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The "Luck Struck" Progress Thread

andviv

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TOO MUCH TEXT!!!

I won't read that much. no way. Especially with such a small font.

I like the book pics on the right. Maybe a little bit bigger?
 

Luke12321

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Keep cutting the amount of content on the landing page down and the font is too small.

I agree with Andres, increase the size of the book.
 
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AroundTheWorld

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MUCH better.

Now... get rid of the navigation sections on the top.
Add a prominent "buy now" button.
 

andviv

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How do I sell a book to someone who won't read a website?

Easy, follow what she says here:
Add a prominent "buy now" button.



This is the homepage for my domain. Don't I want navigation tabs for people who have already purchased and are just coming back to hang out?

NO.
This is a sales page. That is your only mission at this point. SELL. Have you read anything about landing pages? If not, just do what ATW recommended.
 

biophase

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This is the homepage for my domain. Don't I want navigation tabs for people who have already purchased and are just coming back to hang out?

Why do you feel that after someone has bought the book that they will come back and hang out?
 

kimberland

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Alright! LOL! Just trying to be informative. I forgot that no one reads anymore. How do I sell a book to someone who won't read a website?

Because most people buying non-fiction books
don't actually read them.
Sad but true.

(This doesn't hold for romance novel buyers.)
 
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PEERless

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Have you read anything about landing pages?
Uh, yeah. And my sales page (I thought) is the landing page to which I drive traffic through linking and ads. The direct type-in traffic is expecting something a bit more home(page)y. Right?
Why do you feel that after someone has bought the book that they will come back and hang out?
With the addition of the forum and blog, hopefully they will come hang out like we hang out here.
Because most people buying non-fiction booksdon't actually read them.
Well that takes the pressure off! LOL.

Oh yeah. can someone help me with a button? The shitty one shown on the page is the extent of my pathetic HTML prowess. I want something sexy, shiny, and red!

I love you guys.
 

lo key

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Been following this thread since you made it. Very interesting stuff indeed. I made up some quick "Buy Now" Logos in photoshop for you. Just pm if you like any of the ones you see. Thought I'd help out a fellow fastlaner!

Edit- Apparently can't post images until I have ten posts :smx4:
PM me for the link i guess. I better get posting.
 

biophase

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With the addition of the forum and blog, hopefully they will come hang out like we hang out here.

Remember MJ's post about forums?

People don't visit forums for products repeatedly. Once they buy your book, why would they come back to visit the forums? Do they want to post testimonials? ask questions?
 
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MJ DeMarco

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Skyler,

When people hit your sales page they should feel something immediately. I feel nothing and to get "that feeling" i have to read. This is a barrier.

How do you invoke an instantaneous feeling? You do it with pictures. I'd recommend getting up one picture that conveys a feeling.

For example, a picture of a couple winning at a BlackJack table screaming in jubilence, arms extended high, as they just won a hand.

Something like this: (I'd find a picture that shows "a win" in progress)

people_gambling.gif


The picture conveys: Happiness, excitement, and luck -- and its done instantaneously.

Find a picture that embodies "LUCK" in action!
 

Jill

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Nice post, MJ. I completely agree! You want to sell the dream. Ralph Lauren ads are a great example of this. I understand the whole "struck" by lightening imagery. But it scares me a little!! LOL!
 

LightHouse

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Uh, yeah. And my sales page (I thought) is the landing page to which I drive traffic through linking and ads. The direct type-in traffic is expecting something a bit more home(page)y. Right?

No. A landing page isnt just a page. you have to sell and convert with the page. Looking at your page i think some telemarketer just called me and is reading a script. it ignites no emotions. People buy with emotions.


PEERless said:
With the addition of the forum and blog, hopefully they will come hang out like we hang out here.

Misconception..... what are they going to talk about in the forum? A lucky event? who is going to care enough to respond? You just need to sell a book, thats all.
 
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PEERless

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I made up some quick "Buy Now" Logos in photoshop for you.
Thanks! They look great. Help me make them clickable in HTML? Rep+.
How do you invoke an instantaneous feeling? You do it with pictures.
Great idea! Thanks!
Remember MJ's post about forums?
what are they going to talk about in the forum? A lucky event? who is going to care enough to respond? You just need to sell a book, thats all.
I kinda hoped people would buy it, read it, like it or hate it, and discuss it. Share lucky stories argue with each other about whether it works. Tell me about errors or stories that should be included in the 2nd edition.
 

lo key

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No problem PEER, anything for a fellow fastlaner. I pm'd you the link to the zip file that has the images spliced up into single logos.

As far as the html part goes, this is the code you're going to want to input.

Parts of the code: (it's really just fill in the blanks)
<a href="INPUT TARGET LINK HERE (E.G. Luckstruck[dot]com/buynow.html)" target="_blank">
This tells the server where to take the user once the hyperlink (in this case, the image, is clicked)

<img src="INPUT IMAGE SOURCE HERE (E.G. luckstruck[dot]com/image1.png or /images/logo1.png"
This tells the server where the image is stored in order to access it.

Size goes here --> width="200" height="261" border="0"
This tells the server what size to resize the image too, somewhat like constraining proportions. For example, say you have an image that is 700x560, but you can only fit an image that is sized 200x261, this is where you fix that. It is always good to keep the images proportions correct though, as it could cause distortion. ( just my .02)

alt="INPUT ALTERNATE TEXT HERE (WHAT PEOPLE SEE WHEN THEY HOVER OVER THE IMAGE)" />
</a>
This tells the server what to display when people hover over the link, helpful if the image is not displaying or someone is lost/confused.

Code:
<a href="input link target" target="_blank">
<img src="Input image source" width="input width" height="input heigth" border="0" alt="Input alt text" />
</a>
 

PEERless

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Worked perfectly. Now to run some AB testing... Things are getting interesting now.
 
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Kung Fu Steve

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Hey buuu-ddy

Was just checking out your progress. I like the site. I have been learning a ton about internet marketing lately and maybe I can make a few suggestions? (if not for you, for my own knowledge and understanding!)

#1. Changing the names of the graphics:

I learned recently that the spider bots and other little creatures that travels web pages don't like the words "guarantee" or "100% satisfaction" or any other 'cheesy sales lines' and they notice them mainly in the file name. The file you have for your satisfaction guaranteed sticker ... "http://www.luck-struck .com/Guarantee2.jpg/ Guarantee2-full;init:.jpg"

...has the words Guarantee a couple of times... the suggestion I got was to change the title of the image to "1.gif" or whatever. Something pointless.

#2. The headline is supposed to grab people:

I hear and see the headlines of some of these products sold online are fairly cheesy. Along the lines of "Who else wants a 6 pack!?" or "Who else wants to change their luck around!?" They are really corny but apparently they work otherwise I think these people would stop using them.

#3. The picture of yourself:

This is something I pick on a lot of my students and stuff in their photography. I pride myself on body language and what it says. You're a good looking dude but that sly little smirk on your face and closed eyes says "untrustworthy" to me (and probably other people). The second one is much more inviting and says "success and happiness" a big smile and you hanging out on your boat (or what appears to be your boat). If you could get a good picture like that I think it would improve things.


Hopefully some of this helps a little. I'd love to see you succeed so I'll do whatever I can to help! ... I guess the only thing I can say is... Good LUCK! :smxB:
 

marktech101

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Congrats on finishing your book! It's neat to be able to see the different challenges one might encounter during the publication of an e-book here in the 21st century.

I've got a few suggestions regarding your website--


  • Change the image links on your website. Right now, many of them simply display larger versions when clicked, possibly losing valuable conversions!
  • Speaking of conversions, the 'learn more' site is called 'conversion' in the address bar; you might want to change that.
  • You should use 4-leaf clovers! They're universally lucky!
I took a few minutes to throw together a draft of a new conversion page. It's simple, but I think that may be a good thing.

If you do try this on your website, I'd love to hear if there are any positive results!

--marktech101
 

PEERless

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FOUR WEEK UPDATE: $200
Sales: $13

Paperback: 1

What a great week! Thanks for all your help with updating my landing page on which I'm now running some A/B tests and working my way up from a 6% conversion-rate.

  • Revamped landing page.
  • Made my first sale to a stranger on Amazon.
  • Began the submission process to Barnes & Noble.
 
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longview

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Hi,

Can I ask how the physical book sales are done via Amazon?

Does a print on demand order get fulfilled by Lulu, or has a box of books been printed and stocked by Amazon?

Appreciate you sharing your experiences.

regards,
Greg

edit: I see the in stock listing for Amazon shows yourself and another seller, so presumably Amazon holds no stock, and your up front pre-printed book number is pretty low?
 
Last edited:

MJ DeMarco

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ooooo like the changes to the landing page. The photo of "winners" made me feel something IMMEDIATELY!!
 

mtnman

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MUCH better!

An AR series would weave right in there beautifully.

Inexperienced web users may not know you can click on "get lucky"... may want to think about adding "here" or another phrase that indicates CTA.

Good job!
 
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mtnman

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Auto Responder.

Point being, you may not have enough credibility currently, but implementing relationship building now could be very powerful.
 

PEERless

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Sorry my weekly update and other responses are a bit late. Been busy moving. Will reply to you soon.
 
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PEERless

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Once again, I am so sorry for my absence. I moved to Washington to be nearer to my son, and the new 9-5 job for which I have signed up is more like a 9-midnight job. (Russ, you might be proud of my leapfrogging to G.M. in the hospitality world.) Still trying to find a work-life balance as well as convincing my son's mother that I'm growing my business and selling books for him. Bleh, anyway...
Can I ask how the physical book sales are done via Amazon? Does a print on demand order get fulfilled by Lulu, or has a box of books been printed and stocked by Amazon?
Well, Lulu will print on demand and fulfill, but it takes them 3 to 6 months to get to it. I decided to get the ball rolling myself and print 100 and sell them on Amazon myself. If the demand were to get so high that I couldn't handle packing and shipping them all (a guy can hope) then I could upgrade with Amazon to have them ship and fulfill. I don't know how to get them interested enough to buy and warehouse copies...
ooooo like the changes to the landing page. The photo of "winners" made me feel something IMMEDIATELY!!
Thanks for the hot tips, MJ. A/B testing is incomplete, but it favors the winners pic.
Inexperienced web users may not know you can click on "get lucky"... may want to think about adding "here" or another phrase that indicates CTA.
OK. I added a second button that just says "Buy Now."
An [auto responder] series would weave right in there beautifully...you may not have enough credibility currently, but implementing relationship building now could be very powerful.
I am using Get Response, and I just need to sit down and create two to four valuable newsletters to blast people with. I'm also working on a Luck-Struck subscription service with monthly advice, lotto picks, etc.
 

Russ H

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PEERless said:
Russ, you might be proud of my leapfrogging to G.M. in the hospitality world.
Good on you, Skyler!

9 to midnight doesn't sound too bad-- only 3 hours? ;)

(I kid, I kid-- I'm well aware of what days are like in this profession).

I'd wondered what happened to you-- didn't see these other updates.

Hope your move went OK. :)

-Russ H.
 

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