Special reports are an old type of marketing plan, but their popularity has increased with the advent of the Internet. A special report is a short piece of writing, typically seven to 10 pages, that covers a very small topic.

A shoe store may issue a special report on research about how shoes relate to posture. A website promoting a diet for special needs children may have information about how certain chemicals relate to behavior and brain function. A special report is tightly focused and informative.

The purpose of a special report varies, but in general it is a marketing plan. A special report may have references peppered throughout that call the reader to action. This action typically involves going to the website or store of the business and purchasing something. A special report in the internet age may encourage one to join a newsletter list in an effort to create a good contact network.

In short, the special report will compel people to action, and the end result of that action is making some type of purchase. In this way, a series of special reports can work really well to get the website or company's name in front of readers several times. Standard marketing belief is that someone must see something six times before deciding to buy.

A special report also serves to give credibility to the person who writes the report. Some people offer a special report as an enticement to get people to join a mailing list. For example, a site on making a living as an artist may include a special report with listings of well-researched websites for budding artists.

To get the special report, which usually comes as a PDF file, the person must sign up for the site's weekly newsletter. The hope is that the person will return to the site repeatedly, hopefully clicking on ads and driving up statistics for ad revenue, once he or she is on the mailing list. The special report is free because it is only a carrot in the marketing strategy of the site.

Producing a successful special report means offering some insider information or doing significant research for the readers of a site or publication. The special report is an excellent way to convince readers that you are making a good effort to give them interesting and useful information. You can use the report to build up a good core audience for future projects.

Tags: Internet Marketing, marketing, marketing plan, online marketing, special reports

posted by Chris Simpson