Students Of Success

It’s almost an impossible task to try to get
listed number one at the major search engines
nowadays. This report illustrates exactly how
to get listed number one at the engines for
maximum exposure. You’ll discover how to save
tons of time and money.

I promise you that if you use the killer tips
you are about to learn, you’ll see a
significant INCREASE in your traffic and sales
volume. In order so that you don’t LOSE
thousands of dollars worth in profits, PRINT
OUT this article now.

The tactics you are about to learn will make
the difference between day and night for your
Internet business; print out this article now;
you will soon FORGET the sound advice you’ll
discover.(Or, you can provide this article for
your site visitors and ezine readers.)

Back to business: As you well know, if your
site isn’t listed at the top 10 search
engines, regardless of how your site might
look, how great your products and seruices
are, your site “doesn’t exist” if you’re not
getting the traffic!

Why is it so incredible difficult to get
listed at the top search engines? Here’s the
reason why:

If there exists for any number of highly
popular keywords(computer, sports, health,
business, etc.) anywhere starting from a
minimum of 20 thousand to 100s of thousands of
web sites that relate one way or another to
them, what do you think happens?

All of those web site owners under any popular
keywords want to be listed at the top ten
positions at the major search engines. This
fierce battle to be listed at the top ten is
what makes it almost impossible for countless
of web site owners to even get noticed.

If your web site is listed at Yahoo down at
5,671, you’re in deep trouble! Who in the
Internet world(or in the right mind) is going
to bother to search all the way down to your
listing at 5,671? No way!

The Alternative

But there’s another way to beat the getting
listed-at-the major search engine nightmare:
Pay for your top website listing by using
pay-per-click search engines.

Recent statistics from payperclicksearch-
engines.com show that the well-known Goto.com,
the king pay-per-click search engine, gets
approximately 10 million searches a day!
That’s about 300 million searches in a month.
Boy, that’s a lot of searches from only one
pay-per-click search engine!

Not only that: Payperclicksearchengines.com
website states: “You’ll receive more traffic
from Goto.com than from all the other
pay-per-click engines combined.” That’s a lot
of search power from only one pay-per-click.
Can you imagine how much traffic you’d get if
you were listed at the top 5 listings at
Goto.com!

It gets even better at Goto: Payperclick-
searchengines.com also states that in the top
10 listings at Goto your link will appear
when someone searches using Dogpile meta
search engine.

If you’re in the top six, you’ll also appear
in the Metacrawler searches.

So the bottom line: If you cannot get listed
at the top ten major search engines, don’t
fret; you can use a major pay-per-click search
engine, such as Goto.com and pay for a top
listing instead of wishing upon a shooting
star for a top search engine position for your
site!

So, you realize how a major pay-per-click
search engine like Goto can solve your
getting-listed-at the major search engine
blues.

Now, well look how you can use Goto to your
advantage for driving mega traffic to your
site.

How The Pay-Per-Click Search Engines Work

When you use a pay-per-click search engine,
like Goto you agree to pay a certain amount
for each visitor who clicks through to your
web site. For example, let’s suppose the web
site in the number one position in search
results has bid 8 cents per prospective
customer; this means that that advertiser
agreed to pay 8 cents for each individual who
clicks on their link to take him/her to their
site. If position number two and three has
bid a little less than 8 cents, that’s how
much the advertiser is paying for each
visitor who clicks on their listing.

This kind of bid for position system will
guarantee a high placement for your web site;
all you got to do is out bid the site
currently in the position you want. This is
called “instant positioning.” Great, isn’t
it? (No waiting from two weeks to six months
to an entire year to get listed at the major
search engines!)

Recommendations

Don’t just bid on two or three keywords. Do
not just bid on six or twelve. Try to bid on
20, 50, 100, or as many as 500 keywords. This
way you might achieve 20, 50, or 100 times
more traffic to your site.

In order to submit many keyword bids, use
Goto’s spreadsheet template which you can
download. You fill it out and then return it.

Try to fit your keyword listing into the
popular categories, such as travel, sports,
computers, etc. You’ll get a lot more traffic
to your site if your listing appears at the
top 3 bids. Why? Because the top listings
at the popular categiories will show up on
the search engine site’s home page.

It’s an effective strategy to focus on only
one product or service in promoting; don’t
try to promote an entire category of products.

Do not send your potential customers to a web
site that will confuse them; make the web
page that you’re planning to send them
specifically designed for a particular
product, service, or program.

Strategies To Boost Your Click Throughs

Bid for a lower not too expensive position
for the more popular keywords.

Study and pay careful attention to each
popular keyword and the price at which each
advertiser is paying for that position.

You don’t necessarily have to be first. Some
advertisers in order to have first place
positions are paying mountains of money and
draining their account, sometimes without
generating enough sales. You can easily get a
decent position, like third or fourth place
very cheaply.

Aim to get listed on the first page, whether
you’re tenth or sixteenth place. Research have
shown that listings at the top and bottom of
premium pages are far more likely to get
clicked on as opposed to the middle.

You must strive to write a good ad copy that
jumps out at the potential customer. Your
headline will greatly determine how many
targeted potential visitors you’ll get at your
web site. Tell them in your copy what you’re
promoting and a number of good reasons why
they should click on your link to visit your
site.

Bid for only keywords that are relevant to
your project. Do not waste your limited
resources on keywords that will not help sell
and promote your products and services. It’s
a good strategy to bid as many relevant
keywords as possible. You will get a lot more
potential customers visiting your site. You
will be able to get sometimes effective
clicks for pennies!

Tracking Your Keywords

You got to track your keywords. You got to
know which keywords are getting the most
clicks.

As you monitor your keywords, you will be
able to better tune your efforts by upgrading
the value of your bids, increasing and
removing keywords.

You must check your keyword position on a
consistent daily basis to be on top. Others
will bid for top keyword positions and can
drive your keyword position down really fast!

All of this keyword maintenance, keyword
brain-storming, and bidding will easily absorb
20 to 30 hours of your time each week!

Do you want to save plenty of your precious
time by automatically checking your existing
and possible Goto keyword bids?

Do you want to save more time by automatically
daily updating your Goto keyword positions?

Do you want to save even more time by easily
managing an unlimited number of keywords?

Do you want to save a lot of money by
identifying keyword bidding opportunities by
showing pricing gaps for your keywords? (if
yes, go down to the bottom for further
details.)

Do you want to stay on top of your keyword
bidding status without having to manually
search keywords to find the price for your
optimum position?

Do you want to get an accurate picture of the
top 20 Goto bid positions for any keyword you
choose?

Do you want to be notified daily via email of
changes in your keyword bid positions?

Do you want your keywords arranged
alphabetically?

If you answered yes to all or any of the
above, visit our site now and see all the
features our Keyword Bid Optimizer tool has
to offer. Start saving tons of time and money.
http://www.kbo.vze.com

About the Author

Abd Sams
If you answered yes to all or any of the
above, visit our site now and see all the
features our Keyword Bid Optimizer tool has
to offer. Start saving tons of time and money.
http://www.kbo.vze.com

Creativity, style, formatting and length of subject lines are all important points to take into consideration before you send an email.

Be Creative

Using a subject line that’s specific is most appropriate when corresponding with people who know you or with people who are expecting your message. How do you get the attention of someone who doesn’t know you or who isn’t expecting anything from you?

The answer is – be creative. Writing a subject line that’s creative is an excellent method for improving chances that your email message will be opened.

In this instance, the subject line isn’t used to describe the contents of the message. Instead, the subject line is used to convey some other type of information.

What kind of information? It will vary with each message you send, and it depends on the recipient. The key question is – what can you tell the recipient that will convince him/her to open this message and read it, instead of deleting it? In some cases, you’ll need to be quite creative.

There are numerous types of information you can provide in the subject line to help convince the receiver to open the email message. Here are a few examples.

(Uses for the subject line): Identify who you are
(Sample wording): Lawyer

(Uses for the subject line): Tell how you met this person
(Sample wording): Chamber Networking B’fast

(Uses for the subject line): Tell why you are contacting this person
(Sample wording): Animal shelter fundraiser

(Uses for the subject line): Find things that set you apart
(Sample wording): E-commerce lawyer

(Uses for the subject line): Find common bond with recipient
(Sample wording): Fellow IU grad & lawyer

Subject Lines: Formatting and Style

There is another challenge you must overcome when crafting an effective subject line. This involves the length of the subject line.

The new message box you view on your screen for the subject line will allow you to type as many words as you want. But, the receiver’s screen has limited space. Only a small portion of the wording will be viewed by the recipient.

How much appears on the recipient’s screen for the subject line? It varies, depending on the person’s system and how he/she has the screen setup. A safe guess is that approximately 25 to 35 characters will appear.

Definition
Pay careful attention here. This approximation doesn’t mean 25 to 35 words. It means “characters.”

A character is defined as a letter, space, or punctuation. For example, any time your cursor moves one space, that’s considered one character.

Phrases
Since the space is so limited in the subject line, you don’t need to type a complete sentence. Use a phrase or series of words instead of a full sentence.

This is one time when an incomplete sentence is appropriate. Leave out the little words, and get to the point.

Capitalization
The only “rule” regarding capitalization in the subject line is to be consistent. For example, you may choose to capitalize only the first word. Or, you may decide to capitalize every word.

Remember not to use all uppercase (CAPITAL) letters. This is considered shouting. Shouting at a person would certainly not be the best way to convince him/her to open your message.

Always remember that the creativity, style, formatting and length of your subject lines are important factors to consider before you send an email. Be conscientious of the image you project to your customers and colleagues by using effective subject lines.

Kelly J. Watkins, MBA, Louisville, KY. Visit: www.KeepCustomers.com to order, Email Etiquette Made Easy (a comprehensive guide filled with exercises & examples) or for tips on communication & customer service! (812) 246-2424 or kelly@keepcustomers.com.

So assuming you have built your list of targeted prospects - all interested in investing their time into reading your free information and possibly checking out what other services you have to offer – how are you supposed to actually profit from your list? That’s basically what we all want to know how to do, right?

“The money’s in the list.” I think I’ve heard that quote about a gazillion times! Not that I’m tired of hearing it, because it’s short and sweet, and really gets to the point. And what’s so powerful about that quote is that IT’S TRUE.

If the money’s in the list, how do I manage to squeeze it out and get a little bit of it myself? You want to know what to do next - like send free content… then the next message, mix in an ad, etc… basically how to profit from the list, right?

It’s really quite simple. Help them profit.

Sounds cliché but it’s true. Research your market, and spend some time learning everything you can about the ‘passion’ of your list. Then share that info w/ them. Don’t ram it down their throats, but simply ’share’ it with them.

That’s how to profit from it.

Some people get it all wrong by sending some free content, and then the next email is a slimy pitch… that’s not going to work. Honestly get involved w/ the topic and send them interesting stuff about it. Review some of the other products in your market, cite the pros and cons of buying into it… give your thoughts and then either recommend it or say stay away from it.

What makes me cringe is when I get some email offers from newbies or others that just don’t get it… they send these email pitches that reveal the fact that they don’t care at all about the well being or success of the person receiving it.

People can tell when they’re being sold and when you’re sending them an offer simply because it will make you money. They can smell it from a mile away and it immediately makes them put their guard up and not trust a word in your email.

Just treat them like a friend and share different bits of info and make recommendations as you come across them. Send your list valuable, quality information. Slip in an ad on occasion and track the results. You’ll always get the “un-subscribers”, but don’t fret it. Those worried about losing subscribers shouldn’t. Keep building relationships with the subscribers that you still have.

There’s lots of ways to approach it, I’m just trying to help you with the mindset portion of it, because there really isn’t a formula to follow. Some people are looking for the formula, like… send 3 content messages, then 1 pitch… wait 2 days then send another pitch followed by 3 all content messages, blah blah blah… And you’ll never have success like that.

One of the points I want to make is that there are many e-books and other sources that talk about how to build the list and the importance of the list but very few that continue give you a proven formula that works every time.

The closest I’ve gotten to finding that formula is by simply following the idea of “Helping them profit will help me profit.” Respect your subscribers and they will return the favor – guaranteed.

Just simply share your research and knowledge with your list and only recommend top-notch goods and services that you’ve personally checked out and that you honestly believe will help your prospect.

Do that and your list will make you money…and Lots of It!

If you liked the lesson and want to learn more about building your email list and tapping into an undiscovered gold mine of profit, visit http://www.InstantPopOVER.com and get your free copy of “7 Days To Building a Booming Email List” right now!

If you are anything like me, you spend a lot of time researching joint ventures and going through the chore of analysing all the joint venture proposals you get on a daily basis in your inbox. I’ve often wondered if there was an easier way to find successful joint ventures, as serious marketers online all know the power of joint venture marketing.

In fact, some marketers have told me that if they could only utilize one marketing strategy it would be joint ventures fullstop.

If you have got a product or service to promote you know joint ventures are essential to your business. Joint ventures are when two or more people work on the same project. The most lucrative way to benefit from joint ventures is to let other people sell your product or service and share the profits with you. Some examples of cross promotions would be exchanging popups and testimonials.

In my online experience recently I have noticed that some forms of ezine advertising did not pull the results that would have been expected. If you are also spending hard earned money on ezine advertising there is a better and easier way.

An example of a joint venture unrelated to internet marketing would be a gym coming together with a company that produces body building supplements.

Joe Vitale made $25,000 from joint ventures from just one email.

So if you want to explore more fully the lucrative world of joint venture marketing how do you go about finding joint venture partners?

Old-fashioned ways of finding joint venture partners:

• Making a post on a forum if permitted by the moderator;

• Visiting individual websites and emailing the owner one by one;

• Spending time making contacts with other internet marketers online.

The new state-of-the-art way of finding joint venture partners:

By subscribing to Joint Ventures Weekly. Once in a while an ezine comes along that makes me sit up and take notice. My good friend Mike Woo-Ming has created such an ezine.

Each week you will receive a list of the TOP joint ventures for the hottest internet products and services.

Each joint venture is carefully screened and analysed before it reaches your inbox. If it doesn’t meet the relevant criteria you won’t hear about it.

Your time is valuable. Each joint venture will include:

• A detailed synopsis,

• Current conversion rates (unless new),

• Requirements,

• Length of joint venture offer.

YOU choose exactly who YOU want to work with!

Finally, a place to find non-internet marketing joint ventures as well. By subscribing to Joint Ventures Weekly you have the power to select the latest products before anyone else in your field.

It is often said that only 10% of small business owners take advantage of joint ventures. You now have the means to be part of that 10% by subscribing to Joint Ventures Weekly today.

To your joint venture success,

Karin Manning

Copyright 2003. All Rights Reserved.

About The Author

Karin Manning is an ezine publisher, writer and ebusiness owner. To subscribe to her ezine Net Wealth and receive up to the minute marketing tips, customer service advice and money making hints simply visit http://www.reprintrights4u.com and fill out the ePackage Newsletter & Bonuses popunder on entry. To be one of the first to hear about the latest joint ventures available subscribe to Joint Ventures Weekly by visiting http://www.reprintrights4u.com/jointventuresweekly.

karin@reprintrights4u.com

Have you noticed the marketing frenzy? Have you felt the
growing pains? Everyone who has an online business seems to
be getting in the marketing fray, making it a busy and very
competitive field. If you’re one of them, you’re probably
on a whirlwind ride. Marketers are looking high and low for
the most profitable ways to spend their hard earned money
to keep their online business in the red.

And don’t forget the time involved in every venture taken.
You know about the FFA and free advertising and
subscription services. It’s not much money to use these
services out of pocket, but if you figure in your time, the
cost is huge. Yes, it can be a way to pick up a few
subscribers and visitors and buyers here and there, but do
you want to settle for a few when the payoff doesn’t match
your efforts? How long can your business survive at such a
slow pace?

I’ve been there and am still working on it. It’s an ongoing
learning experience. New products and services pop up all
the time to distract you from what you really need to be
doing.

And what should you be doing? It’s the one thing that
hasn’t changed from the get go of the online business. The
List! The money is in the list, either your list or someone
else’s. and eventually it should be your list.

So how do you build your list? How do you get 100
subscribers? How do you go from there to 1000 subscribers?
It’s mind boggling.

But I’m going to give away some secrets and I’m handing
over the key to help you build your list. This is bigger
than Bush Beans recipe, and I’m talking.

First of all it’s FREE. Did you hear that – FREE. No
gimmicks, no crossed fingers.

Go here and get your Special Report. “How I Got 1,124
Subscribers In One Week – From Scratch.” You’ll be
impressed. I’ll guarantee it. The report reveals a strategy
for building your list Very Quickly!

http://alwaysads.com/x.php?adminid=1773&tid=6376

This is a Shareware Article. You may use this article in
your ezine or on your website as long as you keep it fully
intact and contact me with when and where it will be used.

Janis Rae Searcey
Editor and Publisher
Alwaysads by Injeanous
http://www.homebusiness.alwaysads.com

Loves a good ad and the products too. I’m probably one of the few who doesn’t holler “SPAM” when I receive unsolicited email in my inbox, except when they get my gender wrong.

Are you ready to build your opt in email list quickly?

Matt Bacak, ThePowerful Promoter’s techniques will help reveal
new paths to have subscribers come to you. The Powerful Promoter,
Internet marketing guru, shares his secrets for creating an explosion
of opt-in email subscribers.

Have you ever wondered why the big name gurus have tons
of raging fans and big opt in email lists?

They have a special website that squeezes the name and email
address out of people and builds their list of hot, rabid subscribers…

While the average person on the Internet believes this myth:
You can only have one website.

Not true! Matt Bacak wants to break this myth. He says, “If you want to
volcanically erupt your subscribers then you *must* have another site
called a ‘Power Squeeze’ site.”

(The only purpose of a Power Squeeze site is for people to give you
their name, email address and anything else that you want them to
provide, but that’s it.)

Here is an example of Matt’s Power Squeeze site: http://www.unlimited-leads.com

Bacak says, “Keep your original site, but make another one with the
sole purpose of having searchers sign up for your newsletter, ezine or
e course.

Then use the same strategies to get people to this Power Squeeze site
that you are using to market your original site.”

Here is an example of Matt’s original site: http://www.powerfulpromoter.com

If you don’t know how to do that, there are many other Internet marketing
Gurus that might help you. Matt Bacak, The Powerful Promoter, has certainly
helped numerous clients targeted opt in email direct marketing systems
- That is his specialty.

Matt Bacak, was Entrepreneur Magazine e-Biz radio show host and became a
“#1 Best Selling Author” in just a few short hours.

“The Powerful Promoter” is not only a sought-after internet marketer but also
has marketed for some of the world’s top experts whose reputations
would shrivel
if their followers ever found out someone else coached them on their online
marketing strategies.

Matt Bacak, The Powerful Promoter and Entrepreneur Magazine e-Biz
radio show host, became a “#1 Best Selling Author” in just a few short
hours. He has helped number clients target his specialty, opt-in
email direct marketing systems. The Powerful Promoter is not only a
sought-after internet marketer but has also marketed for some of the
world’s top experts whose reputations would shrivel if their followers
ever found out someone else coached them on their online marketing
strategies. For more information, visit Bacak’s site at
http://www.powerfulpromoter.com

Type “email etiquette” into the search bar of any popular search engine and you’ll get over one million hits. Because email is used so broadly, it poses certain problems for the professional who is attempting to communicate well. Any of those over one million hits will tell you the benefits of using email to conduct your business because it is a fast and efficient form of communicating. However, email is often the least preferred method of communicating by many readers.

With that in mind, I want to address one of the many options of email—the “Reply All” function. Using this function carefully will help you protect and enhance your professional credibility and prevent you from alienating your readers—especially those who don’t like email to begin with.

I’m a member of many online groups, and frequently a group’s leader will send an email to the entire group giving out information or delivering a point of instruction. Far too frequently, recipients of this group message will respond to the sender by hitting the “Reply All” function. The problem with that is all their “will do,” “got it,” and “thanks” responses end up in my Inbox becoming clutter I have to sort through and delete.

Deliberate Purpose

The “Reply All” function should be reserved for when all members of the recipient list need the information being sent. Let me say that again, reserve the “Reply All” for when ALL members need the responder’s answer. In how many cases do you need to know that one of the recipients said “okay”? Not often. Instead, in the interest of time, efficiency, and professionalism this type of response should be sent only to the person who generates the original email.

You’ve read in my other articles that poor communication is the Number One problem in business. Hitting “Reply All” as a matter of habit and not as a carefully chosen option is poor communication because it clutters our inboxes with information we don’t need. If we consider that every “Reply All” is a piece of paper on our desks, would we want all those responses? Absolutely not. We’d be buried in paper!

Certainly, “Reply All” has its uses. In a collaborative project where all members of the team need to be kept apprised of the goings-on of team members, using “Reply All” is the right thing to do. This is especially important if the team works remotely or when members of the team work on opposite shifts or don’t see one another frequently. Then using “Reply All” is good communication because it keeps the lines of communication open and moving. But again, I caution judicious use of the “Reply All” function.

Real-Life Consequences

We have another really good reason to use the “Reply All” function judiciously and that has to do with the functioning of a unit as a team. Using “Reply All” well can increase a team’s ability to function by keeping communication open, thereby helping the company reach its goals. However, using “Reply All” can also be used as a weapon and become destructive to a team relationship. Let me tell you a story to help you understand this.

I’ve been working with an organization that has had quite a bit of internal strife for various reasons. In an effort to be more supportive, the president of the organization sent a complimentary email about one staffer’s efforts to her entire staff. Nice email. Good job of communicating how staff is making the organization better. This was a responsive, proactive thing to do on the part of the president. Here’s what happened next: another of the president’s staff members hit “Reply All” and said “Don’t forget that Jane did her part, too.”

To the casual observer this exchange may not seem to be a big deal. But while that message might seem innocuous, it conveys testiness as well. The staffer’s reply was designed not only to acknowledge Jane but to “show” the rest of the staff that the president didn’t really know what was going on in the organization. The fact that the staffer sent the “Reply All” to acknowledge Jane had a subversive intent, and that was to expose the failings of the president. The president then scrambled to give Jane the proper acknowledgement and sent another message via “Reply All” acknowledging Jane’s contribution. The result: the president was put on the defensive in front of her entire staff. Not a good position for a leader to be in.

Different Results

Could this situation have been handled better? Sure. The staffer should simply have replied, called, or spoken to the president directly to remind her of Jane’s efforts. Doing so would have shown respect to the president and allowed the president an opportunity to revise the original message to give Jane proper credit without being put in a defensive position.

Using the “Reply All” option may be one of those things people do to make their jobs easier, but they do it without considering the potential negative effects on the organization and workers involved. My advice: be cautious. Use “Reply All” only when all those people in the recipient list need the information you have and when they need it from you. Otherwise, respond only to the initiator of the message and let them do their jobs better.

About the Author:

Dr. Tracy Peterson Turner works with organizations that want to turn their managers into leaders and with leaders who want to get their messages heard. She is an expert in both written and verbal communication and conducts presentations and workshops to help individuals and corporations meet their communication goals.

Visit Tracy on the web at http://www.Mgr-Impact.com. Email her at Tracy@Mgr-Impact.com

Chances are you could be missing important business opportunities if your email Inbox utilizes a spam filter. Take a few minutes now to investigate your email screening procedures for messages received from unknown senders. You might even discover a new client hiding among the spam!

Email inquiries from new business prospects, which by definition are unknown and unexpected when they arrive in your Inbox, can take a detour to your spam box without your knowledge.

When was the last time you did not receive an email sent by a client or friend? Failed email delivery can be quite common. Usually the sender just emails you again until you receive the message.

Now imagine a situation where somebody (like a prospective legal client) sends you an email that you don’t receive, but they don’t tell you about it. Attorneys or paralegals frequently contact a number of experts via email and engage the most qualified candidate who responds first. You miss out on a potential engagement if the email inquiry does not show up in your inbox.

Here are five easy steps to protect your email, receive incoming leads and avoid technical nightmares:

1. Check your spam box often if you use automated email filtering. Microsoft Outlook 2003 and AOL give you the ability to control the settings and security levels for your incoming email.

2. Add a response form to your Website. Your Webmaster can set this up so that you are automatically alerted with an email recognized by your server.

3. Update your “safe” and “blocked” sender lists often, especially if delivery is controlled at the ISP level. Add a law firm’s email domain to your approved email list when you get a new client from the firm.

4. Separate business from personal correspondence by using two different email accounts.

5. Avoid downloading free software or clicking on unsolicited ads. If you do, you may find yourself subject to a virus or malicious Adware attack.

Margaret Grisdela is President of Expert Law Marketing and Legal Expert Connections, specializing in business development in the legal market and expert witness recruitment. She writes for HGExperts.com.

Here are a couple of email stats that make business marketers salivate: 92% of Internet users have at least one email address. 70% of all Internet purchases are made as the result of email marketing. Clearly, email marketing works, IF IT IS DONE RIGHT!

Once you’ve decided an email marketing campaign will work, (you have decided that haven’t you?) to whom do you send your newsletter, free offer, or new product announcement? ANYONE WHO HAS GIVEN YOU PERMISSION!

It’s plain and simple. To stay clear of any spam complaints and to be a good Internet citizen, not to mention a smart online marketer, send emails only to subscribers who’ve opted-in, and granted you access to their email address. Take a shortcut and ignore this advice and you risk big online trouble.

Most who undertake an email campaign, with few or no subscribers, begin to look for a way to speed things up. Their wandering eye eventually finds email list purveryors who promise to have just the right tonic to heal an anemic mailing roster. The pitch is convincing–”Buy our list of hungry customers. We’ll send your email to millions of people for $69.” The problem is, these phantom subscribers, on the lists of millions have never heard of you and opt-in, permission is not transferable.

Your course to email marketing excellence has to be charted with a list of subscribers who have given you permission. It isn’t easy to build your own list, but it’s worth every bit of the time it takes. And it’s legal! If you own a store, place an email sign up sheet near the cash register. Make sure your website has a “subscribe here” button to direct surfers to your newsletter sign up. And for those who’ve given you permission, ask them to pass your information on to their friends and family, some of whom will also join your mailing list.

For every tempting offer to buy huge opt-in email lists, there is a story of a smart marketer who builds a list of thousands of subscribers, in a short time, by doing it right. Follow that lead and do it right. Permission-based, opt-in emailings only, please.

Brian Grinonneau is the general manager of McMann & Tate Advertising a midwest agency that insists its clients tell their story like it has never been told before.
http://www.thresholdofadream.com

Marketers the world over use follow up autoresponders to

increase sales. But, many struggle to write a compelling

message series. Don’t let that keep you from your share of

the profits! Print and follow these instructions; you’ll

soon be following up with finesse.

(Examples in this article use the fictional product “Green

Garden Lawn Fertilizer”. Any similarity to actual products

is unintended and coincidental.)

Message 1 - Big Benefits:

Many of the sales resulting from your follow up series will

come after the very first message. Keep this message short.

Just take 500 or so words to flesh out a handful of your

biggest benefits. For example, part of the Green Garden Lawn

Fertilizer company’s first message might read:

“A Lush Lawn: Green Garden Fertilizer will give you a

lush lawn in just 2 weeks! Density will increase up to 50%…”

“No More Brown: Watch your lawn become 3-5 shades

greener with regular treatments”

Message 2 - Establish a Need:

Use your second message to explain why your product is necessary.

First, lay out the situation leading to a need for your product.

Then, show that your product will meet that need. For instance:

“Lawns across the country are looking dull. Homeowners water

and mow to no avail. But, not those who use Green Garden

Fertilizer! They’ve created lush, beautiful lawns”

Message 3 - Tool Talk:

In your third message, show the lead how he will go about

actually using your product. Detail any tools or supporting

material that you offer. In the case of our fictional Green

Garden Fertilizer, part of this message might read:

“This treatment is a cinch: Simply attach the included

diffuser to the end of your garden hose, creating a

sprinkler. Run the sprinkler for 15 minutes each week.

You will see an improvement after just one treatment!”

Message 4 - The Wildcard:

Customize message four for your unique product. Try one

of these ideas:

• Have a customer case study? This is a great place

  for it.

• Selling complimentary products? Detail one of

  them here.

• Selling a real-world product? Explain shipping

  / tracking now.

• Have a bricks and mortar office? Invite the

  prospect to visit. Include directions.

• Are you personally a visible part of your brand?

  Include your bio here.

Message 5 - Questions? Comments?:

Your lead may be waiting to purchase until you explain one

particular thing. By asking outright, you can speed the

sales cycle to a close.

Start the fifth message by asking your prospect if he has

any questions. Give him several ways to reach you, and

include your hours of operation and time zone.

Take the rest of the fifth message to answer some of the

questions your prospects ask most often. For instance:

“Are you excited about the lush lawn you’ll have with Green

Garden Fertilizer? I hope so! Let me go over some questions

our customers have asked in the past”

Message 6 - Testimonials:

With your sixth message, show off your satisfied customers.

Choose several of your best testimonials, and list them here.

Look for quotes from customers who are obviously excited about

your product, but that still sound believable. For instance,

choose:

“I’m thrilled with my Green Garden Fertilizer! Just two weeks,

and my lawn looks better than it has in years.”

Instead of:

“Green Garden Fertilizer is miraculous! It turned my back lot

into a rolling meadow in days - and that lot is PAVED!”

(The testimonials in this article are made up examples. All of

your testimonials, however, must be real. Fabricating

testimonials is illegal.)

Message 7 - Last Chance:

Your final message serves as one last reminder of your product.

Briefly reiterate its most impressive features. Then, throw in a few

testimonials or a very short case study. Round out this message

with your contact information. Our example product’s final

message might read:

“Over the past several weeks, you’ve heard about how Green

Garden Fertilizer can turn your lawn around. Customer Dusty

Dan tried it, and he says, ‘My lawn has never looked better…’”

Follow Up With Finesse

Automation means that good follow up doesn’t have

to be time consuming. Now, creating a message series is just

as easy!

Beka Ruse is the Business Development Manager at AWeber Communications. Experience the acclaimed customer support and reliability of AWeber autoresponders. http://www.aweber.com/lfs.htm