Tag: authors

Look Out HOA Bad Guys – Ward Lucas Is On Your Tail!

Posted on by
Neighbors at War!Ward Lucas’s new book “Neighbors at War” has gripping and shocking tales of homeowner association fraud that mirrors vicious mafia tactics and out right fraudulent behavior.

Ward has spent 40 years in investigative journalism and has won more than 70 journalism and civic awards for his reporting and writing. He was the first reporter on the DB Cooper hijacking and the Ted Bundy murders. He has interviewed Presidents and nursing home residents, Secretaries of State to street people.

From organized crime to wiretapping, to professional arson, Lucas has seen it all. In his new book, Neighbors At War, he presents startling information about how the modern Homeowners Association Movement is impacting Americans.

As the stories continue to pour in, in addition to his own horror story, “Neighbors at War” is destined to change the way Americans look at Covenant Controlled Communities. Visit his site and subscribe to his list – you’re going to want to read each one of these unbelievable stories.

Neighbors at War; The Creepy Case Against Your Homeowners Association

Ideas for FREE Gifts to Seek or Give

Posted on by

GiftsOnce you start thinking in terms of marketing, benefits and values, all kinds of ideas start coming to your mind regarding what kinds of free gifts that you can give for marketing efforts. 

Here are just a few ideas … feel free to share your own ideas in the comment box below. We all want to hear your idea!

  1. COUPON: Offering a huge discount on …(fill in the blank)
  2. TIME:  Consultation or counseling 
  3. DIGITAL DOWNLOAD:  A short ebook, an informative report, etc.
  4. TIPS: Valuable tips that contain links that are helpful
  5. AUDIO: Private radio interview, music tracks, audiobook, etc.
  6. VIDEO: Private webinar, or interview, etc.
  7. INTERACTIVE: Coloring pages, worksheets, puzzles
  8. OTHER: Anything that can you download that will reflect a gift of value.

Remember, these digital downloadables contain intellectual property that can’t be gotten anywhere else unless it’s paid for. Always include the value of your gift. For instance, “1 hour consultation = value $150”; “Coupon for attendance at seminar = value $250” etc.

Here are some TIPS:

  1. Appearance – Your downloadable is representing you – make it look nice! 
  2. Branding! Branding! Branding! Include your logo!
  3. Your website is a must – people will want to visit – and may purchase
  4. Create a coupon or a “money-looking” certificate. Communicate value!
  5. Be clear in your terms. I made the mistake at the beginning of just saying “cartoon” for free. That translated (100%) of the time to people as a custom logo or a unique cartoon that they would then resell or use for product use. I provided those to the first four, finally got a clue, and then clarified my terms. A free cartoon for personal, presentation, or marketing purposes only. If a desired custom cartoon or logo was needed, they received a coupon at the bottom of my downloadable that gave them $100 or an additional percentage off – and it had an end date! (Whew … quick learning curve there!)

Why Free Gifts for Your Book Launch?

Posted on by

GiftsFree gifts that are given during a book launch do more than just give people free stuff – they are powerful marketing tools.

Here’s how it works…

When I created the book launch site for “Show Me About Book Publishing”, we created several elements that defined the system or the strategy of a book launch site.

The element we are addressing in this post is FREE GIFTS.  Not only are they a benefit to the purchaser of a book and to the author whose book they are purchasing, but they are also invaluable to the gift-givers themselves! How? Do you ask?

Part of building your team for your book launch is getting people to offer a free gift. Together, on a designated day, everyone sends out the same email to their lists to advertise the book launch. With their free gift as one of the enticements – their name, email, website, expertise, and a sample of what they offer is blasted to hundreds, even thousands of names all at once.

People that they would have never been exposed to, suddenly become aware of you and your business and now have your contact information. (always put your website and contact information including a phone number on your free gift downloadable.)

The question often arises, after being told that their information will go to thousands … “How can I possibly fulfill that many free gifts?”

That’s the beauty of this. Only a tiny percent of the population will act on their gifts.  Many consultants have no problem offering huge chunks of consulting hours, for instance, because it’s a rare person that actually follows through.

Those who do – give you praises and valuable feedback that you can glean for your marketing purposes.  One such comment that I received was:

I was just expecting a throw-away cartoon and was completely blown out of the water when you gave me this wonderful custom cartoon for my marketing needs! Thank you for doing such beautiful work. – A.J.P.

So, how do you find people who will want your free gift? How do you find people with who you can connect for your own book launch? Start here … I’ll introduce you to each other.

Need ideas? Read this post …