The rise of social media and the emphasis placed on sharing and giving has led me to ponder the thought of opt-in boxes becoming obsolete in the not so distant future. Over the past few years the emphasis has been placed on building your list. I can’t tell you how many times I have been asked, “What’s the size of your list?” Having a list of subscribers is definitely nice and has proven to be very profitable for my business. It’s great to be able to send out an email and watch the sales pour in.

If building a list has been profitable why the heck would I want to see opt-in boxes become obsolete?

Let’s first take a look at how I have built my list. It’s basically been in the traditional sense where I have had a squeeze page or opt-in box on a sales page where I offer a free report or audio in exchange for the visitors name and email address.

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately about the barrier that this has placed on the viral-ability of my free reports.

First of all, less than half of the people who arrive at my ’squeeze page’ actually opt-in for the free report, free book, free audio, or free video. And I’ve got to tell you… the content in these free gifts is unbelievable. I absolutely over-deliver with my free gifts. I guess it kind of drives me nuts when I see people passing up such an incredible offer.

You can take a look at many of the free gifts that I offer my visitors and followers in the fat loss niche by visiting Fat Loss Quickie Free Stuff

Two of the books that I give away for free were actually selling on Clickbank for $47 each before I decided to take them down and give them away. Many of the people who read these books mention that they would have paid for them and I even received a request from someone asking if I could turn them into a physical book so they could carry it around with them.

I also deliver a significant amount of content in the Fat Loss Riches Report where I discus how to harness the power of social media to make money while transforming your body.

I really want this content in as many peoples hands as possible. I am certain that requiring the visitor to provide me with a name and email address in order to get the report will significantly restrict the number of people who read these information packed books.

I have been paying attention to my behaviors when I visit websites throughout the day and when I read emails from my fellow Internet Entrepreneurs.

One thing that I have noticed is that I can be absolutely head over heels excited to get my hands on a free audio or report as I’m reading through an email where the marketer is explaining what is contained in the free report.

As excited as I am at that moment, if I visit the page and there is an opt-in box chances are extremely high that I will not sign up for the free report.

If I was all hyped up and excited about getting this report and I end up not signing up for it, imagine how a person who just randomly lands on your page will respond.

When Free is NOT FREE

If I have to provide you with my name and email address in order to get your free report, I’m sorry, but your report is not free.

My email address is priceless. I value what enters my inbox and I don’t give it away to just anyone. Providing you with my name and email address is a real cost to me.

I have really taken notice of this with the rapid growth of Twitter. I can’t stand the auto DM’s that I receive after following someone and within that direct message they say, “Thanks for following me. Here’s a free gift.” That free gift is a link to a squeeze page where they are offering some free report, which in most cases is something that I don’t even want.

That’s not a free gift at all. Immediately the red flags go up and I think to myself, “This person is more concerned with getting rather than giving.” In order for me to get something from them I have to give something in return first.

The Taste Test

Lets face it. Most of the free reports out there are a means of providing your visitors with a taste of what they were to receive if they purchased your complete program or service. Why put up a barrier in order for them to receive the taste?

Lets use the analogy of a grocery store taste testing station where they are giving away free samples of the best chocolate chip cookies out there. You just walk right up there, grab your cookie, eat it, go ga ga over it, and then start telling everyone else that they should head on over to that chocolate chip cookie stand to get themselves a free sample.

Now imagine if this chocolate chip cookie stand was to require you to give them your name and mailing address before your get your free sample. To make matters worse you don’t actually get the cookie right away. You have to go to the customer service desk and verify your address by showing them your drivers license.

Would you take the time to fill out the form? Would you tell others to head on over and sign up for the free chocolate chip cookie sample?

Sure some people would go through that hassel, but it’s safe to say that most people wouldn’t.

Break Down The Barriers

If your ‘free samples’ were in more peoples hands how would that effect your business? If everyone was buzzing about how great your ‘free samples’ are, how would that effect your business? If everyone thought of you as selfless and truly looking out for the needs of others, how would that effect your business?

It’s time for you to break down the barriers that are holding people back from absorbing your free gifts and sharing them with others.

It’s All About Sharing

Social media is all about sharing. You see it everywhere. You’ll find links to content on Facebook, YouTube, Squidoo, Myspace, and just about every social network out there.

When it comes to Twitter people are constantly sharing resources and useful information with each other. When we see something that really grabs our attention we re-tweet it as a way of sharing it with others.

Make your free reports as easy to share as possible. Take down the barrier of the opt-in box and encourage others to pass it along.

Become a true giver. Don’t ask for anything upfront in order for them to receive your gifts. Share your gifts freely. If your free reports contain valuable information they will surely change many lives and will be passed along to many others who will benefit from your teachings. You will be rewarded in the long run and build a following much larger than you ever could have by requiring your visitors to give you their name and email address first.

Note: I owe David Meerman Scott a great deal of gratitude for opening my eyes up to these concepts. David’s book World Wide Rave is a must read in my opinion.

I also owe my mentor Deborah Cole Micek @CoachDeb a great deal of credit for first introducing me to these ideas years ago and for being the first to set me on the wonderful path of social media. If it wasn’t for Deb, I wouldn’t be where I’m at in business today. You Rock coach!

I would love to hear your feedback. Do you think opt-in boxes will die?

I have one up here on my blog, but notice that I’m not capturing names and email addresses in exchange for a report.

Do you consider your Twitter followers or Facebook friends to be just like having a list?

Will the rss feed replace the opt-in box?

Let me hear your thoughts and opinions. They mean a lot to me.

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Anyone can do a product review and give their endorsement for any particular program on the market. But not everyone has what it takes to create an effective testimonial that captures the emotions of the viewer and entertain them long enough where that actually hear how the product impacted your life.

Here are two examples of testimonials or product reviews that I’ve used to both entertain the viewer and get my message across that I’ve actually used the program and how it’s impacted my life.

Testimonial For Blog i360

Learn More About Blog i360

Testimonial For Stephen Pierce’s DTAlpha

Product reviews have proven to be a great source of traffic for my blogs. Believe it or not, people actually type in the name of product in the search engines. It pays to capitalize on the searches from these people. Why?

These people are most likely buyers. They’re not looking for a general term or free information. They are looking for a specific product.

For example, if someone types in the words “fat loss” into the Google search bar, chances are they are just curious as to what’s out there, and they are probably looking for any free information that they can find to help them out.

But, if they type in “Unstoppable Fat Loss”, which is the name of one of my fat loss products, it means they were actually searching for more info on the product itself. Even if they are not in buying mode at that time, at least they are not looking for free info.

This is why I love getting ranked high in the search engines for the product titles that I recommend. When they see the title on the search page “100% honest review of product X” it catches their attention even more than the title of the actual product on it’s own.

When I am about to buy something I look for some feedback about the product. If it’s an expensive purchase I may even look into Consumer Reports to see what they have to say.

You know that if you go directly to the product page you are going to get the pitch from the product owner. But I want to hear from the product users. So the first place I look is product reviews.

For many of the products that I promote threw reviews, I actually have more than one link on the first page of Google for that product title. You’ll see my blog post review, my YouTube video review, my Squidoo lens review, and probably even a review that I posted in a forum or Ning community.

The chances of the viewer to click on my links is pretty darn high and that’s what you want.

So…

After watching my two video testimonials, what is it that you are going to do in order to make your product reviews even more effective?

I’d love to hear from you. Share your thoughts and comments below.

To your success in health and wealth,

Scott Tousignant

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Boy do I ever have an exciting opportunity for my affiliates. Each and every one of my affiliates is going to have a chance to win a luxury cruise vacation. If you can make just one sale during this week long contest, you’ve got a shot at spending 8 days sailing the Caribbean Sea with me and a group of top Internet Marketers from Jan 8th-16th 2009.

I am releasing Fat Loss Riches to the masses for the relaunch of my motivational audio program Unstoppable Fat Loss on August 6th.

During the relaunch I’m going to be running a one week affiliate contest which will take place from August 6th to the 13th. The theme is 21 Days To Unstoppable Fat Loss

Affiliate contest details…

Goes to the affiliate who makes the most sales during the promotion period
Prize: A solo ocean view room with a balcony on Mike Filsaime’s Marketers Cruise Vacation – $2000 Value.

The value of the connections made on the cruise is worth way more than the price of the room. The connections that I made last year on this annual cruise have helped make 2008 my best year ever.

You can learn more about the cruise by visiting www.FitnessMarketersCruise.com

Note: If you would like to bring a guest on the cruise you can upgrade to double occupancy for just $300 which is at your cost.

Every affiliate who makes a sale during the promotion period will be entered into a draw which will take place Live on Ustream August 14th at 7pm EST.
Prize: A solo ocean view room with a balcony on Mike Filsaime’s Marketers Cruise – $2000 Value.

That’s right! I’m giving away 2 rooms on the Marketer’s Cruise Vacation and one of them may go to an affiliate who makes just one single sale. This way even the smallest affiliate has a chance to win a huge prize.

NOTE: If you only make one sale and it was your own purchase through your affiliate link you will not be included in the draw. You must make a sale to someone other than yourself. This is to protect the affiliates who put in an honest effort promoting my programs to their customers, family, and friends.

If you win either of those prizes you can accept cash if you don’t want to go on the cruise vacation.

Goes to the affiliate who makes the 2nd most sales during the promotion contest.
Prize: Deb & JP Micek’s Tribal Seduction Course $2000 value

• Plus 3 months of Blog i360 $147 value

• Plus I’ll set up the blog for you $197 value

• Plus 2 coaching sessions on how to maximize your blog $197 value

Total value $2541

Learn more about the blog membership at www.i360blog.com

Goes to the affiliate who makes the 3rd most sales during the contest.
Prize: 3 months Blog i360 $147 value

• Plus I’ll set up the blog for you $197 value

• Plus 2 coaching sessions on how to maximize your blog $197 value

Total Value $541

Plus more prizes to come!

During the contest you can use the Fat Loss Riches Report as a lead generator. The target audience would be individuals who are struggling to find a niche or Internet Marketers who would like to diversify their portfolio and tap into the very lucrative fat loss niche.

During the 1 week promo I am bundling my 3 fat loss programs “Unstoppable Fat Loss“, “The Fit Chic“, and “The Fit Bastard” together for just $47. So that’s a 3 for the price of 1 Deal!

Affiliate Commission is 75%

21 Day Fat Loss Riches Challenge For The Customers…

Once the affiliate contest is over I will be holding a 21 day challenge to make sure that my customers take action on the strategies within the Fat Loss Riches Report and with my fat loss programs.

At the end of the 21 days the male and female who take the most massive action applying the Fat Loss Riches strategies will win some great prizes including a scholarship to the Fat Loss Riches Coaching Program worth $2997, Bob Jenkin’s Unstoppable Blogging program, and much more.

If the 3 products for the price of 1 isn’t enough incentive during the one week promo,
this should kick it into gear…

As soon as the promo ends the price of UFL goes up to $97

The Fit Chic and The Fit Bastard will each go up to $67.

So they are saving $184 by jumping on the deal during the promo.

There will be a couple amazing 24 hour bonuses, some awesome 48 and 72 hour bonuses, and some bonuses that run the course of the promo.

There will also be some limited quantity bonuses. For example; I’m going to be giving an incredible bonus for the first 5 people worth $3000.

If you would like to contribute any kind of special bonus during this promotion please send an email to: scotttousignant@gmail.com

I will be provide affiliates with awesome content during the promo.

Affiliates can use any of these 21 audio clips from the original UFL
series…

http://www.unstoppablefatloss.com/blog/category/unstoppable-fat-loss-audio-clips/

Plus I will provide clips from the transcripts as well.

I’ll be sharing some great tips to promote the sale that do not require you to have a list to market to. These tips will also help my affiliates who have a list boost their sales by using the power of social media.

PS The price increase for my programs at the end of the promotion means that affiliates will have the opportunity to earn $95 per sale

Thank you for your support,

Scott Tousignant

PPS Mike Filsaime’s Marketer’s Cruise Vacation is an experience of a lifetime. This really is an opportunity that you shouldn’t pass up even if you do not win either of the 2 prizes.

The rooms on this cruise are filling up fast. I’m recommending that you reserve your spot on this cruise vacation by placing a 100% refundable deposit as soon as possible.

If you win the contest I will send you the $2000 to cover the cost of your solo ocean view balcony cabin.

The price of the cruise has already gone up once and you don’t want to miss out on the deal that is being offered now.

You can learn more by visiting www.FitnessMarketersCruise.com

Here’s a picture of some incredible marketers that I ate dinner with during one of the nights on the cruise last year…

Imagine what it was like for me to have dinner with marketing genius Ben Mack, affiliate marketing guru Anik Singal, high ticket item expert Alex Nghiem, social media expert Lasse Rouhiainen, and fitness event expert Matt Mazur

And to think this was just one of the 8 nights on the ship. Not only did I have dinner with these amazing marketers, but I also got to lounge around the pool, relax on the beach, and explore tropical islands with them.

This experience changed my business and my life. I want the same thing to happen for you. I look forward to seeing you on the cruise.

www.FitnessMarketersCruise.com

PPPS Shoot me an email when you do sign up so we can plan out the fun things we will do during this vacation. We’re working on getting hours set aside just for us to have the ships gym all to ourselves.

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I would like to take a moment to welcome you to the Social Media Profit Coach blog and provide you with a bit of information about who I am and what you can expect this blog. Lets start with what I will be teaching hear on the blog. I’ll be using a combination of articles, videos, and audio interviews to teach you the best strategies to make money while getting in great shape. I find that video demonstrations are usually the best teaching method, so I will be loading this blog with video content for sure.

Marketing Strategies

I’ll be going through basic strategies all the way up to advanced. So whether you are new to Internet Marketing or you are a veteran, there will be many great strategies that you will pick up here.

Here are just a few topics that I will be covering…

I’ll be sharing all the strategies that I use to earn a comfortable living from my fat loss blogs. If you haven’t already downloaded the Fat Loss Riches Report you can grab it for FREE by entering your name and email in the upper right corner of this page. You will learn many of my successful tactics that took me from bankrupt to online success story.

Who Is Scott Tousignant & What Can I Learn From Him?

I’ll give you the abbreviated version and save my entire story for another day. I am a personal fitness trainer and former health club owner who has taken his business online. 2 years ago I claimed bankruptcy, was stressed, depressed and as a result I packed on fat. But I always new that I deserved better. I had a sense that the road ahead was bright and shinny. So I kept plugging away.

Of course I struggled online in the beginning like everyone else. I made a very smart move, took a leap of faith (since I was bankrupt with little money in my wallet), and hired mentors. I wanted to skip the small talk and listen to people who had been there and elevated their online businesses to super success.

Many of my mentors have experienced financial hardships themselves and many have claimed bankruptcy just as I have. That was a comforting feeling knowing that I wasn’t alone and that my mentors understood the position that I was in.

I never felt sorry for myself. I’m not sure if you’ve ever heard Stephen Pierce on stage sharing his story or if you’ve read his book “Make Real Money On The Internet”, but when I heard the hardships that he battled through, I immediately thought, “What the hell do I have to complain about?”

It’s been about a year now since I’ve experienced online success thanks to the efforts of all my mentors; Donna Fox, Mike Filsaime, Paulie Sabol, Tom Beal, Deb & J.P. Micek, and Stephen Pierce, as well as the software that changed my business which is the Blog i360 system that I am using on this blog as well as other blogs of mine that you will come across.

I have 3 fat loss programs…

Unstoppable Fat Loss, which deals with mindset and motivation when it comes to fat loss. Trust me, if you apply these same strategies to you business, you will experience incredible success. That’s what I’ve done!

The Fit Chic, which contains a full year of quick and effective workouts for women that can be done in the comfort of your home or office. Plus the motivation to drive you to fat loss success.

The Fit Bastard, which contains a full year of quick and effective workouts for men that can be done in the comfort of your home or office. Plus the motivation to drive you to fat loss success.

I love social media. I love building relationships with my readers. I love helping people achieve success in all areas of their life…

And I am on a mission to reverse the rising obesity trend. That’s where you can help me. If you will allow me to touch your life and help you achieve optimal health while applying fun and fast workouts, it will bring me one step closer to accomplishing my life goal of obliterating obesity.

I am 100% committed to your success so don’t hold anything back. If there is something that you would like my help with, please share it here by leaving a comment on my blog posts. I’m here to serve you. We’re in this together!

That was the best thing that my mentors did for me. They made me feel like I was a part of a team. We were really in it together. When I succeeded, they succeeded. There sure is a lot of joy in that. The best reward from what I do is seeing people succeed. It may sound cliche, but it’s so true.

Thank you for embarking on this journey with me and allowing me to share my life, my struggles, and my successes with you. Thank you for letting me into your life and sharing how I can help you transform it into the life that you deserve.

To your health and wealth success,

Scott Tousignant

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