AND USE.
YOUR INFO WAS GREAT! TY BREWSTER
I just recently bought the “final firesale” last dec 20,2010.I dont know what am I selling. Im confused how to create a domain name.I need your help
Hi Renette, thanks for your business. I cover domain registration in lesson #23. If you haven’t watched all my lessons, I do recommend watching them all starting from #1. Also be sure to follow the instructions that were included with that firesale package. The firesale package enables you to resell the software products. But I do recommend following these lessons too, so you can properly build the foundation of your business, which will enable you to successfully sell products like the ones you’ve invested in.
Hi Eric:
Great Lesson. You seem to have a gold nugget in each lesson and I like that.
Look forward to the next one.
Cheers, Dan
Hi Eric, I have to admit, I have not chosen my exact niche yet, which might be good at the moment since I already have an active domain that I signed up for last October, and it is called lloydsmarketingsolutions.com and it is waiting in the wings for whatever I throw at it in the near future. I named it as such because I can provide a marketable solution to any niche with that domain title, at least in theory?!…Let me know otherwise…Friends, Lloyd.
It’s a good domain, if your market needs marketing solutions 🙂
Hi Eric,
Another wonderful lesson! I’m still a little sluggish on capturing everything now that we’re in the “structure” of the business that we’re building on top of the “foundation” that you taught on in the earlier lessons. I’m obviously rather new at the technology of it all, and find myself trying to understand things “virtually” by way of comparisons with traditional “concrete” things. This is what I mean and is also my question: Is Branding more like the ‘name’ of a business or store, while the title to a product is just that? An individual product? And so your website then would be named by your brand? While it contains different products with different titles? Just checkin’ to see if I’m understanding things correctly.
Thanks so much!
In most cases, the brand is more likely to be the name of the business or store. A very simple example would be a company like Nike. Everyone knows their brand, including both their name and logo. Nike spends millions of dollars on brand awareness through ads, sponsoring, events, etc. Yet few people could name the specific model names of their various products. They are very brand-centric.
The same could be done with an online business, particularly if you’re going to have a line of many products. (Except we’re not going to spend millions of dollars on brand marketing. We’re just trying to achieve brand recognition in the mind of our own customers)
To some extent, I’ve done that in my business, and my brand is MY name. I could name my products anything, and my loyal customers will buy it because my name is attached to it.
Alternately, a brand could be for an individual product. But in the context of our business model, branding is most useful if you’re going to have multiple products in the same market.
This lesson is so far one of the best. Coming up with a brand name, and especially one that is free to use, is one of the most difficult steps in the beginning process. I know because just coming up with a good name (that would actually get ranked) for my WordPress blog was a brainstorm. As always, thanks for the excellent info. It’s still hard to believe you do all this for free!
Hi Eric,
I have followed you lessons thus far and find them all very helpful & interesting. However I have one question still unanswered. You mentioned that you have to find a product for you to sell but I don’t understand how you get the information. Do you write the information yourself or buy this? E.g your example “Invention”, do you write you own book on this subject, or using a “ghost writer” or buying the information already available on the market?
I would be great full for some feedback on this.
Kind Regards,
Nicolette
You are asking the right questions 🙂
I cover information product creation in lessons #44 through 46. To briefly answer your question, it could be ANY of the solutions you mentioned. You could write it yourself, you could hire a ghostwriter, or you could buy information (such as Private Label Rights material) and resell it. There are also additional options which include partnering with an expert, or finding public domain content.
hi eric,
realy i want to know how can i do to start a good internet business ,
regards,
ashraf
Your video is good but too long for this distracted marketer. One big debate is whether to use your own name as a brand or create a new business brand so that you can sell it later. I think it’s important to do both.
Hello Ashraf,
We recommend that you start at lesson #1 to see where to begin:
Yes Ron Townsend is my real name, I like my name and I’ve never been a person to cover it up. Do You like it? The Full name is Ronald James Townsend.
That’s a great name!
Eric,
Thanks for the great tips you have given. Truly awesome.
Question – Is it wise to integrate a blog site into your main website? Is is better to separate the two. What are the pros or cons of doing either methods?
this is the best video so fare.. I learned alot today Eric , thanks buddy!
Hello Prue,
Blogs are a great way to maintain a relationship with your clients/customers. They also help your site advance in the search engines, because of their fresh and dynamic content.
If it makes sense to incorporate a blog into your main website, then go for it!
Obviously, if your main website is a storefront with numerous items for sale, a blog is not the best format for selling your products. You would still want to use a standard website to make things easier for your customers to shop.
But, you could still have a link to your blog, where you could post information pertaining to your business on a regular basis.
Hi Eric
Yes Nombulelo is my real name. My full name is Nombulelo Siqwana-Ndulo. I know it may be difficult for you to pronounce especially the first part of my family name. The Q is a click from the click language. Thanks for asking.
Delighted with the lessons. However I see that we bloggers are at very different levels. I’m still in the very beginning stages. As far as the niche lessons etc. are concerned, I’m not struggling that much. My biggest issue is to get started with setting up a website. I presume this is the first thing I need to have as well as register with Paypal. Am I right?There are some options of free websites. Do you recommend any of these? As my situation stands as of now, I have no money to buy anything and I would love to get started without having to spend to have a website up and running. You also advise against buying when you don’t have to. I’m also working through the lessons to acquire some technical skills and to understand a lot of the computer terminology. I know with some people it comes naturally but I have to make the effort and I’m determined this time that this handicap will not stop me. It will take me a little time. You have so gemerously given all the information I need but for me I’m struggling to learn the technical side of the business. Have you any Eric’s Tips about how to speed up this learning.
I also want to thank the other bloggers on Eric’s tips. I’m learning from the inforamtion shared by some of the advanced bloggers. Thanks guys, keep it coming. It’s appreciated
Hello Nombulelo,
Yes, PayPal is a great payment processor. If you have any products available that you want to start selling, you can easily create your payment buttons at PayPal. Here is a lesson that can help you to set up your payment buttons:
Free websites aren’t the best place to build your business, as they often do not appear to be very professional.
However, even this is changing, with the advent of FaceBook and Google+.
All told, it’s still a good idea to register your own domain name, that is specific to your product, service, or brand!
Branding is important, not to be rushed into,
your Lessons are better as they go along ,
Love em,
Eric,
As always thank you for this opportunity for this low-income, paycheck to paycheck man to learn to become a successful internet marketer. Yes, my real name is Douglas, I have you in my G+ circles, liked you on FB and you can contact me anytime at these or my email, if needed call and talk to my woman Mary, I am the real deal. I am currently unemployed, and the end is near, no money everything is due, and one of my answered prayers is you. So again a heartfelt thank you for providing a no-cost way for me to elevate my family from the bottom of the economic barrel.
Eric,
Each lesson, I am descovering how ill-equipped any newbie is to successfully start an Internet business. Unknowingly,it makes one remain at this level as a newbie without ever knowing why they have not been successful with all they have been taught. The problem has been they have NEVER been taught, as they purchase program after program thinking each one is the answer.
As I complete each lesson with you, I feel more knowledgable, and definitely equipped because you explain that which has never been shared. Thank you, Eric….its great to finally be above the maze that I never knew I was in.
Eric,
I really appreciate your lessons. I put my site up in Oct, 2011 but have not made any money from it,I make more from Amazon. Your lessons are helping me see what I need to improve to make it profitable. I also do not want to be limited to this site so I’m trying to learn everything I can about how to make an online business profitable.
I really appreciate your step-by-step approach. You’ve filled in a lot of the missing pieces in my knowledge base and I’m looking forward to the rest of your lessons. I have a question about domain names so I’ll wait until the next lesson.
Thank you very much.
May God continue to bless you abundantly.
Eric,
One more question. You mentioned in this video that if our product will take a while to develop, which mine will, we could market someone else’s product. I have one in mind from Clickbank. Since they own the name to that particular product what do we do about a domain name? Do we get one that is similar? Is that what you mean by cloaking?
Thanks
Dena
Hello Dena,
Here is a lesson that shows what cloaking is for:
Yes, it’s good to use similar domain names when promoting affiliate products. Just be careful to avoid trademarks, etc., if applicable.
Micah,
Thank you for sending me this lesson. It answers several of my questions.
Dena
Really happy to see and follow your followers expressions about branding and naming.For product identity and image building branding is a good strategy and right approach to create definite market for the product in its competitive world.Thanks for good ideas you have presented in your training process.
Micah or Eric,
I am happy to receive this lesson. Good suggestions how to think long term. I have a question: Regarding my intention to start with affiliate programs to make money and my domain starts coachingtools….how could I use this as a Title in affiliate programs. Should I select only the affiliate programs that brings benefits to my customer in this way? To create the own product I will set up a blog in my native language (different). Thank for your reply. Marija
Hi Eric,
Another great lesson, I anxiously await each new lesson.
To answer your question Is Queen my real name? Yes it is. Funny thing – a few days ago I went to register my name Queen Woods for just in case I wanted to use it for branding. Guess what, someone had already registered not only my whole name but also my first name. So what do I do now register a trade mark?
Hello Queen,
If that is a route you wish to go in your business, you might want to see if there are any available variations, like the one you are using in your email address:
http://www.uspto.gov/
Hello Marija,
Yes, it’s best to promote affiliate products that match your niche. The more a product directly relates to your brand, the more likely your customers will be interested in it.
No Eric, my real name is Charles. I used Chuck because I lost the first set of lessons and wanted to start all over again.
Thanks for asking, you probably knew the answer anyway. LOL
Thanks, Eric.
Hi Eric, Yes, Paul, is my real name and I am a born and raised Florida Boy. I am trying to get started in affiliate marketing and finding it difficult to get things going. I am learning so very much from you and really do appreciate you. You know your stuff and are very clear and precise in your training technics. I am so glad now that I signed up with you and bought the no cost income stream. There is just so much information to absorb and trying to implement it is like trying to pull your own teeth with a pair of tweezers. I am impressed with your sincerety, knowledge and devotion to the point that I plan to promote the no cost income stream, your news-letter and other products in many different yet linked campaigns once I get the hang of things and start implementing them. I have been building and remodeling houses for over thirty years and this online thing is new to me and I must say “a bit overwhelming at times”. However, I have always put my all into anything I pursued and know that once things start to make sense to me and I learn how to build my sites and bloggs I will be just as proficient in internet marketing as I am in building houses. I know that in this business a strong foundation is needed as much so as in the constuction trade if you are planning to build on it as I intend to do, therefore I am seeking to get all my “ducks in a row” before I publish my sites.I want to thank you so very much for sharing your knowledge and experience with myself and others who, like me, are currently unemployed and seeking to make a living from home. With your help, I shall endeavor to persevere. Sincerely, Paul.
Hi thanks Eric. To answer your question about if Nzeribe is my real name. The answer is yes.
I am watching your video lessons but not yet doing any real work on it because I am alredy committed with another program before I met you. I will jumb on yours as soon as I am done with that. I hope I can still access your site by then or is there any expiration date. Thanks again
Hello Nzeribe,
You may visit this site whenever it is convenient for you. It won’t be going anywhere. 🙂
Hi Eric,
THANK YOU so much for creating these lessons. I like that you chose the video format to teach. It helps me retain info better.
Also, I appreciate that you incorporate Godly principles in your lessons.
Do you plan to edit your lessons as websites and your referral information changes?
Hello Jean,
Yes, Eric already edits/updates lessons as needed from time to time.
For your guideline steps 1-13 the naming tool http://www.globalnaming.com could be really helpful. I use it a lot!
I really like the idea of branding an entire series of products under one brand name with a variation of it for each product like Armand does. It really puts your brand into the minds of customers for the longer term. I’m just wondering though, do you need a separate domain name for each product in that case, or just a main domain that is the brand name and then a subdomain for each product? Which is better for sales?
I have a blog of recipes. It does not have a self-domain, but already has more than 100 postings. Until then, I won some money with Adsense. But I know nothing about SEO or backlinks and not know how to work with wordpress, I’m just posting the recipes.
Now I will go to the polls, according your orientation, to find an appropriate domain for it. I find it very difficult to find a name that flag, but I’ll do my best. I will review their classes to find a good domain. Also try to find an e-book to sell through my blog to better monetize it.
When I feel safer to work with wordpress and niches then intend to diversify. Finding a profitable niche and truly work.
Thank you. I have learned a lot with you.
Hello Serena,
Products in the online marketing niche tend to do better when they have their own website.
However, Eric often sells numerous products from one website:
And it getting ignored can be a good thing. Not attracting people who are not interested, to me, is as important as attracting people who are. Everything in my material has always said ‘serious and not foo-foo’ because that is who fits.
Getting caught up — Thanks Gary