I'm about to head out to Joe Vitale's copywriting workshop in Austin but wanted to get this review out to you before I leave. If any of you are considering or currently using Instant Audio or Audio Generator, I've found a product that will save you over $200 the first 12 months you use it and over $300 per year after that.

It's called Sonic Memo from the Mohawk Man, Jay Jennings. Yes, Jay has a mohawk haircut. I'm pretty sure he's the only Internet marketer you'll meet sporting one but when it comes to audio, Jay knows his business.

Have a great weekend!

For the past 18 months or so, I've been using a service called Instant Audio to add audio to my websites. This same service is also offered as Audio Generator from Armand Morin. I was fortunate enough to sign up for $19.95 a month before the price was increased to $29.95.

When the service was introduced, lots of emails started arriving in my inbox telling me I needed audio on my website. Suddenly it seemed like every website I visited had an audio welcome message from the site owner. I wasn't sure this was going to increase my sales but I decided to do a split-test on RudlReport.com. Half my visitors saw the regular sales letter, the other half saw the same letter with a welcome message added.

The letter without audio converted just under 4%. The letter with audio just under 3%. So, goodbye welcome message. Still, I think audio is useful on a website. My primary use is for audio testimonials. I think this type of testimonial is far more powerful than a standard testimonial.

Let's face it, anyone could write out several testimonials. Photos help add credibility but those could be faked or stolen from someone's website without their knowledge. But audio carries far more credibility. Instant Audio and Audio Generator allowed you to access a toll-free number where customers could phone in and record their testimonial. When they did, the testimonial could instantly be accessed and added to your website via a simple link.

It's effective but I hated the idea of yet another monthly payment. I was already paying for hosting, my automation service, my stats service, etc. Then I heard about a new product called Sonic Memo. It was developed by Jay Jennings, a guy I knew from the Netbreakthroughs forum.

Sonic Memo worked the same way as the monthly service except for a one-time $97 fee and you hosted the audio on your own site. I loved the idea but I didn't make the switch because with Sonic Memo, there was no way to get customers to phone in their testimonials.

A couple of weeks ago, Jay wrote to tell me about Sonic Memo 3. I told him I'd gladly review it but voiced my concerns about the testimonial issue. Jay didn't give up so easily, he went to work.

First of all, Jay found a service, Kall8.com, that provides you with a toll-free number for $2 per month plus 6.9 cents a minute for incoming calls. That's for 866 and 888 numbers, they also have the more popular 800 numbers for $5 per month.

You can actually use this to ring through to your regular phone line (even if you're outside the U.S) or go directly to voice-mail. Voice mail messages are then forwarded via email or you can download them from the service's website. So, you can setup a testimonial hotline like Instant Audio and Audio Generator for $2 a month. Plus, you can also use this voice mail line to do interviews cheaply since a free conference calling function is included.

You will have to pay 6.9 cents per minute for each caller but that means you could record a one-hour interview with two people for $8.28! And you've got an instant product.

Since the voice mail messages arrive as .wav files and need to be converted to mp3 to be used with Sonic Memo, you'll need a Wav to MP3 converter. There are free converters and a quick Google search will reveal several. Jay has created one called MP3 Tweak (MP3tweak.com) which is as simple as 1,2,3 to use for any non-techie types and he sells it for only $10.

Now I've tested Sonic Memo 3 and find it easy to use. You can have audio setup on your website in literally five minutes.

Let's compare the cost of Sonic Memo including a testimonial voice mail service versus Audio Generator (or Instant Audio)

Bottom Line: This is a no-brainer. Audio Generator at $359.40 per year versus paying $107 one-time for Sonic Memo ($97)and MP3 Tweak ($10) and $2 per month thereafter. That's a savings of over $200 right off the bat.

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