Know-How Exchange : Website Critique

Hi,
well some bit of content writing, Design, + some stuff like you can provide daily tips on face book/tweeter/linkedin/other social networking websites, i dont see linkedin added, link that to ur website, then you need need services of SEO & SEM . The main thing is what is ur U.S.P.? Find it, add it, Highlight it & earn from it. Hope this helps in some way.

Dear Dr. Gerdes,

Every point that follows is meant to help you. I make no apology for the tone of what follows because you need to hear a few harsh truths.

Your book isn't selling because:

Your headline tells me nothing and takes ages to load. Headlines must telegraph, not put readers to sleep while they fade from one line to another.

You have no solid call to action.

You make people dig for social proof (a download?
For a freaking testimonial?).

Ditch the dark colors.

Show a larger image of the book.

Use a bigger BUY NOW button that takes the buyer to
a PayPal page.

Tell people what the book will teach them and do this in
a simple bulleted list.

Show your buyer some results from happy, satisfied customers.

Ditch that God awful graphic in the middle of the page because unless it's got decent, keyword-rich alt tags associated with it, your readers might be able to read it but a search engine can't. This is killing your ranking.

Consider setting up joint ventures.

Use social media to spread the message and on your Facebook page, INCLUDE A LINK to your sales page.
BTW six posts on your Facebook page since October and ONE tweet on Twitter isn't doing you any favors either.

Use online video to SELL the core essence.

Tell people what your product will do for them.

Ditch the YOLA connection.

Your 32 second YouTube video needs to telegraph major selling points, but its sound track sounds like a very bad Bruce Willis movie, and there's no voice over.

Regardless of how ell educated you are, no one's going to buy from you until they know you, like you, and trust you.

You must establish bonding and liking, you must offer results in advance of the buyer taking action, and you must remove every barrier that prevents your reader from getting the gist of what your book will do for them.

Tell your reader who you, why you are worth listening to are and what you've got on offer.

Then tell people what your book will do for them.

Then tell people what you want them to do next.

Getting a job ... selling one's self at interview is the biggest marketing pitch most people will EVER make and your book MUST instill rock solid confidence in your buyer that your product delivers the goods.

I hope this helps.

Gary Bloomer
The Direct Response Marketing Guy™
Princeton, NJ, USA

P.S. Once you've rewritten your sales letter, consider offering your book on ClickBank.

Gary's comments are right on.

But I wonder if the problem is the website or the marketing strategy. How do people find your website? Are you creating awareness for it? Where? How? Are you getting traffic but no conversion, or are you not getting traffic?

As someone who has written a book on job search strategy, and successfully marketed it for almost 10 years now, I've been through this drill. Job search is not a topic that draws a lot of interest in the book marketplace.

Start with the fact that 75% of adults in the US have not been in a bookstore or library in the last 12 months. We are not a nation of book buyers or readers.

Then add the fact that there are a lot of myths floating around about how you should find a job. They usually include sending out tons of resumes, networking, etc. But they don't include reading books.

Most job seekers are focused on action, and panic-stricken that it might take longer to find a job than they think they can last (financially and emotionally). Reading a book is the last thing on their minds.

And when you're out of work, you try to conserve your money ... not spend on "optional" purchases ... like books.

And finally, how is it possible that you're only now dealing with the marketing strategy for the book when that should have been the driving force behind writing the book in the first place? You've got it backward. You developed the product BEFORE you understood your target audience and developed your marketing plan. That should have come first ... before the book was even written.

So now you're stuck with a product that isn't selling, and you're trying to figure out why. Duh!

You say your E-book is not selling? My question to you is, "what number would you have to sell to be considered, 'selling'?"

Many potential authors are surprised to know that the average 'P-book' (that's a physical book - you know, the ones that smell and feel good) will only sell up to 1000 copies. You mention on the website that the paperback edition is coming soon - if you haven't already pushed print, perhaps you may consider holding off?

You’ve pointed out here that book sales are to go towards a worthy cause, but I didn't see anything about that on your website. While your book's target market may not be motivated to purchase based on philanthropic reasons, potential corporate partners (job search agencies etc) may like the warm fuzzy this provides.

The others have provided excellent advice on your website and marketing flaws, so I won’t rub salt into the wounds. Personally, I feel if you’re still keen to get your book out into the marketplace then abandon the self-publishing route and try your luck with a University Press or Student Guild who would benefit from the message your book is projecting. Good luck!

Besides the wealth of spot-on comments from others, some other thoughts:

Your book (as named) sounds like it's targeting college students, rather than anyone who's looking for a job. Who exactly is your target market?

The bullet-pointed questions may be nice points, but it's not focused on the key question a job seeker is thinking about: How can I land a great job easily? Most people aren't searching for tools - they are searching for solutions. Position your book as a solution to their problem.