Who Else Wants to Sky Rocket Their CD Sales, Fan b

Who Else Wants to Sky Rocket Their CD Sales, Fan base and Indie Music Career?

by: Ty Cohen

If YOU Answered YES, Then Start An Online Newsletter…It’s Easy, Here’s How!

I’ve always praised the benefits of using a newsletter to promote your music, but this article give a bit more detail into how to go about it.

First, there are tons of different providers out there that can send out your email newsletter. Some are expensive while other like cafepress.com allow you to make one free if you sell products through them. Although this isn’t EVERYTHING you could do it is a good starting place.

Define the letter – is it going to be strictly about your band or other acts in your genre? You might be able to pick up other readers/listeners who weren’t aware of your music, but know other acts if you go broader.

Develop a schedule. Are you going to do it daily, weekly, monthly? Whatever you choose does not matter. The most important part is to stick to it, once people get to reading and enjoying your newsletter, they’ll expect to receive it on time, all the time.

How much content will it contain?

Are you going to have one page or six pages? Try to make the content the same size each issue.

K.I.S.S – Yet again, keep it simple stupid. That means staying on topic and writing in a tone that is both understandable and friendly.

Ask for reader feedback. Perhaps someone might have an idea for a new feature or they may have a hot news tip. Always answer your reader’s requests and emails regardless of if you use their idea or not.

Keep copy short and in the active voice. Avoid passive words if you can and give your articles some kick. You’re writing for people, not Harvard educators so keep your tone to one that people will enjoy looking at each week.

Extra set of eyes. Always have an extra set of eyes look over everything you send out. Even with our newsletter and sites, www.MusicIndustrySuccess.com, www.OrderYoursNow.com and www.TheIndustryYellowPages.com we always have someone look the pages over for typos, spelling, grammar, etc. You want to inform people, but you also want to come off as intelligent when you do it.

A newsletter is not a difficult feat, in fact you can easily get started in an afternoon. If you lack the time and skills then hire someone to do the task or see that your manager and/or promoter informs your followers of all the news they need to know.

About The Author

This article was written by Ty Cohen, the music industryกs most recognizable voice!

Ty is the C.E.O of Platinum Millennium Publishing, Platinum Millennium Records as well as owner of www.MusicContracts101.com and www.MusicIndustrySuccess.com.

Some of his work includes: books, directories, minicourses and software programs including the titles: กHow to Make a Fortune in the Music Industry by Doing it Yourselfก and กHow to Make $500,000.00 กor Moreก A Year in the Music Industry by Doing it Yourselfก.

[email protected]

This article was posted on January 12

by Ty Cohen

Seven Things to do NOW to Look Good ALWAYS!

Seven Things to do NOW to Look Good ALWAYS!

by: Renu DalalJain

Fashion magazines target people every day with lists and charts telling them the latest trends and techniques to look better, skinnier, smarter, where to buy the hippest clothes or the latest shoes! If you’re a woman, you are probably bombarded more often than you like, and if you’re a man, you may not get the information that you really want to know! Due to the glut of information available, most people know the obvious things to do to look elegant or well groomed, such as getting a good haircut or wearing certain brand name clothes. However, this may lead people to overlook some simple, basic things that can be done RIGHT NOW to add that subtle flair and polish to your everyday look!

Renu DalalJain, a certified image consultant and the owner of Flair Consulting in Philadelphia, PA, works with men and women to help them put their best personal face forward in social or corporate settings. She maintains that there are seven essential things any man or women can do, and often overlook, to help them present a wellgroomed, neat, and elegant appearance to the world! And all this without spending a dime!

1) Keep your skin and lips well conditioned. Ashy knees, flaky skin and chapped lips do not look nice, and will make your skin look old and tired. This is especially important in colder weather. If you wear lipstick, it is imperative that you keep your lips moist, because chapped lips are even more apparent under color. Keep lip balm in your car and your bedside table and apply it whenever you get in the car and before going to bed at night.

2) Make sure your nails are well shaped and all a similar length. Nothing says you don’t care like ragged nails or nails that are different lengths! (Ladies, I know you worked hard to grow those nails but just because only one broke, you shouldn’t think nobody would notice!) If you polish your nails, keep your everyday color one shade brighter than your skintone. This looks professional and clean and makes your hands look elegant, especially if you wear rings. If you like brighter colors make sure you repair chipped polish right away! Chips in bright polish are extremely noticeable and make you look sloppy.

3) Make sure your clothes and accessories are in a similar color family – don’t wear shades of beige or brown clothing with black shoes or a white belt. As a rule of thumb, make sure your belt, shoes, and watchstrap are in the same color family. Sometimes a strikingly different purse or shoes can make a statement, but it has to be well planned. The article in question must be of good quality and in good condition, since you want people to notice it.

4) Your socks or hose must match either your shoes or your pants. Do not EVER wear blue socks with brown shoes, or black socks with sneakers! If you are wearing slingback or openback shoes, make sure your socks or hose are the color of your shoes or nudecolored. If you are wearing sandals, do NOT wear hose unless it is patterned (think fishnets) and ขdeliberately worn to make a trendy statementข.

5) Wear the highest length socks you can (at least mid to high calflength). NOBODY wants to see shiny shins peeking out when you sit down!

6) Polish your shoes and clean your sneakers! The number one thing people forget to do when going out is to check their shoes for scuffs or dirt. Polished shoes show that you care about your appearance. The most expensive shoes in the world will look horrible if they are dirty or scuffed!

7) Keep your wallet or purse organized all the time. Nothing makes you look disorganized like an overstuffed wallet hanging on for dear life in your back pocket, or a purse bursting at the seams! Make yourself a system to keep the business cards, credit cards or receipts you don’t need all the time, in your briefcase or at home.

And a bonus: an understated use of scent (aftershave, cologne or perfume) shows that you take an extra step with your grooming and can have a positive effect not only on your own mood but on those around you. According to the Social Issues Research Center in Oxford, UK, subtle fragrances can have dramatic effects in improving your mood and sense of wellbeing. In addition, in experiments, subjects exposed to pleasant fragrances tend to give higher ‘attractiveness ratings’ to people in photographs. The regular use of pleasant fragrances helps to reduce mood disturbances in men and women.

About The Author

Copyright © 2004 Renu DalalJain, MS, CIC

Flair Consulting

http://www.flairconsulting.com

[email protected]

This article was posted on November 04, 2004

by Renu DalalJain

Can the Average Person Earn a Stable Income Operat

Can the Average Person Earn a Stable Income Operating an Online Business?

by: David Moore

Is a workathome business using your computer as your income tool realistic for the average person? First, let me say that I do not believe in the notion of an ขaverageข person. There is no such thing. If there were, we wouldn’t have different acumens, different personalities, and different talents. My wife has many exceptional talents. She is extremely intuitive and seems to be able to see right through anyone who is not what they appear to be. But some of the basics (I think) of comprehension have passed her by. After 33 years of marriage I only learned last week that she was unaware of the procedure of putting gas into the car without having to squeeze the lever on the nozzle and keep holding it down. She didn’t realize you could slip the lever onto a notch and the flow of gas would shut off automatically when your tank is full. And she’s always fulfilled the function putting gas into her car, or ours, when we only had one car and she was driving it.

So on this very cold day she asked if I would mind taking her car to the station down the street to fill it with gas. She told me her hands got too cold when holding down the lever and she couldn’t find her gloves. UNBELIEVABLE! How could anyone not know you don’t have to keep holding the lever down with your hand? But you know what, I’ll bet there are lots of similar functions we take for granted whose utility others do not understand. At the same time, I’m sure there are things we don’t understand, or that we do the hard way when a much simpler application is available to us.

What’s my point? If we keep thinking the same way we’ve always thought, we’ll keep getting the same results we’ve always gotten. Einstein said it best. ขThe significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them.ข

Having dispelled the notion of ขaverageข let me say that yes it is true that a workathome business using your computer as your income tool is realistic for anyone who can read and write and perform the basic functions of life whether you keep holding the lever down, or you do as I do and slip the lever into the notch on the nozzle while you get back in the car and listen to ball game on the radio until the tank is full.

But regardless of your acumen, your personality, or your unique talents, to be successful with an online business you have to have three important qualities, 1) a willingness to learn, 2) patience, and 3) focus.

You can’t just jump into an online business opportunity, no matter what it is and no matter what is promised and expect to earn money without first learning something about it. So if you’re unwilling to learn don’t get started. You’ll lose money and you’ll get frustrated and angry with yourself and everyone else.

Secondly, if you expect to earn $4000 your first month in an online business you’ll be extremely disappointed. If that’s what you are promised then that’s your first clue that what you are considering is NOT a reputable business. Now if you’re internet business savvy and you can bring along contacts and methods from previous ventures then it’s a possibility. But for the vast majority of us it’s like trying to make a call on a cell phone with no battery. You can punch in all the numbers you want but you won’t get through to anyone.

This leads me to my third point, FOCUS. Depending on where you go for the statistics, as many as 97% of people who start an online workathome business drop out before they have been in the business for even six months. It takes time to learn and patience to put that learning into practice. So if you’re unwilling to stay focused, if you’d rather watch ขAmerican Idolข every night so you can get in your vote, or if you’d rather stay glued to the TV to watch your favorite team win some and lose some every night you won’t succeed. Why?

Back to the simple principle. If you keep thinking the same way you’ve always thought you’ll keep getting what you’ve always gotten. So making money online is really not about acumen, or personality, or talent. Anyone can succeed and realize significant monthly income through the power of FOCUS.

I was reading a passage of scripture recently from the book of Jeremiah. This is what it says. ขIf you have raced with men on foot and they have worn you out, how can you compete with horses? If you stumble in safe country, how can you manage in the thickets?ข YOU HAVE TO STAY FOCUSED!

About The Author

David Moore is a member of the Wealth Online Website system. He is a home based online business entrepreneur, but his first love is his wife Cheri and their three grown children (and one awesome grandson). Dave teaches in the Social Science Department at a University (parttime) and has served on the administrtative staff of a faithbased humanitarian aid organization. He has completed post graduate programs in both Cross Cultural Communications and Higher Education Administration. He believes strongly that the application of all selfgenerated wealth must include a provision for giving back to the commmunity, the church, and other worthy causes. If you would like more information on his online business, please visit his website at: DavidMoore.ws.

This article is not copyrighted.

[email protected]

This article was posted on April 20

by David Moore

Building an Email Marketing List

Building an Email Marketing List

by: Megan Corwin

Thereกs a marketing estimate that it takes something like seven contacts with a potential client before they purchase. Email is a wonderful way to handle these contacts for a variety of reasons:

you can send one message to a large number of people

compared to traditional hard copy marketing it can be a lot less expensive

if you use a list management system you can get instant results like how many people opened the email and how many กclick throughsก there were to the links in the email

The most important part of an email campaign is having a list of qualified email addresses to send your marketing piece.

So just how are you supposed to get those email addresses? The best method is to have a sign up form on your website to capture the visitorกs information. Here are some DOs and DON’ts for creating a list for your online business.

DO:

Offer an incentive for them to give their email address. People usually won’t give away their personal information unless they get something in return. Ideas for incentives include: a free report or guide, entry into a contest, product demo or samples, a complimentary consultation, etc.

Provide valuable content in your communications. Offer tips and advice for the customer along side your marketing message to keep it from being too กsalesy.ก

Ask for valuable marketing data on the signup form. Pick only one or two things to keep the registration process short and easy. What data could really help you with your marketing? Knowing their gender, age, location, interests?

DON’t:

Sell or give away your list.

Fill up their inbox with messages. Keep to a monthly or weekly schedule at most.

Bog your message down with lots of advertising. It will quickly be deleted.

It can take time and effort to build your internet marketing list, but the results will be well worth it.

About The Author

Megan Corwin is an internet marketing coach who helps work at home professionals grow their businesses. For more articles and advice about online marketing strategy and solutions, become a member of Megan’s online community for work at home women: http://www.wahwoman.com/membership.html

This article was posted on February 25, 2004

by Megan Corwin

10 Tips to =SPEED= up your PC

10 Tips to =SPEED= up your PC

by: Rohit Tokhi

1.Let your PC boot up completely before opening any applications.
2.Refresh the desktop after closing any application. This will remove any unused files from the RAM.
3.Do not set very large file size images as your wallpaper. Do not keep a wallpaper at all if your PC is low on RAM (less than 64 MB).
4.Do not clutter your Desktop with a lot of shortcuts. Each shortcut on the desktop uses up to 500 bytes of RAM
5.Empty the recycle bin regularly. The files are not really deleted from your hard drive until you empty the recycle bin.
6.Delete the temporary internet files regularly.
7.Defragment your hard drive once every two months. This will free up a lot of space on your hard drive and rearrange the files so that your applications run faster.
8.Always make two partitions in your hard drive. Install all large Softwares (like PSP, Photoshop, 3DS Max etc) in the second partition. Windows uses all the available empty space in C drive as virtual memory when your Computer RAM is full. Keep the C Drive as empty as possible.
9.When installing new Softwares disable the option of having a tray icon. The tray icons use up available RAM, and also slow down the booting of your PC. Also disable the option of starting the application automatically when the PC boots. You can disable these options later on also from the Tools or preferences menu in your application.
10. Protect your PC from dust. Dust causes the CPU cooling fan to jam and slow down thereby gradually heating your CPU and affecting the processing speed. Use compressed air to blow out any dust from the CPU. Never use vacuum.
RAM IS THE WORKING AREA (DESKTOP) OF THE CPU, KEEP IT AS EMPTY AND UNCLUTTERED AS POSSIBLE!

About The Author

Rohit Tokhi is the owner of www.osCommerceShoppingCart.com which specializes in creating online shopping carts in PHP. He is also the coowner of www.ElementsWebServices.com and has written several articles on Computer, Internet and related subjects.

This article was posted on June 01, 2004

by Rohit Tokhi

13 Techniques That Boosts The Power Of Your Resour

13 Techniques That Boosts The Power Of Your Resource Box!

by: Radhika Venkata

***What is the Resource box?

‘resource boxก is an information box about the author of the article.You will see this resource box at the end of the ezine articles.

***Why it is so important?

Hey…It is giving you free advertising.When somebody reads your article, they will see your name and web site link at the end of the article. More chances of inviting visitors to your web site.

When ever your article is published on other web sites, it amazingly increases your link popularity in search engines.You know how the search engines love the web sites with good link popularity.

***So what are techniques that will work for you:

1.Number one rule: *Try not to sell your products through your article resource boxes.*

Use your resource box to build up your optin list. If you have an ezine or free ecourse always keep a link for subscriptions.

2.You should also put your web site URL in the resource box.Email links to your ezines won’t increase your web site link popularity.

3.Always spell check your name and URL twice before submitting it.Misspelled name with wrong URL…Things won’t work in your way.

4.Try to keep single URL in your resource box.If that URL is going to give the reader something FREE like free ebook, free subscriptions you will get good click thru rate with that URL.

5.Keep your resource box short.Like six to eight lines.

6.Don’t keep your affiliate links in the resource box. Some how people don’t like clicking the affiliate links. Use redirection scripts or services.

7.If you want to keep few lines about your product in your resource box,Always those should be the benefits of your product.People love the benefits not the features of your product.

8.DON’t use hype words like กMillion bucks over night, 50 million visitors…Guaranteedก etc.

9.If you are promoting specific product through your resource box, then link the web page that directly takes the reader to that specific product page.

10.If you want to display the charge for your service, then tell it in the lowest possible value. Instead of ก$25.00 per monthก, you can write it as กLess than 85 cents a Day!!ก

11.Try to put related URL in the resource box.For example if you are writing article on search engine optimization and if you keep a ebook compiler product link, expect low click thru.If you don’t have a related product always you will be having your ezine or any other mailing list links for getting subscriptions.

12.Always highlight one or two words in your resource box with Caps,quotations,* signs etc.

13.Last but not least is DON’t forget to keep your resource box before submitting your article.

About The Author

Radhika Venkata Subscribe to กEbookBiz Magazineก which is completely focused on ebook business and Internet Marketing. Receive FREE Ebooks with Resale rights every month!

http://www.ebooksworld.com/freetosell.shtml

Webmaster Resources: List Your product, ezine or web site free! http://www.webmasterscentral.com/

This article was posted on November 14, 2003

by Radhika Venkata

Extend Your Book’s Life With a Sales Letter

Extend Your Book’s Life With a Sales Letter

by: Judy Cullins

Authors, publishers and business owners are great at getting their books written and launched. But after the initial oneyear honeymoon, sales slow down. To counter this, make sure to let your audience know about your bookกs benefits and how it can help them in their lives. Keep your book alive and selling well for years when you write a sales letter.

You can write your first sales letter in less than two hours. As you practice, you will be able to write a short one in only one hour.

What Every Sales Letter Needs to Pull Orders and Profits

1. Start the letter with a benefitdriven headline and include headlines throughout.

Example: กWant a Quick and Easy way to Quadruple your Online Income in Four Months?

If you answered, กYesก to yourself, the headline succeeds, because you will keep reading. If you said, กNo, I don’t believe this, but Iกm curious about where this is going,ก the headline still succeeds. You win when your headline seduces your potential customer to read on in your sales letter and finally to decide to buy.

2. List the top five benefits of your book with bullets.

To define your top benefits start with a list of challenges your client or customer wants solutions for. If you are not rock sure of who your audience is and what they need, your sales copy won’t work.

Essentially, you need to say how your book will make someoneกs life easier or richer in time or money; how it will entertain or inspire; how it will make readers be more successful, more attractive, healthier; how it will help them feel better and avoid catastrophe, sickness, or surgery.

Remember to highlight your bookกs ultimate benefit above the others. This could be the opening headline. If you list more than five benefits use the strongest three to five as your bullet points. Sprinkle the rest throughout your copy.

3. Address your potential buyerกs resistance.

Tell a background story about where your audience is NOW so they will connect emotionally with your solutions. If your book is designed for people who want to write, the sales letter should focus on the fact that many people don’t write books because they doubt that their books will sell well enough to justify all the effort; they worry that a book may not be significant enough, that writing it will take too long and publishing it will cost too much; and besides, they really aren’t writers.ก One, by one, a good sales letter will address a potential buyer’s major concerns.

4. Provide a quick overview of the book’s features.

One client wrote a book on ways to live a successful life. Her top features included *a doityourselfข approach, *reallife coaching examples *mastering the art of ‘moseying’ and *practical tips and strategies that can immediately be implemented into your everyday life.

Example: In this treasure chest you will….

Impact your letter more when you combine your best benefit with a feature such as ขBalance work and home by mastering the joy of moseying.ข While benefits sell and features explain, your web or shorter email sales letter needs to mention features so your potential buyer will know what’s inside your book.

5. Sprinkle testimonials throughout your sales letter.

Since people who learn about your book are more likely to buy it when they think other people already have, it’s important to offer testimonials from experts in your field, relevant celebrities, and satisfied users who have profited from your advice. Don’t send the whole book to people when you ask for testimonials. Just send them a list of the benefits and phrases to make it easy to respond as well as the title and introduction.

6. Offer your potential buyers three or four chances to buy.

They may have already decided to buy before encountering your sales letter, so put กBuy Nowก information near the top and present more buying opportunities along the way after your list of benefits, your summary of the book’s features, and your testimonials.

7. End your sales letter with a 100% moneyback guarantee.

When you offer an ironclad guarantee’this product comes with a 100% Money Back Guarantee. Read the book cover to cover, and if the strategies don’t work for you within 60 days, weกll cheerfully refund your money, and you can keep the product too! people see your book as valuable enough for you to put yourself on the line for it. They will be more likely to buy and be satisfied with their purchase.

8. Share the downside of your book.

Being up front about your bookกs limitations can increase your credibility and create empathy.

Example: ‘this ebook won’t write the book for you, or even get it published, but it will show you the steps and resources you need to write compelling copy, finish fully and sell well.ก

9. Include your credentials.

Obviously, expertise is important. One author wrote a book on stress and how it affects relationships. Her sales letter included ขI interviewed 30 couples and included their answers to my ขwhat do you do daily to keep your relationship alive and joyful? My 20 years background as a marriage and family therapist includes 10 years coaching, consulting and presenting 25 seminars a year.

Keep your book alive and selling well for years with a sales letter emailed out and on your Web site.

Judy Cullins ©2004 All Rights Reserved.

About The Author

Judy Cullins, 20year Book and Internet Marketing Coach with small business people who want to make a difference in peopleกs lives, build their credibility and clients, and make a consistent lifelong income. Author of 10 eBooks including กWrite your eBook Fast,ก กHow to Market your Business on the Internet,ก and กCreate your Web Site With Marketing Pizzazz,ก she offers free help through her 2 monthly ezines, ‘the Book Coach Says…ก and กBusiness Tip of the Monthก at http://www.bookcoaching.com/optin.shtml and over 155 free articles. Email her at [email protected].

This article was posted on November 19, 2004

by Judy Cullins

Make Quality Content Your #1 Priority

Make Quality Content Your #1 Priority

by: John Tulus

It is by now a proven fact that content is the most important element for getting better pagerank and, consequently, more traffic.

Furthermore, the best ranking websites have content that is better written than most other sites.

A common mistake is to think that Google spiders just consider keywords and layout in order to establish pagerank.

If you look at the top ranking pages for the most searched for keywords, you will see that the quality of the content has been essential for getting them better pagerank, not to mention the enormous amount of traffic that Google sends them as a consequence.

Let’s look at some of the key areas that we have to keep in mind when producing content:

1. Updates

If you don’t update your content frequently, your visitors won’t have a reason to come back, and Google will not consider your site for better pagerank. You may get a good initial pagerank, but if Google doesn’t see that the site is updated frequently, pagerank will surely fall as a consequence. The best frequency is once a week, when possible.

2. Grammar and spelling

Sites that are well ranked in Google have little or no spelling and grammar errors. Before uploading content, make sure to check for spelling and grammar mistakes. Microsoft Word’s spellcheck may even be more than enough for this task.

3. Paragraph layout

Not only on websites, but in any type of message that implies text, lengthy paragraphs are difficult to read and readers loose focus on the content. Google is also aware of this fact and prioritizes short 1 to 4 sentence paragraphs.

The same applies to sentence length. Keep sentences brief and to the point with only relevant information. If there is an extensive idea that must be included, you can break it up into two or more sentences.

4. Keywords

On well ranked sites, references are made throughout a page to keywords and variations of the keywords. Always keep content relevant to the keywords that are referenced to your site.

5. Lists

Whenever presenting lists of items, it is better to show them bulleted or numbered and not in paragraph format. This is visually much better for your visitors and Google will also give it better pagerank. For example, see the difference with the text from this section in both formats:

Example 1 – Paragraph format:

When creating content, keep in mind updates, grammar and spelling, paragraph layout, keywords, and lists.

Example 2 – Numbered

When creating content, keep in mind:

Updates

Grammar and spelling

Paragraph layout

Keywords

Lists.

Some final thoughts:

Always make sure that you have quality content on your site.

If you write your own content, try to have an editor or a professional writer look at it before uploading, until you gradually develop your own writing skills.

Make sure you update your content frequently.

Distribute some of your content freely to other websites. This will generate more links to your site and improve your pagerank as well.

If you don’t have writing skills and aren’t willing to pay a professional writer to continuously create content for you, you can opt to acquire content databases that will provide you with extensive content that you can update regularly.

Once you have your site up and running, focus on content from then on. The design and layout of your site may be a one time only process, but content needs to be taken care of and nurtured to generate traffic and keep those visitors coming back for more.

About The Author

John Tulus is Marketing Director at Web Marketing Experts, developer of internet marketing solutions to help companies increase sales and profitability online. If you would like to learn more about Internet Marketing, visit Our Website at http://www.wmxp.com and http://www.webcontents.org or email John at [email protected].

This article was posted on September 08

by John Tulus

Email and Newsgroup Etiquette

Email and Newsgroup Etiquette

by: Sharon Housley

Email Etiquette

In order to effeciently communicate on the Internet it is critical to understand the unwritten rules of email communication. Please use these tips as a guideline to online email communication.

1.) Unless you are using encryption, Internet Email is not secure.

2.) Do not use all capitals in email exchanges, it is considered SHOUTING and is considered rude.

3.) Keep in mind that the Internet is international, words and humor can be perceived differently by different cultures.

4.) When replying to messages be aware of กcc:ก field. Recipients listed in the กcc:ก field will receive a copy of the post. (The กbcc:ก field sends messages blind, meaning recipients don’t know that someone else has received a copy of the email or been carbon copied)

5.) Use emoticons 🙂 or to indicate expression.

6.) When forwarding email be sure not to create a loop in the system. In addition, be sure not to setup autoresponders to reply to every email, or endless loops will be created.

7.) There can be costs associated with Internet connectivity and downloading emails. Do not send attachments that take a long time to download, without the recipients consent.

8.) Include in the กsubjectก line a heading that relates to the message body.

9.) Use 46 lines for your signature line, this is an opportunity to highlight your business or company information, but don’t be ostentatious..

Mailing Lists & Newsgroup Etiquette

In order to participate in news groups, you must have an understanding of newsgroup etiquette.

1.) Be familiar with lists/newsgroups prior to posting, read posting.

2.) Keep in mind that newsgroups and mailing lists are frequently archived and that posts will be preserved.

3.) If you are replying to a message be sure to include the text of the original message which you are replying to. Use ก>ก indicators if your mail program does not do this for you.

4.) Don’t get involved in flame wars (or material which is personal and unproductive).

5.) Keep in mind that the Internet is international, words and humor can be perceived differently by different cultures.

6.) Use 46 lines for your signature line, this is an opportunity to highlight your business or company information, but don’t be ostentatious..

7.) When responding to a post, keep the subject line the same, so that it will appear in the same thread.

8.) Cross posting to multiple lists is often prohibited. Read posting guidelines.

9.) Expect delays in moderated forums, each posting must be approved.

10.) Anonymous posts are unaccepted in many newsgroups.

11.) Be aware that some people use aliases when posting to Usenet groups to avoid SPAM (unsolicited email). Also keep in mind that anything goes on unmoderated Usenet.

12.) Most lists don’t allow for binary attachments.

Resources

Library of Emoticons http://www.instantmessagingsoftware.com/instantmessagingemoticons.htm

Library of Email Acronyms http://www.emailsoftware.org/emailacronyms.htm

Email Client Software http://www.messagingsoftware.net/emailclientsoftware.htm

About The Author

Sharon Housley manages marketing for NotePage, Inc. http://www.notepage.net a company specializing in alphanumeric paging, SMS and wireless messaging software solutions. Other sites by Sharon can be found at http://www.softwaremarketingresource.com , and http://www.smallbusinesssoftware.net

This article was posted on April 05, 2004

by Sharon Housley

Your Resourcebox Giving You Profits?

Your Resourcebox Giving You Profits?

by: Radhika Venkata

Rule number one You must write ezine articles and submit them to publishers and content sites.

Rule number two You must include a resourcebox that gives you profits, subscribers, link popularity etc or what ever you want from your resourcebox.

Tips how to get good response from Your resourcebox:

***1. No more than 7 lines:

Longer the resourcebox, it is difficult to scan through. Afterall most people first scan documents, articles to get an outline of what is about. So try keep less and only important bio in the resourcebox.

If you have 10 web sites, don’t be temptated to keep all web site urls in resourcebox. Bad way of advertising. Select one free give away product, one flagship product and keep those two urls in your resourcebox.

***2. Give something free:

DON’t try to sell products through your resourcebox. Try to grab the details of the reader like email address. If you have his email address, you sure can do follow up him.

***3. URL issues:

Try to avoid these

forget to keep urls

long urls

direct affiliate links with out some cloacking

misspelled urls

broken urls

nothing but urls in your resourcebox

hyperlinking to your url with กClick hereก word. Try to expose your url.

***4. Link popularity:

Keep only urls in the resourcebox. Email links don’t improve your web site link popularity. So if you want to keep your ezines subscription link, keep your web site form link like yourdomain.com/subscribe.html. Not [email protected]?subject=subscribe.

***5. Take care of words:

Don’t use all capitals

Avoid hype words

explain your product in 2 3 lines

Always include benefits

If possible use the word กfreeก

misspelled words

About The Author

Radhika Venkata Subscribe to กEbookBiz Magazineก which is completely focused on ebook business and Internet Marketing. Receive FREE Ebooks with Resale rights every month!

http://www.ebooksworld.com/freetosell.shtml

Webmaster Resources: List Your product, ezine or web site free!

http://www.webmasterscentral.com/

This article was posted on November 12, 2003

by Radhika Venkata

How To Write An Effective FAQ Page

How To Write An Effective FAQ Page

by: David Coyne

Websites that have multiple pages usually have a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)page. There are several good reasons why you should have one.

An FAQ clears out any confusion your prospect might have about buying product. Remember, a confused mind always says no.

It lets a prospect grab key information quickly.

It creates a positive impression with your prospect because you’re acknowledging that their time is precious and they want answers quickly.

An FAQ saves you time. The more answers you provide at your website, the less customer emails you’ll get asking the same questions over and over.

Before you write an FAQ, do some research. Think about your favourite websites and formulate some questions you might ask about their products or services.

Now surf to those websites and review their FAQ pages. Were you able to find answers to your question quickly? Or did you have to scroll or click through pages to find what you were looking for? Were the questions separated into logical categories or were they put in random order?

This should give you an idea of the ขdo’sข and ขdont’sข of creating an FAQ.

Another valuable research technique is to ask good friends or customers to give you feedback on your products or service. What questions popped into their minds when they visited your website. (You might offer a small gift or discount to your customers in exchange for feedback.)

After getting everyone’s comments, assemble the questions and group by category. For example, questions about how quickly you ship products would be under your ขShippingข category, etc.

Write your FAQ in a ขQuestion & Answerข format.

Organize the questions in each category so the most important questions appear near the top.

Create a ขTable of Contentsข at the top of your FAQ page and put the most asked questions here.

Hyperlink them so your customer just has to click to get to the answer. Or hyperlink your categories at the top of the page.

Here’s a few more tips:

Keep your FAQ updated. Are the answers still relevant? Review monthly.

Keep your questions and answers concise. No more than a paragraph. If the question requires a long, detailed answer, have a link to a separate webpage.

Don’t create your FAQ as a file that a prospect has to download to read. Most people won’t bother, and they’ll leave your site frustrated.

Include info and links at the bottom of each FAQ page so that a prospect can contact you if they still have unanswered questions.

About The Author

David Coyne is a marketing consultant and online entrepreneur.

Visit his website and get the FREE ebook ขMarketing Secrets Of The Ages.ข You can sell this ebook to customers and keep 100% of the profits. http://www.dcinfobiz.com

This article was posted on May 03, 2003

by David Coyne

Top 10 Blog Writing Tips

Top 10 Blog Writing Tips

by: Denise Wakeman and Patsi Krakoff

Most of the กrulesก about writing for ezines and newsletters apply to writing posts for your blog, but there are some important differences. Keep these 10 tips in mind and youกll be publishing great blog content that attracts prospects and clients in your niche market.

1. Write with the reader in mind. Remember WIIFM? It’s marketing jargon for What’s In It For Me? That’s what you should be keeping in mind. Your reader will read your post looking for what’s in it for them.

2. Make it valuable and worthwhile. Don’t waste people’s time. If you don’t have anything to say, no problem, plenty other people do. So share their articles, do an interview, review a book.

3. Proofread for typos and glaring grammatical errors. You wouldn’t go out of the house with dirty hair or missing a sock, so why would you publish spelling mistakes? Respect your readers by polishing up your stuff.

4. Keep it short and simple, sweetie. (KISS). Most people are scanners. You may have a lot to say and think it interesting, and it may be. But people are reading online and out of time. Get to the point quickly. Publishing short posts more frequently is a better format than publishing lengthy articles every few weeks.

5. Keep it lively, make it snappy and snazzy. Even if you aren’t a natural born writer, you can write for your blog. Just write like you’re speaking to your friend…or to yourself! Remember though, get to the point quickly. Keep in mind the journalist’s rule of 5 W’s in the first paragraph: who, what, why, when and where.

6. Link often. This builds credibility and positions you as an expert in your field. People don’t have time to know what others are doing, you should tell them. Linking to other blogs and websites also helps you build a network of associates who will in turn link to your blog.

7. Use keywords often. This will help you stay on purpose, and the search engines will love your blog. Your rankings will go up. This is one of the reasons we have you write out your purpose statements before beginning your blog. The clearer you are about your purpose, the more consistently you will deliver messages that are on target. And the more often your keywords show up, the better your search engine results.

8. Write clearly (short sentences, only one concept per sentence). No double speak or jargon; no more than one idea in one sentence don’t make your readers have to think about your meaning. Spoon feed them. Use commas and dashes liberally.

9. Write like you talk. It’s okay to use common expressions from speech.

Examples:

Go figure.

Don’t even go there…

Now, I ask you…

Gotta love it…

(And, remember the age group of your readers…)

10. Use a clear headline, and don’t be afraid to make bold statements (but don’t mislead people either). Make it snazzy and use key words. Example: ExTechnoWeenie Masters HTML Code

BONUS: After you write a post and BEFORE you hit the save button

Use this checklist to ask yourself a few questions as you are reading through for typos and grammar:

__ Is the topic clear to someone who only reads the headline?

__ Does the lead paragraph tell who and what the story is about and why the reader should care about it?

__ Is the angle youกve used likely to seem newsworthy?

__ Would someone who knows absolutely nothing about this topic understand this post?

__ Is the post free of jargon?

__ Is it written in journalistic style and does it make an effort to be objective?

__ Have you peppered the headline and the post with keywords and phrases that will be attractive to search engines?

__ Did you remember to ask your readers a question at the end, or something to stimulate readers to comment?

__ Did you remember to write with the reader in mind, always keeping in mind WIIFT? (What’s in It for Them?)

About The Author

Denise Wakeman of Next Level Partnership, and Patsi Krakoff of Customized Newsletter Services, have teamed up to create blogging classes and marketing services for independent professionals. You can read and subscribe to their blogs at http://www.biztipsblog.com, http://www.coachezines.com and http://www.bizbooknuggets.com.

[email protected]

This article was posted on February 19

by Denise Wakeman and Patsi Krakoff