Pick up any good marketing, business, or self-help
book, flip it open, then go right to the back. See those pages in
the back that tantalize you with more ways to benefit from the author's
expertise?
Those pages are called "back matter."
Don't ask me why they're called that (I honestly don't know!).
What I
do know is that
your back matter pages matter a whole lot! Back matter is where you
let your new customer know about more opportunities to hire you or
buy more products.
You see, readers or listeners of your information
product won't automatically make the leap between liking the information
they've just put their hands on, and picking up the telephone or visiting
your website to learn more. So you have to help them out by making
it easy for them to learn more
right in the moment.
Back matter belongs at the tail-end of every free
or fee ebook, special report, workbook, audio CD, tip list, or any
other information product you create.
Here's a great checklist you can use to
create your own client capturing back matter:
First, list every additional event, product, or service you want to
spotlight in your back matter. Mine includes my Success
Circle Coaching Club,
Website Wisdom
Writing course, and my book,
Brilliance
Unbridled.
Now write a sharp, compelling headline and a benefit rich paragraph
or two describing the item you're spotlighting. End with a clear,
specific call to action (usually an invitation to visit your website
address), set off in bold print.
Place your back matter pages at the end of your product, just before
your author's bio.
Take up as many pages as you need for your back matter. This is not
the time to skimp! In my newest information product, How
to Charge What You're Worth and Get It!, I used up 8 full pages
for my back matter.
Don't try and crowd everything onto one or two pages! For smaller
format products, like my book,
Brilliance Unbridled, I used
one-to-two pages per event, product, or service I highlighted. For
larger format workbooks, I use a half page, or maybe a full page per
item highlighted.
Always use a graphic or a photo to make your back matter offer seem
"real." For example, in the back matter for "How to
Charge What You're Worth and Get It!", I described my Success
Circle Coaching Club. For the image, I used the same Success Circle
graphic icon designed for my website.
Even though it's only printed in black&white
in the workbook it still looks great! Using the same graphics or photos
as on your website creates brand consistency, recognition, and familiarity
with your customers.
Yes, you're one page tip list may now expand to
three or four pages once you add in your back matter. Don't worry
about it! When well written and prettily presented, your back matter
will help sell your additional services, products, and events for
you, so you don't have to!
