10 Elements Every Direct Mail Piece Should Have

10 Elements Every Direct Mail Piece Should Have

by: Joe Niewierski

Don’t want your direct mail to end up in the trash with the rest of the unread mail? Studies show an effective direct mail campaign should draw a .5 to 1 percent response. These 10 tips will help you get the results you want:

1. A clear, bold headline. On the envelope or front of the mailer there should be one central message. The best way to achieve that is with a bold, clear headline that’s not cluttered up with other text. A good guideline is to have the headline fill up at least 15% of the front of the mailer.

2. A graphic that supports the message. The graphic should be easy to understand and add to the message the headline is trying to convey. For instance, if you are trying to get people to list their home you would want to show a home with SOLD sign clearly visible out front. That graphic reinforces the message more than a simple picture of a home.

3. Color that pops. Make the headline and other text stand out by using a color that stands out from the background color. When you look at the card, ask yourself, กWhat do I see first?ก If your answer isn’t the headline, you might want to tweak the colors.

4. Subheads that lead into text. If you have a couple of paragraphs of text with no lead in, there’s nothing to entice people to actually read the copy. A subhead will give people a place to start reading. If you have only a 100 words or so you may be able to get away with it, but if the text gets any longer than that the average reader will want to have some guideposts along the way.

5. Benefits, benefits, benefits. One of the biggest errors people make in advertising is stating features, rather than benefits. For example, never assume recipients know what benefit can be derived from a lower interest rate on their mortgage. Let them know how their monthly payments will go down.

6. The offer. An offer is always a good idea and should represent a specific reason to call now, such as ขLimited supplyข or ขInterest rates are climbing.ข

7. Your company name and logo. Although this needs to be on the mailer, it shouldn’t overshadow the offer. Customers care most about what you can do for them.

8. Call to action. Tell prospects exactly what you want them to do. ขCall today for more informationข or ขSee us onlineข are two of the most common desired actions.

9. Contact information. Provide your name, phone number, and Web address directly following the call to action. Whatever you ask prospects to do, give them the means to do it easily.

10. Return address. A return address ensures you’ll get returned mail from the post office and sends a message that you’re an established professional. People feel better knowing the company they’re dealing with has an actual location.

About The Author

Joe Niewierski, the VP of Marketing & Promotion at PostcardMania, became a published writer after graduating with a BA in Advertising from the University of South Florida. Joy Gendusa founded PostcardMania in 1998; her only assets a computer and a phone. In 2004 the company did close to $9 million in sales and employs over 60 persons. She attributes her explosive growth to her ability to choose incredible staff and her innate marketing savvy. Now she’s sharing her marketing secrets with others. For more free marketing advice, visit her website at www.postcardmania.com.

This article was posted on February 21

by Joe Niewierski

Keep Spam Mail Away From You !

Keep Spam Mail Away From You !

by: Deniz Akay

In the last couple of years, spam mail has become perhaps the most terrible headache of email users on the internet. Depending on how popular your mail service provider is and how old your email account is, you may be receiving every day ten to several hundred unwanted emails about advertisements, propaganda, news and a bunch of other topics that you did not and most probably will never ask for in the future. Mail service providers have developed some protection systems to reduce this discomfort their customers are experiencing, such as filters, but sometimes spam attacks can even get past these barriers. Even if these barriers are effective, all those spam mails produce annoying heaps in the junk mail folders just to take up your mail accountกs precious storage space.

As mail services offering large storage spaces are becoming widespread this year, people are moving to these new accounts and creating their new addresses. Unfortunately, it hasn’t been a couple of months since the most famous of these email services, Gmail, has started giving out accounts by invitations and the word has already gotten around that spam attacks have discovered these new fresh targets as well. Although the number of these attacks is low at the moment, it will surely increase and may reach a threatposing amount in a short period of time.

No matter how well the spam filters are, us email users cannot be fully protected from spam today, but we can still take some precautions to evade these attacks, while registering for new accounts and after. Some crucial tips to avoid spam may be listed as follows:

1. While you’re creating an account, do not choose a short username. You will receive spam mail due to dictionary attacks. For example, think of the username กangelก. Each address starting with the word กangelก will receive a spam mail:

angel@

angels@

angelic@

angelica@

angelina@

…

2. Since usernames that are to be attacked are generated from the first few letters, itกs better to start the username with letter or number series without a meaning:

Example: ytgkj.username@ or 72149.username@

3. Itกs always better to use special characters in the user name if they are allowed.

Example: username@, user_name@ or user.name@

4. If you are sure that itกs a spam mail, do NOT click the links like กClick to unsubscribe, remove your address from the listก and do NOT reply them with emails having subjects like ‘removeก, กUnsubscribeก etc. These will verify your email address and will only make your address receive more of them.

5. Some sites may want email addresses for registration. These are potential spam dangers. If you have to use an email address for registration, always use a temporary address. Sites like กMailinator.comก create temporary mail addresses for a short period of time and you are done with these addresses once you are finished with registration.

If you also have to receive email after you have registered, in other words, when you are filling out forms on the internet, do not use the mail account that you give your friends and relations. Instead, get yourself a free webmail (hotmail, yahoo, etc.) and use that always.

6. Never write your email on the web. Some robots are scanning the web for email adresses. If you need to give your address, write it like :

myaccount กATก myprovider กDotก com

instead of ก[email protected]ก .

7. When you are sending emails to multiple recipients, always use BCC. Why? If you type the addresses in the CC or To line, all the recipient addresses appear in the mail content when those emails are forwarded. If the forwarded mails reach the spam senders in some way, all these addresses are added to their spam lists.

8. If your webmail provides a junk/bulk mail filter service, make sure that this service is activated. However, all the mail coming into this folder might not be spam. Because the mass emails sent by some sites you register or mail groups that you are a member of are sent by scriptbased ways, they may be considered as spam and they make their way into these folders. Itกs good to check this folder once in a while.

9. Finally, make sure that you view the Message Headers fully. How do you do this? For example in Gmail, click กMore options > Show originalก besides the address received from and in Hotmail, click กOptions > Message display settings > Message header > Fullก. This will allow you to see useful information about the sender of the spam mail you received.

If you are sure that itกs a spam mail, copy the header information as it is and report it to spamcop.com. From the same web address, you can send the mail service provider the information about the spam mail.

Please do not forget that these are only precautions that you can take against spam individually and will not stop spam completely, but at least it will help in keeping spam away from you.

About The Author

Deniz Akay

Webmaster of Extreme Gmail Forums http://www.emailx.net

This article was posted on February 08

by Deniz Akay

3 Ways to Gain and Keep Customers Using Postcards

3 Ways to Gain and Keep Customers Using Postcards

by: Brett Curry

In today’s competitive (sometimes cutthroat) marketplace, savvy business owners need to constantly look for ways to get and, more importantly, keep their customers. When used properly postcards offer a great opportunity to do both.

1. Mail systematically to a targeted database of prospects. Most people who use postcard mailings as a way to acquire new customers mail to a list once and then stop. It’s far more effective (provided that your postcards have an enticing offer, and provided that you are mailing to a group of ขripeข prospects) to mail regularly to the same group of potential customers. Think about it this way. How many times have you received something in the mail or seen an ad on TV and thought, ขthat’s a good idea, I need to look into that.ข Only to forget about it the next day and never take action. That’s just human nature. And that’s why it’s better to mail systematically and regularly to a group of prospects than it is to just mail once or twice. It may take 3 or 4 contacts with a customer before they are willing to do business with you.

2. Systematically contact your customers. Once a business gains a new customer the tendency is to do nothing but hope that the customer will come back. Bad idea. It’s far better to be proactive and mail monthly, weekly, quarterly, etc. to your current customers offering them special incentives, additional products, or just to simply thank them for their business. It’s amazing what kind of growth you can achieve if you get even a small percentage of your customers to make an additional purchase or two throughout the year.

3. Allow your customer to be a hero. One great way to build a relationship with your current customers and potentially gain new customers is to send them a postcard with a special offer that is only good for previous customers or friends and family of previous customers. When you send a postcard with a coupon or special offer on it, state very clearly that your valued customer is free to use the coupon for themselves or they can pass it on to someone else. This will make them feel good, and will potentially build a repeat purchase, or develop a new client. It’s like killing two birds with one stone.

Postcards can quickly and inexpensively communicate your message to prospects and consumers. When used as part of an integrated system, post cards can be a very powerful tool to generate new customers and then ensure that those customers keep coming back to you over and over again. In business, what could be

About The Author

Brett Curry is a professional Marketing Consultant and the Marketing Director for Brochures.com. Brochures.com is the home of top quality, full color brochures, business cards, post cards and more at up to 70% off of retail.

http://www.brochures.com

This article may be reproduced provided that the above bio is listed with the article.

[email protected]

This article was posted on February 02

by Brett Curry

How To Make Big Bucks With Any MultiLevel Program

How To Make Big Bucks With Any MultiLevel Program

by: Hutoxi Hodiwalla

Multilevel Marketing companies abound by the thousands. A great many wellknown economists are predicting this form of selling to become the prevailing method of selling by the turn of the century.

A lot of people have joined multilevel marketing programs and have made a fortune from their efforts. Anybody with just a smattering of ambition and energy can still join up and attain financial freedom.

However, unless you know what you’re doing and how to do it, youกll probably never make much more than your expenses.

First off, be sure of the MLM company you hook up with make sure itกs all it claims to be, and that it will not only make regular payments to you, but that it will ship the merchandise to your customers and is going to be around for years to come.

Secondly, be sure that the product you’re promoting has mass appeal does it sell itself and will people stand in line to buy it. A lot of wellmeaning advertising writers advise you to select a product, devise a selling plan and then to work on your plan but, this will only put you into the shoes of an EightDaysAWeek Sales Person. The one product that sell itself, and for which people the world over will stand in line for, is กHowTo Informationก that explains to people wanting to get rich, how to get rich.

Thirdly, make sure the program you decide upon can be adapted to sales by mail. Believe me, selling by mail is the least expensive and most efficient method of selling there is.

Look at all the ads in the trade papers and magazines all those trying to sell multilevel programs what are they missing? Can you adapt your program to กhave to haveก advertising?

Amway could go with a direct mail circular starting out with something like: Get paid for cleaning your own home!

Yurika Foods could go with a circular like so: Receive a 25 cents rebate for every dollar you spend on food!

What Iกm advocating is that you make up a direct mail circular to pull in new prospects. Weกve used such a circular for 3 different MLM programs we sent out 10,000 circulars asking for $2 for further details of our program, and in each instance, we pulled in more than 4,000 first line distributors. Get yourself a mailing list of 10,000 or more opportunity seekers; make up an advertising circular that whets the appetite of the recipients; then get these circulars into the mail. When the orders for more information come in, send them a sales letter along with your program joinup brochure.

You can have thousands of these brochures printed and mailed to everyone in your area even to names from the phone book or to people all across the country…but to be really effective, and bring back a profit for you, you should have a complete mailing package. In other words, you MLM Advertising Circular asking for $2 in exchange for further information about the best MLM Program yet devised can be your door opener then, you should include other things that should also interest the prospect in other words, not just a single sheet of paper.

Our own direct mail package usually includes our current MLM Advertising Circular then our current special of the month: sometimes mailing lists at greatly reduced prices or a special book and then a listing of our HowTo Informational Reports. We figure that with this direct mail package, if they the recipient doesn’t want one thing, heกll want the other. In a great many cases, we get orders for the whole package which sometimes runs to several hundred dollars. The thing is, weกve been very successful with this mailing package, most of the time pulling in better than 10% orders per thousand packages mailed out. And, our MLM conversion rate people who send in $2 for further information on our MLM Program and then end up joining the program under our sponsorship has been running better than 30 percent!

How To Parlay Any MultiLevel Program Into Real Riches start with a good product (How To Make a Real Profit With A Current Sparetime Project). Make up a direct mail advertising circular, send it out to everybody in the country with a complete direct mail package; and youกll be home free! I know, Iกve done it with 3 different MultiLevel Programs!

Copyright 2004 Hutoxi Hodiwalla

About The Author

Hutoxi Hodiwalla is an affiliate with Plug In Profit Site where you can find everything youกll ever need to start multiple streams of income at: http://www.Hutoxi.com. My email is [email protected]

This article was posted on April 21, 2004

by Hutoxi Hodiwalla

In Mourning for the Google Cash system

In Mourning for the Google Cash system

by: Darren Power

Do you remember when you could pick an affiliate program, hustle up a few hundred keywords toss it all into your Adwords account & wait for the commissions. No me neither! I was busy doing something else during those glory days.

If it ever was that easy it certainly isn’t any more, thereกs a lot of competition & intense bidding for keywords. There are big corporations bidding on anything that moves & paying tens of thousands of dollars every month for number one listings.

Just in case you weren’t getting the message. Google changed the rules. Now Google will only list one ad for each domain name in any given set of results. If youกve ever searched for something obscure and found three or four ads telling you it can be found on eBay you will understand why they did this. The result of this change is that you almost certainly now need your own website to succeed.

But never fear, there are still opportunities for the little guy to earn big.

You just need a plan to maximise revenue from everything that you do and from every visitor that passes through your online real estate.

Here are my top five tips steps for maximising income from affiliate programs.

#1 Sell to a niche. I know youกve heard that message a thousand times before. There are hundreds of guides to niche marketing online and you might be forgiven for thinking itกs just the latest big hype. But the fact is if you choose a small market you can focus your product more precisely on your target market. If you get this right more of your visitors will think that your recommendation was written just for them and for their situation. The result? More of your visitors will buy.

#2 Always collect contact details from your visitors, if they don’t buy today many will buy tomorrow or the day after. If you have a responsive mailing list, you have an asset that can earn you money on demand. All lists start small and small lists can earn big money.

#3 Once you have their mailing details keep in touch, don’t let these people forget who you are. Certainly don’t only send them mail when you have something to sell. Send them freebies and news as well. Build a relationship, tell them about your life, be their trusted friend.

Side Bar

I read a post on a forum a while back about a guy who had been promoting an affiliate program for about a year. Then the program decided they didn’t want affiliates any more. This guy calculated that he had sent over 10,000 paying customers to the merchant over the course of the year. Now he had lost a whole revenue stream and had no way to earn from his past efforts.

If only he had kept in touch with these people by collecting names and mail addresses and keeping in contact, he would probably have made more sales along the way but better still he could now contact them and tell them about another great product.

End Sidebar

#4 Upsell your list. If they didn’t buy initially then keep reminding them of the benefits of the product. If they still don’t buy after later mails sell them something else. If they were buyers of the initial offering then upsell them on something bigger and more expensive.

#5 Don’t stop. Never stop sending mail to your list and don’t leave it so long between mails that they forget who you are. Keep sending useful information every week, build a rapport with them. Do this right and they will come to trust you like a friend and when their friend recommends something they will buy it.If they don’t want to hear from you any more they will use the unsubscribe link. Don’t assume they are all sold out. A good list is good for as long as you maintain it. Which can be until the day you retire.

Build your business right and you will be building an asset that will keep you for the rest of your life.

One great benefit to taking the long term view instead of immediate profits is that you will be in a better position to compete in the PPC marketplace. If the goal of your campaign is to build a list as opposed to making a profit then you can bid higher and run a break even campaign.

Would you like a free subscription to a monthly magazine dedicated to affiliate marketing? Visit http://www.ireviewguru.com/freeresources.html

About The Author

Darren Power is your host at IReviewGuru.com where you will find news of the latest Internet Marketing products along with reviews, articles and free resources

This article was posted on March 14

by Darren Power

Choosing The Right Phone and Voice Mail System

Choosing The Right Phone and Voice Mail System

by: Jason Morris

Phone and voice mail systems can be pretty costly, even for companies with a low number phones. Before investing in any type of phone system or voice mail system, you need to estimate how much your company is likely to expand over the next few years and if possible how many phones you may require. Failure to do this could cost you or your company a lot of money in upgrade and restructuring costs further down the road. It is better and cheaper to plan and allow for expansion at an early stage, than wait until it is too late.

If you plan to remain under ten phones then I would recommend you invest in a KSUless phone system. Basically these look like normal phones that carry all the technology and software needed to run a small phone system of up to four lines and eight to twelve extensions. These systems incorporate many of the features that full PBX phone systems offer (though not voice mail). So be sure to check with your supplier what features are available on these types of phone systems. These systems are relatively cheap compared to other types of phone systems. They are also easy to install, so can be quickly relocated to another office or building. This type of phone systems usually arrive as a boxed product that is installed by you, and carries a manufacturer’s warranty. You will have to make enquiries with your vendor as to the level of after sales support that is available. You may find it is much less than if you had purchased a larger more expensive phone and voice mail system. One major disadvantage of KSUless phone systems, is that they cannot integrate separate voice mail systems. If you do choose to purchase one of these KSUless phone systems, then you will have to use a voice mail service that is offered by your telephone company.

If you decide that you must have a fully featured voice mail system, and can confidently predict your company will expand beyond ten phones within next few short years, then you will be better off investing in one of the fully featured KSU phone systems on the market. These phone systems are typical in companies with around ten to forty users. Some suppliers may recommend installing something called a Hybrid phone system. These systems are ideal for small to mid sized companies of about fifty to a hundred employees, and offer many of the features much larger PBX phone systems offer.

Below is a check list for when you are selecting a new phone and voice mail system and supplier:

1. Try to estimate how much your company will grow in the next three to five years. Look at how many lines and extensions you have at the moment and decide how many your company may require in the future.

2. Contact potential phone systems suppliers, and arrange an appointment with them for a full demonstration. A number of these can be sourced off the internet or through your local business pages. This will also give them a good opportunity to have a look at you and evaluate your potential requirements. Remember to ask them about their experience and if necessary ask for referrals. You could even ask to see a phone and voice mail system they have recently installed.

3. Make sure you decide on a rough budget for your proposed new telephone and voice mail system. Ask around other businesses of similar size, what amount they have invested in their phone systems.

4. When potential suppliers provide you with a quote for your new phone and voice mail system, go through them carefully, ensuring they include all of the requirements your business will need. These may include extras like; Full voice mail capability, additional handsets, call handling software, automated attendants, service level agreements (SLA’s) and any other additional features.

5. Once you have decided on one or two suppliers, it is time to get them back round. Remember, they want your business. Bearing in mind the budget you decided earlier, make your decision based upon not only price, but which supplier you think can provide your company with the best service before, during and after the installation of your new phone and voice mail system. Any good potential supplier will be more than happy to answer any questions you may have about the phone system they intend to supply and install for you.

Thanks for reading.

About The Author

Jason Morris is coauthor, search engine optimization and marketing consultant of http://www.businessphonesystemsdirect.co.uk Specialists in the supply and installation of business phone systems and accessories. Visit our site now and get a free quotation on a quality Business Phone System.

[email protected]

This article was posted on September 06

by Jason Morris

5 Things Every Internet Marketer Must Learn From M

5 Things Every Internet Marketer Must Learn From Mail Order To Increase Their Profits Now!

by: Jo Han Mok

Understanding that the Internet is another vehicle for direct response marketing can potentially make you rich!

Itกs true. Not many people actually กget itก.

Information marketing has much in common with the กold schoolก mail order business. In fact, many of the practices you see online today such as two page direct sales minisites, mailing lists and unique products, come directly from the mail order model.

Every Internet Marketer would benefit from studying the mail order industry. The basic marketing principles and practices employed by the industry translate naturally to the online environment.

The five core priorities of successful mail order companies parallel those of the online marketer. They are: demographics, targeting, testing and tracking, upselling and customer follow up. If you aren’t focused on these key areas yet, read on to discover why should be, and what it will mean for your bottom line.

Direct Response Lesson #1: Demographics

Demographic information provides an in depth profile of your potential customer. There are two ways to acquire demographic information, and two separate motives for each method.

You can:

• Acquire data from consumer data mining companies such as MarketShare Online • Acquire data from your existing customer base

The preferred source depends on your product development process and your current resources. Professionally gathered data allows you to survey the market and create highly targeted products. Rather than searching through keyword lists for potential niches, you can use demographic data to target specific classes of consumers based on their spending habits and disposable income. Your marketing strategy becomes much clearer with this data in hand. It allows you advance insight into your customer’s interests, pricing points and mindset. Now, you have a baseline against which to test the effectiveness of your sales message.

You should also acquire as much demographic data as possible from your existing customer base and mailing list. Even when you possess the resources to pay for this information you should still query your own customers.

Why?

Quite simply, you need to compare the profile of your existing customer base against your expected customer base. For example, if you sell a highpriced information product targeted towards small business owners, yet find that 50% of your list is composed of nonqualified tirekickers, something is off with either your sales copy, your targeting or both.

Direct Response Lesson #2: Targeting

Here is a rule of thumb for you to memorize: interest and need alone are not enough to generate a sale. This is a controversial statement, I know. Ask yourself the following question, though: how often have you found yourself interested in a product yet not purchased it? How often have you needed a product, yet not been able to afford it?

The truth is that, in either case, despite your interest and your need, you were only marginally targeted when the offer was presented to you.

This subtle case points to the synergy between demographics and targeting. This is why mail order companies go to such great effort to acquire detailed information on the marketplace. Whether you send 100, 000 pieces of mail or pay for 100,000 visitors to your web site, the goal is the same: put the offer in front of the right people, at the right time. If you put the right offer in front of the right person at the wrong time, it’s the same as no offer at all. It is untargeted.

Direct Response Lesson #3: Testing and Tracking

You absolutely must test and track everything you do. You must track your payperclick campaigns, your newsletter mailings and the paths taken by visitors to your web site. You must test your ad copy and your product pricing.

The testing and tracking phase of a marketing campaign marks the proving ground between demographics and targeting. Once you’ve acquired the data on your potential customer’s behavior, you must track their actual behavior to find out if it matches the expected results.

Until you do this, you are really only guessing at what works. Every mail order company places a tracking code on their post cards. This allows them to zero in on the exact location, age, income, race and marital status of responsive customers. When you first launch a product online, however, you are essentially blind to this information until you start tracking. As you gather your data, however, you will discover which search engines and which newsletters pull the best. Over time, you will be able to match this up with deeper demographic data collected from your list and discover, at the very least, the age and income of your customers and which search engines they prefer.

Can you imagine knowing that men between the ages of 2434, for example, prefer Google, or that stay at home mothers prefer Yahoo? This type of data is priceless because it directs your targeting up front. This is the exact goldmine which awaits you when you devote careful attention to testing and tracking your campaigns.

Direct Response Lesson #4: Create Robust Order Forms for the UpSell

Your order form can pull more profit through impulse purchases than you realize. Many internet marketers seem to believe that one product should lead to one simple order form. This is probably due to so many of us being selftaught. We copy what we’ve seen.

Have you ever stopped to examine a mailin coupon or catalog form? Even when the offer ultimately focuses on one major product, the form still includes an upsell and sometimes even a counteroffer.

For example:

ขYes! I’d like to order the Incredible Bikini Wax System for $49.95 today! Also, please include my 14 ounce bottle of Instant Soothing Moisturizer, a perfect complement to the Incredible Bikini Wax System and a steal at only $9.99ข (UpSell)

ขYes, I’d like to subscribe to Golfing Today! Instead of the incredible offer of 12 issues for $14.99, I’d like to receive a full 52 issues a year for $29.95ข ( counteroffer)

The reason for doing this, of course, is that the customer is already interested and already in a buying mindset. You’ve done all the hard work to lead him to your site and you’ve enticed him with your sales letter. He’s on the order form with credit card in hand. Why not use this moment to make a complementary offer? You can upsell a related product of your own or that of one of your joint venture partners for a profit split.

There’s really no harm in making the offer. The customer will either take you up on it or he won’t. The important point here is that a robust order form, with additional offers, helps you squeeze out extra profit and cuts down the work of luring that customer back in the future to make additional purchases.

Direct Response Lesson #5: Post Sale Follow Up

What happens to your customer after the sale? Take a page from the book of mail order secrets and follow up with that customer! If you’ve ever purchased anything through a catalog, you know what happens. You end up on their mailing list and continue to receive catalogs and other offers in the mail.

In fact, you may receive so much mail from that one company that you become irritated! While I don’t recommend going overboard with your mailings, I do recommend moving your customers to an announcement list or newsletter.

You don’t want a one time shot with that individual. Rather, you want to build a lasting relationship. Your follow up process should be designed with several goals in mind:

• Keeping your name and brand in front of the customer • To build trust and credibility by sharing supporting material that adds value to the product • To maintain contact so that you can make additional offers in the future

Customer follow up is so important it can’t be stressed enough. There is a rule which states that 80% of your sales will come from 20% of your customers. In other words, if someone purchases from you once, they are likely to purchase from you again provided you take appropriate action and keep them connected to you. Remember that your customers are human and may go through a variety of emotions after making a purchase.

They may experience buyer’s remorse. They may feel nervous about sharing their credit card information with you and then never hearing from you again. They may absolutely love you and your product and want to reach out for more information. You must tend to each of these variables in order to gain the customer’s trust and appreciation, so follow up!

What will you do with the five lessons presented to you in this article? You have before you a nearly complete outline of a profitable business system for online marketing. Take these principles to hear and put them into practice. Know your market. Speak to your market. Connect to your market. I guarantee your profits will soar.

Copyright 2004 Jo Han Mok

About The Author

Jo Han Mok is a frequent guest and featured speaker at Internet Marketing bootcamps and conferences on subjects such as copywriting and Joint Venture Marketing. Visit his website to get a simple stepbystep plan that can take you from ground zero to having money deposited in your bank account from an online business every single day for the rest of your life!

==> http://www.SuperFastProfit.com

This article was posted on August 25, 2004

by Jo Han Mok

Boost Your Selling Power With Your CallToAction

Boost Your Selling Power With Your CallToAction Phrases

by: Vanessa Selene Williams

Look at your marketing material. Now, is there something missing? If you’re missing a phrase or paragraph requesting your customer’s business, your copy is lacking an essential component. You can’t assume that your customers will know why they should act, how they should, or when they should act.
Still unsure of what ขcalltoactionข is. Look at late night infomercials. Notice how they emphasize calling the tollfree number with your check and/or credit card number handy. How they say if you call now, you’ll receive a free gift with your purchase, but only if you call within the next few minutes.
There’s a reason why most infomercials follow this formula – it works of course. It’ll also work for you, whether you’re including it in your web copy or a print ad.
A calltoaction can be as simple as saying ขorder todayข or as elaborate detailing a sevenstep process. A good calltoaction ties in with the goal of your copy. If you’re goal is to sell, don’t ask them to call you for more information, ask them to purchase your product today.
Other essentials elements include:

Tell your customers when and how to contact you. Can they call? Email? Fax?
Explain why they should buy. More money? Easier life? Pride?
Instill a sense of immediacy. Since most customers will likely forget if they wait, the sooner you can get them to respond, the better. What’ll happen if they purchase today? Will they get a free gift? Will they receive the product immediately? Will they save time and money?

Another helpful hint, don’t save your calltoaction phrase for last. Place them throughout your copy. Incorporate phrases like: Purchase our product today and…. Pick up the phone and call and you’ll learn….
Already have a decent calltoaction? Pump it up. Include every possible way customers can contact and buy from you. Give an example of how you’ll make their life better and easier. This could be. Buy this power broom today and it’ll cut your cleaning time by 75%. Imagine what you can with an extra three hours each week.
Want some more examples? Here are some courtesy of my mailbox.
ขHurry! This ขfree sample invitationข & FREE GIFT offer won’t last long. Just mail back the FREESAMPLE certificate today. So you don’t miss it.ข
ขClasses begin throughout the year, so there’s no better time to start than now. Call 1xxxxxxxxxx todayข
ขDo it today. Enroll online. Mail your RiskFree Trial Certificate. Or call 1xxxxxxxxxx nowข See how easy they made it to respond.
Get an unbeatable 0% APR FOR LIFE on transferred balances with the xxxxxxxx Platinum Card. It’s easy – just fill out the Application below and mail it today!
So, what are you waiting for? Go plant those calltoaction phrases in your copy and watch your business grow…right now.

About The Author

Vanessa Selene Williams an independent writer who writes for businesses and corporations. Visit her online at http://corp.vswilliams.com or email her at [email protected] to learn more.

This article was posted on July 31, 2004

by Vanessa Selene Williams

Random Whimsy: Uncensored Interview with Dan Lok

Random Whimsy: Uncensored Interview with Dan Lok

by: Dan Lok

Norman Williams, publisher of กBig Money Publishing Newsletter,ก recently did a Q&A about me.
1 Can you tell me about your business background?
Sure, Norman. My name is Dan Lok. Iกve written hundreds and hundreds of unstoppable ads and magnetic sales letters for clients in more than 39 different industries. Your readers may not know my name, but I wouldn’t be surprised if theyกve been กsoldก with some of the irresistible copy Iกve written.
My writing has sold over $17.3 million dollars of merchandise and services by mail, email, retail and websites. Iกve earned my reputation as ‘the Copywriting Whiz Kidก from years in the trenches of advertising writing ads and sales letters that create fortunes for businesses and entrepreneurs.
In fact, when I first got started as a rookie copywriter, I really was a kid…just 16! My Unique Selling Proposition was…
ขI Don’t Get Paid Until YOU Make Tons Of Cold, Hard Cash!ข
I put it all on the line with a message that was unmistakable: what I write has to make big bucks for my clients… or… I don’t eat. Under that kind of กmake or breakก pressure, Iกve been forced to figure out one thing how to create CONSISTENTLY the most powerful, irresistible, Hoover Vacuum that money right out of their wallets advertising possible.
Iกve learned to create advertising that makes a ton of cash… and then a ton more. It was that, or go learn to live on a diet of กalmost made itก and that was something I wasn’t willing to swallow.
2 As a person on the Internet, how did you get started?
Iกd love to tell you it was all part of my grand plan, but the truth is I got started by pure accident.
A webmaster approached me and pulled me into the 21st Century. He said, ขDan, don’t be a dinosaur! You need a presence on the กnet. Let me build a website for you!ข
I decided to go ahead, ขHeck, why not?ข I thought. Thirty days later, my website launched into cyberspace.
3 How long have you been in business online?
I think the answer is going to surprise you. Iกve been writing for other online marketers for a couple of years now. (One year on Internet equals to 3 years in the real world. So I guess, Iกm pretty old in cyber terms!) But it was only about 6 months ago that I created my very first Dan Lok website and started actively promoting my products and services online!
Norman, you have to understand this…
Until recently, I purposely avoided the spotlight and the chance for selfpromotion, despite being one of the worldกs highestpaid freelance copywriters. Fame isn’t a big กcarrotก to me. Iกm far too busy and much more interested in helping my small business clients get big…and rich.
Iกm not a กhousehold nameก because instead of spending all my time preening in the spotlight and working on my celebrity status, Iกm out in the trenches day in, day out, working for the little guys, helping them turn into the BIG guys (and gals).
4 What online businesses you are involved with?
First of all, Norman, want to clear up what I think of as a misconception that most people have when it comes to Internet marketing.
In my opinion, thereกs no such thing as an กonline business.ก
Business is just business. When people say, กI have an Internet business!ก Itกs like saying กI have a classified ad businessก or กI have a direct mail businessก
A real estate developer doesn’t sell or buy the Internet. A developer buys and sells properties and uses the Internet to MARKET his/her business. You MARKET your business via direct mail. You MARKET your business via classified ads. You MARKET your business via the Internet.
Direct mail is a medium for marketing, TV is a medium for marketing, and the Internet I is a medium for marketing, too.
So just because you market your products and services online, it doesn’t mean you have an ขonlineข business. And simply because you have several websites, it doesn’t mean you run several ขInternetข businesses and are a SuperCyber Entrepreneur. At best…you’re a webmaster.
Now let me get down off my กsoap boxก and go back to your original question:
I have one main company: Quick Turn Marketing International, Ltd. But despite the fact that I have just one company, I have 5 or 6 websites, including:

www.quickturnmarketing.com
www.dansrant.com
www.greatestcopywriters.com
www.wizardtalk.com
www.infopublishingbootcamp.com

Each website is distinct with its own purpose and specific objective. All are interlinked and create my Internet กpresence.ก
5 How did you learn what it takes to succeed?
In order to learn, you need a teacher, so Iกm a big believer in mentoring.
Why reinvent the wheel? Finding a mentor is really the shortcut to success because you’re learning from someone whoกs already been there and done that. Itกs important to learn from people who have already achieved success and know the ‘tricks of the tradeก that can get you there, too.
Iกm a sponge and absorb information and ideas whenever and wherever I can. Iกve found that highly successful people are always soaking up information as fast as they can get it, and are always in a learning mode. Iกve applied that concept to my life, too.
You should see my car; it looks like a tape factory that exploded! I love reading but I can’t resist the itgoeswhereyoudo advantages of audio learning. Thereกs always a cassette or CD in the dash with a couple in the backseat and a few more in the trunk.
Iกve got a ‘revolving doorก policy when it comes to informational tapes: I just rotate till Iกm full, and then I dump the box and go get some more.
I think people who quit learning have started the dying process.
6 What office equipment do you use?
I have a computer, a printer, a fax machine, and a telephone in my office. Thatกs it. (Oh yes, I do occasionally resort to paper and pencil)
7 Do you do all of your business online?
Absolutely NOT! I still make the bulk of my money offline. In fact, I think only 15% of my revenue comes from the Internet. I think itกs dangerous to only market via only ONE medium
One of the concepts I teach is called ขMultiple Streams of Revenue.ก It simply means that you should develop a variety of streams of revenue that feed into a big river that will flood you with income.
Different revenue streams mean different things to different people:

Different businesses
Different products at various price points.
Different revenue source
Different mediums to generate business

For guys who currently do their business primarily on the Web, this is a กpushก to get your direct mail chops honed. Get your list together, with names and physical address.
Why is this diversification so important when the Web is seen as the oasis for income and wealth? Just ask the guys who relied exclusively on outbound calling, or blast faxing, or email spamming for their wealth… and were shocked when these methods were outlawed. The methods were outlawed and they were out of business.
With a variety of revenue steams feeding your business, if you wake up one day to a blank monitor screen, you won’t have to panic.
8 What are your biggest gripes about the Internet?
There are amazing goods and services to be found on the กnet, but too many people are selling nothing but crap. You won’t find more ขjunkข offers and business schemes in any other marketing mediums than in cyberspace. The scams that once choked our mailboxes now choke the Internet with thousands and thousands of bogus, flybynight websites.
Itกs a tough medium to กpoliceก and control, so buyers really have to beware or risk losing their shirt on everything from bad investment advice to supplements for erectile dysfunction!
9 Do you mostly do publishing or other enterprises?
Besides Quick Turn Marketing International, Ltd, I also have equity in five privately held companies. I serve on the board of directors for most of those companies as a marketing advisor. Two of the companies are multimillion dollar businesses. Another two are startups. One is a small hightech company that is doing less than $300,000 a year.
I am also a major shareholder of another company investing in US tax liens and deeds.
10 Are there any tips or advice you would like to offer?
You mean marketingwise? Thereกs so much I can talk about itกs my business after all I don’t know where to start…or where to start charging (just kidding!)
Thereกs a lot stuff you can do to boost your business, but here is กDanกs Top 10 Plus Oneก list:
1) BE DIRECT (MAILWISE). Only 4% of retailers in the USA use direct mail. In Canada, this figure is even lower. And yet…dollar for dollar, nothing sells products as effectively as direct mail. If youกve got a limited budget, this is where your marketing dollars should go. Start collecting your customersก names, addresses and telephone numbers today. Frankly, Iกve talked about using direct mail until Iกm blue in the face. But itกs not กsexyก and people tend to overlook it. So please don’t be one of those people.
2) GREASE THE WHEELS. Bribery may be a bad thing when you’re dealing with someone in law enforcement, but it works like a charm with potential customers. Example, a hardware store puts on free coffee and hot dogs for lunch every day. Customers who come in to have a ขfree lunchข might order lots of other things. Bribe your customers to do business with you. If you’re an information marketer, offer FREE reports, tapes and videos to urge prospects to order now. If you’re a Widget sales representative, offer 3 months of service on every Widget unit installed.
3) HEADLINERS. Stick a powerful headline on all your ads, letter and promotion. A headline is an กadก for your ad. 80% of your promotionกs success or failure lies in whether your headline can express your unique positioning statement that golden phrase that captures in just a few words the กessenceก of what you have to offer and how it will benefit a customer. A good headline has กlegs.ก It can go the extra distance as an opening line for your sales and telephone people and goes a long way towards establishing your กbrand.ก
4) YOU CAN SEE THE DIFFERENCE. Don’t get talked into wasting your money on anything you can’t measure and, most importantly, anything that doesn’t bring you extra sales. You can’t pay your bills with ขimageข and ขexposureข. All it does is feed your ego and thins out your wallet. Measure everything meticulously. กMeasurabilityก is one of the great plusses of direct mail. If you send out 10,000 letters and get just 21 responses and 11 clients, you can see immediately that itกs time to pull the plug before another penny is lost.
5) PLAYERS. Where possible, sell only to ขplayers.ก No, I don’t mean poker players, ball players, or กplayersก in the game of love. Players are consumers who want what you sell, can afford to pay for it, and may even be willing to pay a PREMIUM for your goods/services. The rationale behind this concept is that itกs a whole lot easier to make money by selling half as much but at double the price.
6) GIVEAWAYS. Instead of blowing your money on กfancy pantsก advertising that makes you LOOK GOOD, take the money you and give it to your best prospective customers (players) so that theyกll FEEL GOOD. Good feelings and good emotions are what drive sales, and a giveaway is the perfect technique to get the good vibrations going. You can work wonders with a simple sample or a ‘trial useก period for your product or service. A clothing shop could offer a free Tshirt. A restaurant could offer a free main course. A new car retailer could offer a free dinner with any test drive.
7) INFO PRODUCTS. My favorite way to attract and กattachก new customers is with a free report or audio tape. (Thereกs that FREE word again) Create something that positions you as the expert and educates the customers on why they should buy from you. Give it as a gift to some and then กleverageก your product and sell it to others to create an additional revenue stream.
8) GLASSES AND A FAKE MOUSTACHE. No, don’t disguise YOU…disguise your advertising message. Research clearly shows that Advertorials ads that look like editorial articles get 500% more readership than ads that are obviously ads. Do people buy magazines or newspapers to read the ads? Of course not! You read the stories, I read the stories, and everybody else on planet Earth buys the daily paper, picks up a magazine, or watches TV for the stories.
9) HE SAID/SHE SAID. Actively collect and use testimonials. Like a referral, a testimonial is a third party endorsement and therefore is much more believable than what you say about yourself. Hardly anyone (except mail order companies) uses testimonials. If nobody else in your industry uses testimonials, you get an instant edge and immediately กcorner the marketก on rave reviews just by doing this ONE simple thing.
10) A 24/7 SALES ‘rePก. A proven sales letter is a truly efficient and loyal salesperson. An effective sales letter never sleeps in, take sick days, or forgets to turn up for work. Plus, if you get a ขrealข winner, you can use it again and again for a long, long time.
11) CALL GIRL/CALL BOY. Don’t be a stranger to the people who buy from you. Use the telephone to follow up with your best customers. Don’t call to sell. Call to educate and cement a relationship.
And a word to all you budding imaginative, innovative, and กdaringก types: When it comes to marketing, don’t try to be creative or cute. Pretty ads don’t sell squat. The advertising campaigns that win media awards from กpeersก seldom win sales awards for clients.
11 Do you use any clip art in your publications?
No. What I offer is distinctive. I don’t want to dilute that message by using a dimeadozen graphic that does nothing to differentiate me from the competition.
12 Are people more interesting than product stories?
Sure. People are always more interesting than product stories. Consumers see themselves in people stories.
13 What are your goals and aspirations for the future?
Sitting on the foundation of my success, I now have the luxury of doing what I like best: sharing my knowledge and wisdom with other entrepreneurs to help them make their own businesses more profitable.
Also on the radar: Become a #1 bestselling author. Travel around the world. Set up a Dan Lok foundation and raise $100,000 for the BCกs Children Hospital. Learn scoop diving. And then thereกs skidiving…I really want to, but Iกm scared. Iกll have to work a little longer on conquering the fear.
I can go on and go on. I have a list of 50 to 60 shortterm goals. But Iกll let you in on a secret: I don’t call them ขgoals.ข Goals are something we strive for. My plans for the future are on my ‘to Doก list because I KNOW Iกll get them done.
When Ted Turnerกs father passed away, he left Mr. Turner two things. The first was a billboard business. The second was this quote: ขSet goals you CANNOT accomplish in your lifetime. After you accomplish them, thereกs nothing leftข
Iกve adopted that philosophy in both my business and personal pursuits. I think BIG. I set goals I CANNOT accomplish in my lifetime. My longterm goal is building a $100 milliondollar marketing empire. Iกve got a lifetime to try! And if I reach that goal, Iกll set a new one!
So my advice to everyone is this: to be BIG, you first need to think BIG.
14 What software do you use to make your websites?
I have no idea!!! Iกm a marketer not a technology expert. I hired a webmaster and a webdesigner to build all my websites. I don’t even know how to use Front Page! As a matter of fact, I barely know how to use my autoresponder. My job as the CEO of the company is to bring in the revenue. Period!!! Full stop!
Everything else… I surround myself with experts to assist me. And I think thatกs the key to growing any business. Surround yourself with people who are ขsmarterข than you. An important lesson Iกve learned the hard way ขIf you’re the smartest guy in your business, you’re in big trouble.ข
One of the big paradigms in business now is outsourcing what you don’t do well and concentrating on what you can do well. For example, a mousetrap factory might outsource its order and fulfillment needs to an outside shipping company so that it could concentrate its money and resources on creating a bigger, better mousetrap.
The bottom line is the bottom line. Seek professional advice and pay for it if you need to (barter it if you can). Pay your people well. Acknowledge them constantly and consistently. Sell them on your vision. Share the wealth and youกll have a team thatกll go to WAR and fight for you.
15 What are your favorite books or computer programs?

Your First 100 Million by Dan Peña
Scientific Advertising by Claude Hopkins
The Trick to Money is Having Some! by Stuart Wilde
Magic Words That Bring Your Riches by Ted Nicholas
Think & Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
The Magic of Thinking BIG by David Schwartz
Winning Through Intimidation by Robert Ringer

16 What is your best time for working on your computer?
Iกm a computer nightowl. When the sun goes down, I log on. During the day, I am either writing ad copy or on the phone with clients and clientsinthemaking.
Copyright 2004 Quick Turn Marketing International, Ltd.

About The Author

Dan Lok is the World’s First QuickTurn Marketer, with a proven track record of selling over $ 17.3 million dollars of merchandise and services. He’s the rebel copywriter who’s created hundreds of moneymaking ads and sales letter for over 39 different industries. And now you can get inside the head of one of the world’s top copywriters without paying a dime at www.QuickTurnMarketing.com

This article was posted on June 03, 2004

by Dan Lok

Real Estate Marketing, Do You Use Direct Mail?

Real Estate Marketing, Do You Use Direct Mail?

by: Barrett Niehus

Prospecting for leads is by far the most difficult part of being a Realtor or small business professional. In fact, lead development is by far the most expensive and time consuming aspect of your job. However, you level of success in lead development will determine if you succeed or fail as a real estate agent or small business professional.
So how do you develop leads? Well top selling professionals realize that they need to touch as many people as possible without spending a fortune or taking up a lot of their time. They also realize that they must make some form of contact with a prospect as many as eight times before that contact will even consider doing business with the professional. Many of these professionals use direct mail to recruit prospects, and direct mail tools to close their deals.
The fundamentals of direct mail are very simple. At is most basic level you are sending out message with an invitation for a prospect to contact you. The key is targeting your specific audience, and making your message stand out against all of the other junk mail that you prospects receive. In addition, you must expose your prospects to the message enough times to make them consider taking action.
The first step in creating a direct mail program is to determine where you are going to focus your message. What type of client are you specifically looking for? How old are they, what are their interests, fears, income levels, etc. With this type of very specific demographic information you can customize your message to invoke them to call you. Next, determine how many people you are going to send your message to and what geography you are going to focus on. Keep in mind that a direct mail piece with more than a 1% response rate is considered exceptional, and that statistically, post cards get more attention than envelopes in peoples mail boxes. Essentially this means that if you mail 500 pieces and you get five phone calls, you are doing exceptionably well.
After you know what your customer looks like and the area in which they live, create your marketing message. It should invoke emotion and request a response. The most effective messages offer something for free such as a free home report, assessment, or giveaway such as a software program or product. Other useful messages show what has just been listed and invite prospects to กcash inก on their rising home values.
Now that you have your message designed contact a local or internet based direct mailing list seller and rent a list of prospects addresses. You will be mailing to this list more than once so make sure you get repeat mailing discounts. All of these list brokers have test addresses in the lists they sell to make sure you only mail the agreed number of times. Many of these list sellers will offer mailing services as well, and some will even provide design and printing services. Companies such as PurePoscards.com and MailersClub.com are excellent resources to get both mailing lists and design services.
Use the design services as needed and remember that statistically, an enclosed letter with blue ink and a first class stamp will get the best response. Letters and postcards follow with lower responses. Regardless of the type of mail that you are sending, it is important to realize that you are hoping for at least a 1% response to your campaign.
Mail your message to the list and see what happens. Plan on mailing at least two more times to get your desired response, but feel free to modify the message and the medium. It is just important to provide your target customer with repetition so that they become used to your message and will consider doing business with you. It is through repetition and a message that stands out that you will get your client’s attention and earn a response to your marketing.
Direct marketing is a very effective tool for realtors to grow their businesses. It can create a significant number of leads and a significant addition to your cash flow, However, direct mail must be done with proper planning and the right expectations for response. Never has a single onetime direct mailing been successful. Alternatively, real estate professionals who practice repetition in their direct mail and their marketing grow wealthy while they leave their competition behind.

About The Author

Barrett Niehus is a principal for IP Ware Real Estate Investment Software http://www.realtysoftware.org and a technical marketing specialist for Compound Solutions in Escondido, California.

This article was posted on May 11, 2004

by Barrett Niehus

Modern Marketing With Postcards

Modern Marketing With Postcards

by: Bob Leduc

Postcards may be one of the best kept secrets of modern marketing. They produce even better results now than in the past. Thatกs probably because postcards deliver information the way people want to get it today …fast and with little or no effort.

Use Postcards to Generate Website Traffic and Sales Leads

A brief captivating message on a postcard with an enticing offer sent to the right prospects will generate a flood of traffic to your website or a large number of sales leads.

Keep your postcard simple. Make it look at first glance like a message from a friend instead of like an advertisement. This creates a pleasant emotional response from readers even though they quickly realize that it is a commercial message.

State the biggest benefit you offer to customers. Then briefly add a few other advantages or features you provide. End with a compelling reason for prospects to contact you ..or to go to your website for more details. Itกs that simple.

Tip: Don’t try to close sales directly from a postcard. Thereกs not enough space on a postcard to provide all the information your prospects need to make a buying decision.

People Read Postcards

Almost everybody will read a postcard even those who usually throw out other direct mail without opening it. Thatกs because itกs almost impossible to throw out a postcard without looking at the message.

This high rate of readership is the main reason why postcards produce a bigger response than other types of direct marketing. With other types of marketing you often lose prospects who would have responded to your offer but they never saw it.

Tip: Postcards are an excellent lowcost alternative to email. People get so much email today that even legitimate messages are getting deleted unread. But they get few if any postcards. Your message is guaranteed to get their attention when itกs delivered on a postcard.

Postcards are Cheap to Produce

Postcards cost less than 2 cents each to produce if you print them using your own computer. You can print postcards individually on blank 4 x 6 inch index cards or print 4 postcards on 8 1/2 x 11 sheets of index card stock and cut each sheet into quarters.

Your postcards will cost between 4 cents and 9 cents each to produce if you use a commercial printer …depending on the number you have printed and the quality you want.

Postcards are Cheap to Mail

Even the postage for mailing postcards is cheap 23 cents each to send them by First Class Mail in the US. The only requirement for this special rate is that the dimensions of your postcards must be at least 3 1/2 x 5 inches but not over 4 1/4 x 6 inches.

Tip: Always use a real 23 cent stamp on your postcards. It produces more replies than a printed indicia (imprinted postage) …probably because people associate a printed indicia with junk mail.

Don’t overlook postcards the next time you want to drive a huge amount of traffic to your website or generate a flood of new sales leads. They’re simple to use, highly effective and very lowcost.

Copyright 2004 Bob Leduc http://BobLeduc.com

About The Author

Bob Leduc spent 20 years helping businesses like yours find new customers and increase sales. He just released a New Edition of his manual, How To Build Your Small Business Fast With Simple Postcards …and launched *BizTips from Bob*, a newsletter to help small businesses grow and prosper. Youกll find his lowcost marketing methods at: http://BobLeduc.com or call: 7026581707 After 10 AM Pacific Time/Las Vegas, NV

This article was posted on April 15, 2004

by Bob Leduc

Spam: The Tasteless Internet Meat of Criminals

Spam: The Tasteless Internet Meat of Criminals

by: M6.Net

Spam. You’ve all heard of the crazy pink meat in a can, but what’s it got to do with the Internet? Well, it’s also the namesake for a major problem in the World Wide Webunsolicited junk email. Problem! We’re talking serious pain in the butt both as a waster of time, space, and money. It is estimated that around half of all email received on the Internet is this sneaky illegal attempt at selling fake consumer goods, pornography, and a whole plethora of ‘helpful’ services. It’s taking up half of all email on the Earth, and it’s costing businesses’ billions in wasted time, as well as filling personal email accounts to the limit so important messages aren’t received. It seems everywhere there’s a leap in technology for humanity, there’s also a group of people who want to stretch the realm of criminal activity to another level.

The good news is that as it’s such a prominent problem, the ‘good guys’ have made it a main priority on their ‘To do’ lists. Software has been created to block Spam and is being updated constantly. Recently Bill Gates, richest human on Earth and selfmade mogul of software masters’ Microsoft spoke of his aim to eliminate Spam by the year 2006. Obviously a lot of people would be quite appreciative if they could achieve this goal.

Supposedly most of the billions of junk emails originate from about 200 people who are intelligent enough to cover their tracks. They have multiple ways of finding out email addresses and then sending thousands upon thousands of unwanted messages to you and I. It usually costs them next to nil so if even one lowquality product sells they receive a profit. That’s why they do it; just another greedinduced means of getting rich quick without working for it like the rest of us.

Well, there’s a couple main ways of dealing with the Spam dilemma. The main one, and most easy, is to just delete the messages or empty your folder (after moving desired messages to another folder) straight off the server without downloading or ‘looking’ at the messages. This gives the ‘evil’ sender the knowledge that you’re not reading the mail and therefore the traffic you receive goes down dramatically.

Another way to block the Spam is to use software like Magic Mail Monitor (http://mmm3.sourceforge.net/) or Mailwasher (http://www.mailwasher.net/), which work well at destroying the unwanted, pink, tasteless, unworldly email meat by showing you the mail straight from the server without downloading it.

So, show the criminals you’re aware and not ignorant and take the first steps to bringing the Spam Empire down. Protect yourself and eventually the Spam will go where all filth is destined, into the trash.

About The Author

By M6.Net

http://www.m6.net

This article was posted on September 09, 2004

by M6.Net