Kikabink News

French company, Sarl has released a private beta version of its screen capture service, ScreenToaster.

ScreenToaster allows you to capture and make Flash videos of activities on the screen without having to download and run any software. According to TechCrunch’s Michael Arrington:

“the ease of use is just awesome. It takes literally seconds to create and publish a screencast. I’ve done a lot of these, and I know what a pain they are with client software, editing and uploading.”

That’s a pretty glowing review. However, one ‘glaring omission’ is the absence of the ability to record audio. Apparently, Sarl is aiming to add audio, subtitles and other features before launch.

ScreenToaster goes up against Screencast-O-Matic - another screen capture service with similar functionality (which also allows the export of videos and audio recording), not to mention the various software solutions, most notably Camtasia.

If you want to beta test ScreenToaster, apply here: http://www.screentoaster.com/record

Source: Michael Arrington, “Create No Download Screencasts In Seconds With ScreenToaster”, TechCrunch, October 19, 2008

If you’re interested in buying a product - let’s say it’s an information product - do you read the sales letter from start to finish?

Or do you, as Kikabink News subscriber, John H. does, scroll down to the bottom to find the price and then skim the bullet points.

Or do you do something else entirely?

Well, it’s the very fact that different readers approach sales letters in different ways that they - the more effective ones, that is - are structured and written in a way to accommodate different kinds of reader.

There are readers who read every word… skimmers who catch the main points… and ‘pick and choosers’ who look for, and focus only on, the details that matter to them. And there are those who may do any of these depending on the kind of product they’re buying, whether it was preceded by a huge pre-launch campaign of videos, etc, and other factors.

For example, when I bought my first information product in the Internet marketing niche, I read every word of what was something like a 20+ page sales letter. Just recently, when I invested in another - much more expensive - program, I focused only on some of the main points.

The difference for me was that in the first case, I had no familiarity with the product, the company behind it, or what benefits it would bring. I felt that I needed to understand exactly what I was being sold. In the second case, however, I was familiar with - and trusted - the marketer, had experienced an extensive pre-launch campaign, and was really only looking for confirmation that what was on offer was right for me.

Yesterday, I mentioned my view that if you are aiming to sell a product online that would ideally be sold by a real-life salesperson, then a sales letter is probably ideal. Similarly, a sales letter - just like a top sales person - should accommodate as many buyers as possible. It should deliver both the detail… and the salient points… it should allow for people to understand all the features and benefits… as well as convey the overall benefit… it should appeal to the emotions… and also appeal to the rational mind with logic…

The end-result is often a long sales letter. Will this turn off some people who don’t like scrolling? Probably. But, if it’s good, it will capture more people than it loses.

And remember, although YOU may not like reading through reams of copy… it doesn’t mean many of your prospects won’t. Or that they won’t simply skim or pick and choose what they read. As always, your customers (or lack thereof) will tell you whether you need to change how you present your offer.

At least one social network knows how to make money: LinkedIn, the social network for business professionals.

Presumably because of both its desirable member base - professional and affluent - and the network’s ability to target them, LinkedIn has experienced enormous demand from companies wanting to advertise on the network. So much so that it’s able to charge CPMs (cost per thousand impressions) for display ads that start at $30 CPM and text ads from between $12 and $20 CPM. This is when most social networks are lucky to get $1 CPM.

Demand from advertisers appears to have prompted LinkedIn to launch its own ad network. It will also work ad network Collective Media (which targets high-end media sites) to let other select sites target its users when they visit those partner sites.

LinkedIn has 27 million registered users, far behind the 100 million Facebook has worldwide. But, TechCrunch points out, it’s not about quantity… it’s about quality.

It seems that LinkedIn’s ‘quality’ 27 million users offers advertisers a much more valuable audience - with members having an average household income of $110,000, 64 percent male, an average age of 41, and 49 percent ‘decision makers’.

Presumably advertisers expect to achieve a greater return on investment (ROI) money by advertising to these people rather than the members of other social networks.

Source: Erick Schonfeld, “LinkedIn To Launch Its Own Ad Network”, TechCrunch, September 14, 2008

Let me say, off the bat, that Rich Schefren’s answer to the Uncertainty Syndrome - in the form of a report entitled ‘The Entrepreneurial Emergency‘ - DOES live up to the hype and anticipation surrounding its release.

Now, I was expecting it to be good… but not this good. Having read numerous business books, and indeed Rich’s previous free reports, I wondered: what could Rich Schefren possibly say that hasn’t already been said?

Some people will probably say that Rich Schefren does NOT say anything new in The Entrepreneurial Emergency. That his report is based on existing ideas. BUT we need only consider how so many entrepreneurs, let alone online entrepreneurs, seem to be struggling, to know that MOST are NOT aware of these ideas. Or at least are not applying them.

Now, having listened to the free teleseminar Rich conducted a week before, I knew what the central tenet of The Entrepreneurial Emergency would be (which I’ll share with you in a moment). But it wasn’t until I began reading Rich Schefren’s Uncertainty Syndrome report that I truly ‘got it’. What’s more, I got a few more ‘ah-has’, as well as some solid strategies and tactics I can immediately apply in my business.

All in all, I recommend you read The Entrepreneurial Emergency and see if you don’t also come away with some major take-outs. Without question, this free report packs a much bigger punch than many business books you’ll buy at the bookstore.

Yes, the report is a free ‘carrot’ in the lead-up to the launch of Rich’s Guided Profit System (TM) coaching program (to be launched on Tuesday, September 23, 2008). But let’s be honest: this coaching program will be cost-prohibitive for most Internet marketers. So why not take advantage of the quality information Rich is giving out for free?

Okay, so what exactly DOES Rich Schefren reveal in The Entrepreneurial Emergency report? Let me give you the low-down…

Rich begins the report by prompting us to think about the one thing that will determine our success. Then it shatters the belief that this one thing relates to our knowledge, skills, commitment or other personal qualities.

While these all add to our POTENTIAL for success… what determines our ACTUAL success is our CONSTRAINTS. To be specific, the only way our actual success will ever equal our current potential for success is if we eliminate the constraints holding us back.

While this, in itself is a powerful idea, Rich goes on to point out that what we *think* are holding us back are most likely to be SYMPTOMS of the true underlying constraints. Which is why we can spend much of our time putting out fires… without addressing the causes of those fires.

Only by identifying and overcoming our true constraints will we achieve the breakthroughs we seek.

My third big ‘a-ha’ was something Rich mentions, but could probably emphasize more (probably the only weakness in the report, apart from a few typos and the absence of a references section): at any given moment there will be ONE chief constraint. When we begin the process of overcoming all the constraints holding us back, our aim should be to deal with the biggest constraint first… and only after that’s dealt with, to move on to the next biggest constraint… then the next biggest constraint, and so on.

Rich identifies three kinds of constraint - rational, procedural and self-imposed - and goes on to provide ’seven silver bullets’ designed to help us address some of the most common constraints he sees plaguing online entrepreneurs:

• The erroneous belief that mistakes must be avoided at all costs;
• Flying blind without key information that can help us improve our business;
• Linear thinking;
• An inefficient work style;
• A lack of a personal network;
• Using outdated, one-way marketing tactics; and
• Buyer bottlenecks.

None of these may be YOUR constraints, but if they are, get ready for a ‘wake-up call’. Fortunately, Rich also provides some invaluable ideas - indeed, entire frameworks - for overcoming such constraints.

Again, while it can be tempting to regard these as constraints that must ALL be dealt with now, nothing could be further from the truth: your aim should be to focus instead on removing the BIGGEST constraint first, before moving on to the remaining constraints, in order of priority.

The Entrepreneurial Emergency would be incomplete without including some practical tips for addressing and overcoming constraints. Fortunately, Rich doesn’t disappoint: towards the end of the report, he sets out a step-by-step process for identifying and eliminating constraints in order to achieve our  goals.

While I took notes on my first read of Rich Schefren’s The Entrepreneurial Emergency, I will undoubtedly read it again and take more notes. His sections on understanding buyer behaviour and becoming more productive, respectively, are worth reading in themselves.

In sum, I was extremely impressed with the report and highly recommend you read it. Rich’s Guided Profit System (TM) coaching program won’t be for everyone… but this report probably is.

=> Click here to download a free copy of The Entrepreneurial Emergency

To help promote his new report, ‘The Uncertainty Syndrome’ and to generate publicity for the upcoming launch of his new coaching program, Rich Schefren is hosting a live, televised question and answer session.

The live Q and A began yesterday at noon, when Rich released The Uncertainty Syndrome. It will continue until noon today.

Depending on when you read this, you’ll be able to catch the last few hours of Rich live on web television, and be able to ask him YOUR burning question.

Yep, it’s a publicity stunt. Take a look here:

==> Rich Schefren On 24 Live TV

P.S. I’ll post my review of Rich’s report tomorrow.