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Praise for Free Marketing
"Jim Cockrum's book is a megaphone for anyone who wants to get the word out about their business!"
—DAVE RAMSEY, New York Times bestselling author and nationally syndicated radio talk show host
"In a world of marketing 'experts,' Jim stands out with his practical and ethical principles of how online businesses work successfully. Even though I'm already experiencing great success with our current business, I will be requiring that every one of our team members digest this book from cover-to-cover to help us implement processes that I'm confident will positively transform our business."
—DAN MILLER, author of 48 Days to the Work You Love
"Jim Cockrum is one of a handful of people I look up to as a genuine authority when it comes to using powerful modern marketing methods to build a profitable business. If you have the opportunity to learn from him, then I'd strongly recommend grabbing it with both hands."
—LEE MCINTYRE, GetMoreMomentum.com
"I always devour anything Jim Cockrum puts out, and Free Marketing doesn't disappoint. This is a fantastic read and my head is spinning with the ideas it has generated. Once again, Jim has over-delivered."
—JOHN THORNHILL, planetsmsblog.com
"This book should be mandatory reading for every small business owner (and big business owners too!). If you want direct, straight-to-the-point, 'do this' marketing methods that are 100% free to implement, this book is a MUST READ!"
—DAVID FREY, author of The Small Business Marketing Bible, marketingbestpractices.com
"I believe Jim's success can be directly attributed to his honesty and his desire to help other people. Jim has shared years of knowledge and invaluable information in the pages of this book. Don't miss out on this opportunity to learn from one of the best!"
—ROBBIN K. TUNGETT, VirtualNotions.com
Foreword Pastor Kevin Ramsby xv
Preface Eleven of the Great Ideas in This Book xvii
Introduction: Marketing Is Now Free! xix
PART 1 Build Your Reputation—Or Your Brand—For Free
Chapter 1 Supercharge Your Online Reputation 5
Chapter 2 Defend Your Reputation with Simple Free Tools 10
Chapter 3 Turn Bad Reviews into Free Marketing 12
Chapter 4 Use Your Expert Knowledge to Create Customer-Attracting Content 16
Chapter 5 Insane Refund Policy Profits 19
Chapter 6 Being Irrational Is Great Marketing 21
PART 2 Simple Inexpensive Websites You Might Need
Chapter 7 Lead Capture Pages and Squeeze Pages 35
Chapter 8 A Sales Page Closes the Deal for You 38
Chapter 9 A Community Site Builds Your Audience and Increases Loyalty 40
Chapter 10 Blogging for Customers 43
PART 3 The Habits of Online Marketing Success
Chapter 11 Social Media and Free Marketing 49
Chapter 12 Brevity Is a Marketing Skill 50
Chapter 13 Videos, Pictures, and Testimonials Work Marketing Magic 51
PART 4 Standing Out Online
Chapter 14 Search Engine Optimization Simplified 57
Chapter 15 Keyword Marketing 60
Chapter 16 Get Found on Search Engines 62
Chapter 17 Google Maps and Google Places 64
Chapter 18 Fill Up Google Places to Get Found 66
Chapter 19 A Good Name Is Good Marketing 68
Chapter 20 Fix Your Bad Name Instantly 70
Chapter 21 Online Video as a Lead Generator 72
Chapter 22 How to Fool Google and Wind Up on Top Every Time 74
PART 5 Draw Your Business on a Napkin
Chapter 23 Want More Leads Now? Draw a Funnel 79
Chapter 24 Draw Your Ideal Clients If You Want to Meet Them 82
PART 6 Start Hanging Out Where Your Prospect Hang Out
Chapter 25 Using eBay to Find Your Audience 87
Chapter 26 Find Good Marketing Partner Sites 91
PART 7 Get Creative with the Media
Chapter 27 Have a Press Kit Ready on Demand 95
Chapter 28 Influence the Influential 97
Chapter 29 Press Release Marketing 98
PART 8 Smartphones Are Taking Over the World
Chapter 30 Text Marketing Can’t Be Ignored 103
Chapter 31 Ask Customers to Put Their Phones to Use 105
Chapter 32 The Power of Marketing with Mobile Pictures 108
PART 9 Inch-Wide, Mile-Deep Marketing
Chapter 33 Become a World’s Foremost Expert—Fast 111
Chapter 34 Find Forum Fame 113
PART 10 Video Is No Longer Optional
Chapter 35 Make Your Videos Go Viral 117
Chapter 36 24 Marketing Videos You Should Have 119
Chapter 37 Essential Video Marketing Tools 121
Chapter 38 Make Video Even If You Have a Face for Radio 123
PART 11 Deliver Current Content Constantly
Chapter 39 Call Yourself an Author and Sell More 127
Chapter 40 Write a Book for an Instant Sales Boost 131
Chapter 41 Write an E-Book in Days and Benefit for Years 135
Chapter 42 A Targeted Newsletter as a Marketing Machine 139
Chapter 43 Think Free First 143
Chapter 44 Use a Powerful Title for Your Marketing Content 146
Chapter 45 Your Content Distribution Strategy 147
PART 12 Social Media Marketing
Chapter 46 Facebook as a Marketing Tool 151
Chapter 47 Twitter as a Marketing Tool 154
Chapter 48 Do Something Viral 159
Chapter 49 Other Social Media Tools 161
PART 13 E-Mail Marketing Is Autopilot Marketing
Chapter 50 The Tools and Language of E-Mail Marketing 167
Chapter 51 Automated Power Marketing: Customer and Prospect E-mail 172
Chapter 52 Managing Your E-Mail on Autopilot 176
Chapter 53 Growing Your E-Mail Lists on Autopilot 178
Chapter 54 An E-Mail Newsletter Can Be a Cash Generator 184
Chapter 55 Add Hundreds or Thousands of E-Mail Subscribers Quickly 188
PART 14 Who’s Driving Your Business?
Chapter 56 Using a Survey as a Marketing Tool 193
Chapter 57 Give Them What They Want 194
Chapter 58 Remember Who Is in Charge 195
PART 15 Spoiled Prospects and Customers Are Loyal
Chapter 59 Spoil Influential Customers in Creative Ways 199
Chapter 60 Reminders Put Money in the Bank 201
Chapter 61 Real-Time Problem Solving Is Marketing 203
Chapter 62 Put Greeting Cards on Autopilot 205
Chapter 63 Give Your Customers a Voice to Build Loyalty 206
Chapter 64 Build Loyalty and Credibility with a Membership Site 208
Chapter 65 Holding Contests to Boost Exposure 210
PART 16 Powerful Marketing Partnerships
Chapter 66 Set Up a Three-Way Win for an Instant Boost 213
Chapter 67 Leverage the Power of Joint Ventures 216
Chapter 68 Find Good Partners for Marketing Synergy 217
Chapter 69 Bring Down the Barriers Between You and a Great Partner 219
Chapter 70 Put Your Best Salesmen to Work on Straight Commission 221
Chapter 71 Cross Promotions Are Marketing Synergy 224
Chapter 72 Use Guest Article Swaps for Easy Exposure to Targeted Audiences 225
Chapter 73 Expert Interviews: Simple and Powerful Marketing Content 226
Chapter 74 Recognize Top Services with a Testimonial for Unexpected Rewards 229
PART 17 Make Your Story Powerful
Chapter 75 Document the Story of Your Business 233
Chapter 76 Create Your Unique Selling Proposition (USP) Based on Your Story 236
PART 18 Actually, You Are Selling You
Chapter 77 When Using Humor in Your Marketing, Be Sure to Laugh at Yourself 241
Chapter 78 Share Your Life Openly for Marketing Authenticity 244
Chapter 79 Distinguish Yourself and Your Business with the X Factor 247
Chapter 80 Serving and Marketing at the Same Time 249
Chapter 81 Strategically Asking for Help Can Be Great Marketing 250
Chapter 82 Be Controversial to Attract a Crowd 252
Chapter 83 Become Increasingly Indispensable 254
Chapter 84 Be Accessible or Be Ignored 256
Chapter 85 The Passionate, Generous Artist in All of Us Must Be Released 257
Chapter 86 The Power of Your Why 259
Chapter 87 Appealing to the Influential 261
PART 19 We Like to Buy from Experts—So Become an Expert
Chapter 88 Experts Make Videos—So Make Videos 265
Chapter 89 Start a Coaching or Mentoring Program 267
Chapter 90 Teaching Is Free Marketing 269
Chapter 91 Creating Audios and Podcasting 271
Chapter 92 Use Leverage to Grow Your Brand Fast 274
Chapter 93 Teleseminars Are Instant Expert Content 276
Chapter 94 Webinars as the Ultimate Customer Follow-Up and Presentation Tool 280
Chapter 95 Improve on What Worked Before 284
Chapter 96 Embrace Outsourcing for Some of Your Marketing Efforts 286
Chapter 97 Replace ROI with RLC for Better Marketing Monitoring 289
Chapter 98 Play Marketing Offense with Google Alerts 293
PART 20 Grab Bag of Ideas
Chapter 99 Collaboration Isn’t Complicated Anymore 297
Chapter 100 Split Test for Marketing Power 299
Chapter 101 Cool Marketing Brain Food 300
Bonus Chapter
Chapter 102 A Love of Learning as a Free Marketing Skill 303
Acknowledgments 305
Index 307
titandog
Posted September 4, 2011
I have pre-released version of this book. Packed with a ton of current information on marketing your online or offline business. Jim not only writes about these marketing strategies, but uses them with great success in his businesses. A great read for those who want to grow their business to the next level. Also proceeds are going for a great cause.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.MrsHomeschool
Posted September 4, 2011
I've been a follower of Jim Cockrum's for a long time, so when I got an opportunity to read a pre-release version of this book, I jumped on it. My husband and I aren't exactly new to marketing concepts. We have our own marketing company (that we started thanks to one of Jim's websites), so I was honestly expecting to have heard, read about or have actually tried most of the techniques shared in the book. But here I am, only on the 11th page, and I've found an idea (regarding monitoring reputations online) that I'm going to implement for my own websites AND that we'll offer as an additional paid service to our marketing clients. If I can find something totally new to try within the first 2 chapters, anyone can pick up this book and find something to grow their business, whether it's online or offline. If you have ANY kind of business, this should be required reading. PERIOD!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.SusanMueller
Posted September 3, 2011
I received a pre-release copy of this book. It is just loaded with outstanding marketing advice. It's one thing to have a great website and great products, but you have to know how to market your information. That is what this book teaches. This book has twenty parts or sections of no nonsense, useful marketing advice.
This book covers building your brand, how to use lead capture pages, online marketing habits, how to make yourself known, how to develop a marketing funnel, using eBay and Craigslist as marketing tools, media and smart phone marketing, using videos and so many more topics that I can't even list them all.
This book is well worth your time and will be a book you refer to again and again and i highly recommend it.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.JordanMalik
Posted September 22, 2011
I'll be banned from(my alma mater) campus for saying this, but Jim Cockrum's book is WAY more valuable than my MBA (or any other MBA, for that matter). Why? This book will tell you exactly how to grow a business, generate customers (=revenue), ensure you/your company offers bomb-proof products, and do it all without breaking a sweat. By comparison, my MBA taught me to toe the line, deploy yawn-inducing marketing strategies that worked well 20 years ago, and how to suck my way up the corporate ladder while diminishing my quality of life. If you want to win in business and life (I have, and 90% of the reason is 'Jim Cockrum', get this book!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.LadybugWreaths
Posted September 8, 2011
I was honored to receive a pre-release copy of Jim Cockrum's book. Thank you Very Much!!
Having read everything that Jim Cockrum has written, I did expect nothing but the best. I was surprised as I read "Official Free Marketing 101" because it FAR surpassed my already high expectations!
If you have dreams or a desire to start a profitable Online Business, Jim Cockrum is definitely the one you can trust to teach and inspire you. If you want to learn this business the right way -- the moral way -- developing many loyal followers yourself, PLEASE purchase this book.
IT IS TOTALLY AMAZING. I am an Internet Marketer and have been for years now, and I learned so very much! It is great to have a teacher who studies and figures out the right way to run a profital online business. Yes... it certainly CAN be done!
Anyone, and I do mean anyone, can follow his tips, advice, and instructions to become very successful online!
I would and WILL recommend this book to everyone I know!
Congratulations Jim!
LadybugWreaths
Jim2131
Posted September 8, 2011
I've been a fan of internet marketer Jim Cockrum's online newsletter for years. Having already bought several products from him to help me with my online business, I was very excited when Jim offered me an advance review copy of his new book. This book is filled with Jim's usual creative, cheap but effective marketing strategies, but this time is expanded to apply to all businesses online and off. Highly recommended, and will pay for itself in free marketing strategies.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.MariaTeres
Posted September 8, 2011
Having read a pre-released copy of this book I can highly recommend it. If you are new to online marketing you will find this book full of great information to make the way smoother for you. If you have been online for awhile you will see some things that you are already implementing but you will also pick up lots of new tips scattered throughout.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.The word that came to mind most often when I was reading Jim's book was "ethical". He presents a vast array of ideas and practical solutions to successfully doing business online, in a way that I have never seen. There is no high-pressure "go get-em" sales techiques. Just lots and lots of very do-able methods, all at low or no cost, that simply work. And, unlike some other techniques that are promoted online, you won't feel like you are doing something a little bit naughty.
Too often I have found that people simply expect to be conned. For example, I have my own schedule available online, and I block out times for "my time off". I once actually had someone complain about this, because they considered it was not the "right" thing to do to say that I was taking time off. They said instead that I should have said I was in training or in a conference or something.
But that type of honesty is exactly what Jim is encouraging us to have. He tells us to be open and honest with our potential customers. He tells us to be generous with our time and our knowledge. He shows us how important it is to have an amazing reputation for being an expert, and a nice person too, and he tells us exactly how to go about achieving that.
I have "known" Jim through Facebook for a while now, and so I know he is a family man, and a Christian. While I am not going to say that it is important to be religious to succeed in online business, I will say that Jim has obviously listened very carefully to his mentors, and to his own conscience. This book is full of lessons not only for selling online, but for doing business ethically in general.
He starts the book with an excellent checklist of action steps, then goes into great detail of exactly how to achieve each one. I certainly will be referring back to that list often, to see whether my own sites, and those I build for clients, tick lots of those boxes.
In short, Jim's book is definitely recommended reading for anyone who wants to succeed in business online, and wants to protect their own business and personal reputation as they do so. It is great to see that it is possible to succeed in online business, and not have any sort of guilty feeling that you are doing something you shouldn't.
stromata
Posted September 5, 2011
I was blessed enough to have received a pre-release copy of this book. If you are at all serious about starting or growing your business and you are not familiar with Jim Cockrum, you are depriving yourself of some of the most practical, honest advice you can find. Jim presents a comprehensive course in how to build a successful online business, yet does it in such a way that any offline business using the principles in this book will thrive as well.
You don't need to have a business degree, you don't need to be a computer whiz, you don't even need to know anything about marketing to understand what Jim is teaching. On the other hand, even a seasoned Internet marketing expert can benefit from the chapters on business ethics. This is not a book that will collect dust on your shelf.
I cannot recommend this book highly enough.
AnnMoss
Posted September 5, 2011
I want to thank Jim for allowing me to get a pre-release copy of his new book. After only reading the first few chapters, I have already pulled out my business plan and am making some modifications that I know will really help super charge my online business.
Jim has a way of explaining how things work in simple to understand terms. This book is written in short, easy to follow chapters that make it a good read, especially for all of us on a very busy schedule.
I think this is a "must have" book for new and experienced marketers. It's the first book in a long time that presented something new.
Anonymous
Posted September 30, 2011
No text was provided for this review.
Anonymous
Posted September 6, 2011
No text was provided for this review.
Overview
Praise for Free Marketing
"Jim Cockrum's book is a megaphone for anyone who wants to get the word out about their business!"
—DAVE RAMSEY, New York Times bestselling author and nationally syndicated radio talk show host
"In a world of marketing 'experts,' Jim stands out with his practical and ethical principles of how online businesses work successfully. Even though I'm already experiencing great success with our current business, I will be requiring that every one of our team ...