How To Create Instantly Compelling Ads Every Time

How To Create Instantly Compelling Ads Every Time

by: Marc Gamble

Use This Quick 3Question Evaluation Process… And You Can Be Sure That Your Message Will Sell!

Evaluation #1: ขWell, I Would Hope So!ข When you make a claim, don’t think about it in terms of coming out of your mouth…think of it in terms of it entering your prospects ears. Then you’ll realize how ridiculous some claims sound. Whenever you make a claim, ask yourself if the prospect will immediately echo this response: ขWell, I would hope so!ข For instance, an insurance agency faxed me the following reason to choose them over their competitors: ขWe will be there for you when you have a claim.ข Well I would hope so! You’re an insurance agency! Isn’t that what you do?

These statements are about like the haircutter telling you that your hair will be shorter after it’s cut, or the gas station telling you you’ll have more gas after you fill the tank. Always, always, always ask this important evaluation question whenever you make any claim. It will improve your effectiveness by 500% immediately.

Evaluation #2: ขWho Else Can Say That?ข Pay close attention to this one; the question is not who else can do what you do. The question is who else can say what you say. The answer is usually…anybody and everybody. We consulted with an auto repair facility that was by FAR the most awesome business of its kind. They put competitors out of business every yearand devour their market share in the process. Small problem: Even though nobody could even come close to performing at their level, their yellow page ad looked virtually identical to all of their cheesy competitors.

Try This: Look at your ad and look at your competitors ad, if you can cross out your name on your ad and replace it with your competitor or vice versa, and the ad is still valid, you failed the test! You failed to distinguish yourself from your competitors.

Evaluation #3: The Specificity Challenge. I could write an entire book on this subject…but suffice it to say for sake of this newsletter that you need to quantify all of your claims. Businesses fail to create a compelling case to buy their product or service. Instead they ask for their consumers business for no justifiable, rational reason. Quantify them in terms of:

1. Specifically How Are You different?

2. Compared To What?

3. Why Can You Do That?

4. What’s Your Advantage?

If You Want To Distinguish Your Business From The Competition… Build A Case Like An Attorney Would.

You need to realize that your business is on trial. Your customers and prospects are the jury. You’re the attorney. And it’s a life or death sentence. What will you say that will convince them to buy from you? What kind of specific evidence can you produce to PROVE beyond any reasonable doubt that they’d be a fool not to buy from you?

Get a FREE Analysis of Your Advertising! Simply email it to [email protected] or fax it to us at (650) 6492221 and ขStop Wasting Your advertising dollars.ข

Good luck with your marketing efforts.

Marc Gamble

Principal Consultant

MYM OnDemand Virtual Marketing Training Program

http://www.mymondemand.com

About The Author

Marc Gamble, the author, teaches business owners, entrepreneurs, and professionals how to acheive bigger, bottom line results from their advertising & marketing efforts without spending more time, effort, or money. Learn marketing strategies and tactics to separate yourself from your competition and become the obvious choice to do business with. To learn more about how to improve your own Marketing Efforts and Achieve Better Results, visit: http://www.MYMOnDemand.com. Email: [email protected]

This article was posted on December 08, 2004

by Marc Gamble

Designing Professional Web Pages

Designing Professional Web Pages

by: Joanne Glasspoole

If your Web site doesn’t project a professional and polished image to your visitors, your credibility and that of your products and services will suffer. Image is everything especially online where your competitor is only one mouse click away!

Before your first HTML code is written, you will need to consider your Web siteกs navigational structure, color scheme and page layout. Is your content developed? If not, who is going to write it?

Once you have done the necessary preplanning, then the fun part begins coding your HTML pages.

Following are some steps to consider when laying out your Web pages:

I highly recommend that you try to get your home page to fit on one screen. Ideally, people shouldn’t have to scroll down to see what your site has to offer. You may need to make your graphics smaller, but thatกs okay. Smaller graphics mean a quicker download time.

Be sure to check your pages at all the various screen resolutions. Although only a small percentage of users have their monitors set at 640×480, you will want to make sure your site looks good at that resolution. I design my Web pagesat 800×600, which is the average resolution. However, more and more users have their computer monitors set at higher resolutions, such as 1024×728. You will see that your pages will look radically different depending on the resolution. I personally have been horrified at how ugly my "beautiful" pages look on different computer screens.

Browsers are another very important consideration. Netscape and Internet Explorer both perform the same function display Web pages but the way they do so is strikingly different.

Your code needs to be very clean and pretty much flawlessto display correctly on Netscape. If you miss even one table tag (e.g., you forget to close a <td> tag), you will be mighty surprised when you get nothing but a blank page on Netscape.

Internet Explorer is much more forgiving. It "assumes" what you meant to do. Netscape, on the other hand, is unassuming. If it doesn’t understand your code, it simply will not display it.

NOTE: An excellent site to check your HTML code for browser compatibility, as well as screen size, is Anybrowser.com at http://www.anybrowser.com/

You will no doubt want to employ JavaScript and DHTML on your site because itกs both functional and cool. However, those technologies work better on Internet Explorer than they do on Netscape. Many of the scripts that you can grab for free at sites like Dynamic Drive DHTML (http://www.dynamicdrive.com/) and Website Abstraction (http://www.wsabstract.com/) are written exclusively for Internet Explorer, so you will need to be very careful when deciding what to use on your Web site.

For example, on one of my sites I use a JavaScript to display the date and time. This script is supposed to work on both Internet Explorer and Netscape; however, a couple of days ago I noticed that the year on Netscape was 100 versus 2000. A 1,900 year variance is a pretty significant difference!

The titles on all of your Web pages need to be consistent not only in font style, size and color but also alignment. Make sure the spacing between the title and the first paragraph is consistent throughout your site. Make sure your spacing is uniform on all pages.

If your navigation is dependent on graphics (e.g., image maps, icons, buttons, Java, JavaScript), some of your visitors will have a problem getting around your site if their browser doesn’t display graphics, or if theyกve chosen to turn graphics off on their browser settings for faster surfing. It is extremely important to provide text links in addition to graphic links. All of your users will see your text links, plus text loads faster than graphics.

It is an excellent idea to make your logo a clickable link back to your home page from all of the pages of your Web site. Many visitors expect to be able to use the logo to go back home. Don’t forget to also include a text link to your home page.

These are only a few considerations in designing your Web pages, but they are very important. Don’t let your beautiful pages look ugly on your visitorกs computer screen.

If you are like me, you will find these issues among the most challenging aspects of designing professional Web sites.

About The Author

Joanne Glasspoole is a Webmaster and freelance Web designer. Visit her Web site for Internet and technology news, insightful articles, and links to excellent Webmaster resources to help you grow your online business. http://www.glasspoole.com

This article was posted on February 2, 2002

by Joanne Glasspoole

Why Web Hosts and ISPs Need Web Site Monitoring

Why Web Hosts and ISPs Need Web Site Monitoring

by: David Leonhardt

If you have spent much time earning a living on the Internet, few things will surprise you. However, I am always amazed with how many companies and individuals make astounding claims without backing them up.

Web hosts and ISPs make such claims all the time: 99% uptime. Some web hosts post on their site live results of their uptime from a thirdparty web site monitoring company. However, those hosts are very few.

Here are four reasons why every web host and ISP (Internet service provider) should post uptime and connectivity statistics from an independent, thirdparty web site monitoring firm, with an external monitoring network.

Monitoring reports are excellent marketing tools

This is the most obvious reason a web host or ISP should post monitoring reports on their site. Don’t tell me you have 99% uptime. Even the worst hosting companies and ISPs can make that claim, but it does not make it true. Prove it to me. Posting a report right on your home page, or posting a link to the report up front on the home page tells me you not only can make claims, but you can deliver!

Make sure to post your uptime statistics for the last day, week, month and year, so the customers know you are in it for the tong haul.

Web site monitoring reduces technical support workload

A recent review by DotcomMonitor reveals that accessibility calls to a web host’s technical support can be reduced by 30% just by posting the current status of the web site as reported by an independent monitoring service.

Often a user will call technical support if he encounters a slow Internet connection or download times, dialup problems, web site accessibility or various computer issues. Users assume the problem is with their web host or their ISP, and call technical support to fix the problem, even if the problem is on their computer.

Real time independent connectivity reports eliminate the need for such calls in many cases, by showing what the status of the site is. A sample report at http://www.dotcommonitor.com/reportingcard.asp gives an idea of how this works.

Web site monitoring is good customer relations

If it costs up to ten times more to attract a new customer than to keep an existing one, independent web site monitoring can help you keep those precious customers.

Nothing is more frustrating for the enduser than to have her site down and nothing is more embarrassing for an ISP to receive a call from customer about a downtime, especially if it is related to a connectivity issue the hosting company or ISP is not even aware of.

An external monitoring network can alert an ISP or web host immediately to problems that often cannot be detected by internal monitoring, allowing the company to address the issue immediately…and hopefully before a customer even notices that a problem exists.

Monitoring cuts the burden of dispute resolution

Corporate hosting clients and Internet access customers often expect certain levels of service and enter into an SLA (service level agreement). Often, SLA contracts impose fines on ISPs and web hosts who do not meet the targets. Determining how those levels are measured can be difficult, but an independent, thirdparty monitoring service can easily resolve disputes before they begin.

DotcomMonitor is among those services that provides an added SLA reporting function, which can be seen at http://www.dotcommonitor.com/servicelevelagreement.asp . Both the host or ISP and the client can view the reports, and reporting intervals can be set based on the terms of the SLA contract.

While every web site can benefit from some form of monitoring, no class of business needs more the credibility of an independent monitoring service as much as those who provide access to the Internet for their clients: ISPs and web hosting companies.

About The Author

David Leonhardt is a freelance writer and SEO consultant:

http://www.seowriter.net

He wrote this article for DotcomMonitor Web Site Monitoring

http://www.dotcommonitor.com

More information on web site monitoring

http://www.dotcommonitor.com/websitemonitoring.asp

More information on network monitoring

http://www.dotcommonitor.com/networkmonitoring.asp

[email protected]

This article was posted on March 01

by David Leonhardt

Blogging For Business Great Reasons For Every Bu

Blogging For Business Great Reasons For Every Business To Start A Weblog

by: John Jantsch

If Howard Dean’s failed political campaign accomplished anything, I would say that it brought to the mainstream the use of something called a weblog or ขblogข as it known in cyberspace.

A blog is really nothing more than a diary uploaded to the Internet and until about the last 12 months was the realm of the individual who saw it as a way to publish there random (and sometimes disturbed) thoughts. The great thing about weblogs, and the growing set of software that is being created to publish them, is that they are a tremendous business tool.

Weblogs allow you to create content and contact…and that is what your clients crave more than anything.

I use a program (there is a free trial version) called PMachine to publish my weblog at DuctTapeMarketing.com/weblog.php. This program allows me to simply make many entries and updates and also allows readers to add comments. Better still, now seemingly random articles can be sorted and searched by content or subject. My weblog is more like a content management system and my readers seem to love it.

Another great reason to explore the use of weblogs is that search engines seem to love them. Within 30 days of launching my weblog it became the most visited page on my fairly high traffic website.

So what is it about blogs that those little spiders love so much?

Here’s a little secret, search engines crave content. Okay so maybe that’s not such a secret but to look at many websites you would think it so. The fact is that too many websites just sit there doing nothing that the search engines admire. Providing content, not to mention fresh content, is one of the toughest chores of anyone who maintains a website. But when it comes to generating traffic it is the most important job.

Blogs, by their very nature, are all about content. In a commercial environment every blog entry is fresh content. Get in the habit of making two, three, even four entries a week and you’ve got a content building bonanza on your hands. Everyone knows you need new content to give visitors a reason to come back; blogs just make the task so much easier.

Another advantage that blogs seem to currently possess over traditional web pages and sites is lack of competition. While the number of bloggers grows daily, there are still relatively few commercial blog sites. When I created my blog I found that it showed up in the number 3 spot in Google for the term ขMarketing Weblogข within about 3 weeks of launch. Not bad considering I did nothing to make it happen.

There are a couple of other things you should do to make your weblog a traffic magnet. They aren’t really that different than tradition SEO tactics but the names and faces are unique to the blogging world.

Use targeted keywords in your entry titles

No rocket science here but this tip can’t be stated enough. Forget cute…go for titles that fit your targeted keywords and phrases…even if they seem a bit awkward. (You do have targeted keywords and phrases don’t you?)

Register with Blog Search Engines – Search engines that specialize in blogs

http://www.daypop.com/

http://www.blogvision.com/

http://www.blogsearchengine.com/

Register with Tracking Services – These services note when a blog has been updated and publish an ongoing list. They even keep track of the most updated and most visited weblogs. Plus you get to learn what pinging is.

http://blo.gs/

http://www.weblogs.com/

Trade Some Links

You don’t need to get out of control on this one but a few ขrelevantข swapped links to related blogs can boost your traffic.

Syndicate your content

This one is way to technical to cover here but do some research on the term RSS and you may discover ways to have your content and entries fed to sites that are hungry for the type of stuff you write. Many of the popular weblog software packages have this capability built right in.

http://www.feedster.com/

Copyright 2004 John Jantsch

About The Author

John Jantsch is a marketing consultant based in Kansas City, Mo. He writes frequently on real world small business marketing tactics and is the creator of ขDuct Tape Marketingข a turnkey small business marketing system. Check out his blog at http://www.DuctTapeMarketing.com/weblog.php

This article was posted on March 23, 2004

by John Jantsch

How to Make Money From Your Website

How to Make Money From Your Website

by: Mark Pascua

Are you a webmaster and don’t know how to make a profit with your website? Or do you want to create a site but don’t know how to get started?

If you fit in the latter, hereกs a few suggestions:

Choose a topic for your site. Preferably, you should choose a topic that you are familiar with and that you enjoy. The worst thing you can do is choose a topic you are not comfortable with and your site will suffer. So, if you are an avid fisher, why not create a site about fishing? If you love music, create a music site.

Choose a reliable host. There are tons to choose from. We suggest that you do your research, and remember, Google is your friend. Be sure to Google every hosting company you are considering. Read what others have to say about them. You might even find good deals in the process.

When choosing a host, be sure to buy the correct hosting package. Importantly, monthly bandwidth and diskspace. For small sites, itกs safe to purchase a package with 510 gigabytes worth of monthly bandwidth. Similarly, be sure the hosting package provides enough disk space for your site to grow and expand. 200 megabytes of space should be sufficient for small sites.

The key to any successful site is content. Try provide original and interesting content that people would actually need and/or read. Copying and pasting content from another source doesn’t cut it, and you could be infringing copyright laws. Be creative.

How Do I Make Money?

After your site has been developed, itกs time to make some money. There are various ways of doing so. The most common ways are through direct sales and advertising.

If you have something to sell that is related to your siteกs topic, sell it on your site! For example, if you have a fishing site, why not sell fishing poles, bait, or hooks?

But what if you have nothing to sell? Then why not sell yourself! If you have a skill that you can provide to others, why not offer it? If your site is about webdesign, why not offer a service where you design sites for customers? If you have a knitting site and can knit yourself, why not offer knitting services?

What if you have don’t have merchandise or a service to sell? Then the most popular method of generating a profit through your website is by selling advertising space. There are several affiliate programs that will กbuyก space on your site for you to display banners in various sizes. Most of these companies pay monthly and are a good source of steady income. Below are a list of recommended affiliate programs.

Sign Up with Affiliate Programs

Below are a list of recommended advertising affiliate companies to join. Most require a site with decent content and a top level domain. Be sure to read each companies Terms of Service and Frequent Asked Questions (FAQs) for further details.

PayPopUp.com : PayPopUp is one of the smaller but very reliable ad agencies. They offer standard size (468×60) and leaderboard (728×90) banners. Not only that, they offer layer ads, popups/popunders, and interstitials. To top it off, they pay for raw impressions!

Casalemedia.com : Casalemedia offers one of the highest quality popup and banner ads. They support leaderboards (728×90), skyscrapers (120×600) and medium rectangles (300×250). They offer great rates and even provide real time statistics.

MammaMediaSolutions.com : MammaMedia is another fantastic ad agency. They offer CPM and CPC campaigns. They support skyscrapers (120×600), standard (468×60), and leaderboards banners (728×90). Similiarly, popup and interstitials campaigns are available.

Google Adsense : Google Adsense is the premier CPC program. Look no further than Google. They support every banner size imaginable.

About The Author

Mark Pascua is the webmaster of PersonalConfuser.net, a computer howto and tips website.

[email protected]

This article was posted on September 14

by Mark Pascua

Wake up Homer Simpson!

Wake up Homer Simpson!

by: Gary Durkin

It amazed me way back, and it still amazes me today. Just how many Homer Simpsons there are on the internet.

Don’t get me wrong, I love ‘The Simpsons’.

I’ve been responsible for a few ‘Homerisms’ in my time, especially after I’ve had a few Duff Beers!

But nothing to the extent I have seen online (and off) over the years….. and I’ve seen a lot believe me.

Only today, I was with some friends and the conversation moved to ‘making money’ (as it does!). One of them announced that he had just invested in a fantastic scheme on the internet, which said he would make over $50,000 in next to no time, with a simple investment of just $250 – and he had absolutely nothing to do.

Some of you will be thinking, ขYeah, that’s sounds similar to the one I am withข….

Others will be thinking ขIDIOT! Not possibleข

For those who think it’s a good deal you are HOMER SIMPSON.

For those who think it sounds like something you’re in – HOMER!!

For those who think he’s an idiot for getting involved – you’re Lisa Simpson.

The truth is, the internet holds no ‘magic bullets’. No secret ways of making a fortune, without doing anything or paying a dime.

If you think you CAN make a fortune, by doing nothing and spending nothing, then you really are Homer Simpson…… D’oh!

MTYH – ขanyone can make a fortune onlineข

FACT – most people trying to make money, don’t. They get sucked in to silly schemes just like the one above, and get nowhere.

MYTH – ขthere are 500 Million people looking to buy onlineข

FACT – there are probably half a billion people with internet access, but they all don’t use it, they all certainly don’t want to buy things.

MYTH – ขyou don’t need to spend a dime to make moneyข

FACT – yes you do. Not necessarily tens of thousands of dollars, but to be successful, you do need to spend even just a little.

MYTH – ขonce I’m in, I don’t do any work to make a fortuneข

FACT – I can tell you for sure, that some of the biggest names around still spend upwards of 14 hours a day working to be successful online.

The truth sometimes hurts. You do need to work to earn. You do need to invest a little time and money to reap the rewards.

In the past, I’ve gone to the extreme of setting aside what I called ‘Idiot Money’. This was capital which I knew would be lost forever, and ventured into MLM programs, Pyramids, Gifting Schemes, Matrixes, and many others. I did this just to prove my point, there is no basis for anyone to say something doesn’t work, if they have never tried it themselves.

I’m sure not all the programs fail, or never deliver, but MANY DO FAIL.

Here’s a little story to leave you with….. a true story….

Something I did a few years ago as a joke. I ran an advert to a Safelist…. Like this:

HOW not TO MAKE MONEY ONLINE IN A SECOND

This REVOLUTIONARY new program is changing the way the GURUS think about internet PROFITS

BE THE FIRST (I am) and make a FORTUNE.

A BRAND NEW 0x0 (zero by zero) reversing, infinite matrix Gifting Program with forced spillover directly into my account, is GUARANTEED to make me a FORTUNE.

Simply gift to me $100 to my account, then sit back, relax and do absolutely nothing (that’s just what I do).

I am going to make a pile of cash the size of my house from this.

Note – your $100 gift to me will be gratefully received – thank you. The more people who gift money to me, the more profit I make.

For more information on giving me money, contact…. XXXXXX

……………………

So… what did you think? Do you think it sounds interesting and something you could join? If you did…. Pack up your computer and return it to the shop where you bought it from.

Most (hopefully) all you are laughing, thinking that the Ad was complete nonsense and noone would ever fall for it.

WRONG. Even though it was worded clearly, even though it was absolute silliness, I still had TEN people contact me, asking where to send their $100

CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?!!

Well, it’s true. Needless to say I did NOT take their money, I explained it was a joke, worded in such a way to prove clearly it was a joke.

After some thought, each of them went away feeling very silly.

Not everything in life is as clear as that. Not everything is what it seems.

Don’t get sucked into silly claims that fly around the Internet.

Think first……. Then think again.

© Copyright 2005 All Rights Reserved worldwide.

About The Author

Gary Durkin

Founder of the Internet Advice Center®

http://www.InternetAdviceCenter.com

Gary has more than a decade of offline international business success behind him, and has been doing business online for 6 years.

If you would like to join thousands of subscribers to his newsletter ‘Delivering Success’ send a blank email to [email protected]

© Copyright 2005 All Rights Reserved worldwide.

You are free to distribute this article, providing it remains unchanged and with this box attached.

This article was posted on April 23

by Gary Durkin

Taking Email Marketing To The Next Level

Taking Email Marketing To The Next Level

by: Karen Fegarty

How to use the latest emessaging strategies to increase profits.

Many types of Internet advertising don’t work as well as they once did. People have gotten used to banners and don’t click on them. Some ezines have failed to keep their readersก interest and ads sometimes get less response. Search engines are overflowing with submissions. Getting your site listed high is almost impossible.

More and more businesses and organizations are now turning to email marketing to keep profits rolling in. While an increasing number of people say they rarely surf the Net, the vast majority of North Americans check their email every day.

Email marketing is the most effective and efficient way to influence purchases and keep customers informed and happy. It is also extremely inexpensive. Where you might have mailed out one printed customer update every month, you can now email one every week for a fraction of the cost.

Increasingly, companies need to embrace email marketing in a big way in order to stay competitive. Those who formerly used a service to send out their newsletters, sales info, and consumer updates are now doing all the emailing themselves.

New technology that is powerful yet easy to use allows anyone to handle email jobs that previously required expensive professional help. Many companies are bringing their email campaigns in house in order to have more control, grow their email efforts, and decrease costs.

Here are four features you will want to use in your email marketing efforts:

Include HTML in your email messages. Most email programs are now equipped to read HTML. Your logo, banner, bullets, and color elements can make your message jump off the screen. You can even include forms that allow customers to order instantly from your message. You take advantage of impulse purchases that can lead to big increases in sales. *Important Make sure you have prequalified your recipient do they want to receive HTML messages!*

Use a campaign manager feature to schedule when your email messages will be sent out. You can prepare an entire monthsก worth of messages and tell the manager which weeks, days, or hours to release them to your list.

Take advantage of a POP import feature. It automatically takes the email addresses from messages you receive and puts them on your mailing list. This insures no one who requests information from you is left out of your next update. This also helps you grow your list as fast as possible. You can even use a feature that automatically unsubscribes those who ask to be removed from your list. Many companies say this saves them hours of work each week.

Make sure the software you use to send your messages includes a walkthrough wizard. You get stepbystep instructions on how to do any task you wish to achieve. Instead of waiting for the tech guy to show up, you can speed through the job on your own.

About The Author

Karen Fegarty is with MailWorkZ. MailWorkZ has been instrumental in developing new email technology. MailWorkZกs award winning email marketing tool, is key to reaching your customers in a highly efficient, personalized manner. Reach Karen at [email protected]

This article was posted on January 20, 2002

by Karen Fegarty

Start Your Own Ezine Newsletter & Profit!

Start Your Own Ezine Newsletter & Profit!

by: Steven Boaze

The information listed here is worth more than gold. if you apply these simple list building plans and techniques, we guarantee you will see results. you may not get the results as fast as you want to, but don’t worry. all list building strategies take time and when properly used correctly, will be more rewarding than you can possibly imagine.

ONLINE

Make your website an กattention grabberก. With almost 4 million websites to choose from, the fact that someone found yours is something you shouldn’t take for granted. With so much choice, how can you expect them to remember to come back tomorrow, and the next day? If you don’t have an optin/signup form on your website, you are literally throwing opportunities away. This is the single most important thing you can do to build your database. But don’t just put it on your home page put it on every page, or make it part of your main navigation tool.

Checkbox your forms. Every form on your website should ask for permission to send future emails. If someone makes an online purchase, include a check box on the order form to get on your mailing list. If they download something from your site, make the same offer.

Get on other websites. Find a site whose product or service is complementary to yours and call them up. Ask if theyกd add your newsletter to their optin form. Trade offers add an additional check box to your sign up form so people can subscribe to your contact database and your partnerกs at the same time. Instead of advertising your product or service directly, consider placing banner ads (or do a banner exchange) for your newsletter on the sites your target audience is likely to visit.

Team up with other email marketers. You may be just starting to build, but there are thousands of marketers who already own a contact list and are sending email campaigns every day. Advertise your newsletter or website (with its prominent signup offer) in their newsletters or promotions (or do a banner exchange).

Use viral marketing. Even if you only send emails to a handful of people, make sure you include a กforward to a friendก link in each one and equally important, a signup link for new readers. Youกd be amazed at how often I get an interesting newsletter or promo from a friend, but can’t figure out how to start getting my own copy. Don’t forget to promote your signup offer at the bottom of your everyday email. Even if you’re sending email to a friend or coworker, include a link to your signup form to keep up the momentum. Remember, your email may get forwarded, so cover all your bases.

Get listed in ezine directories and search engines. Thereกs a ton of free directories out there that categorize email newsletters.Go online and submit your listing to as many as you can but make sure you read their privacy policy first!

OFFLINE

Make it a part of your brand identity. Every piece of paper that leaves your office should have a link to your website and/or your email subscription information. Period.

Equip your lobby or reception area. Post subscription information at your front desk a little selfstanding sign gets noticed. Place a fishbowl for business cards next to it, or better yet, let people sign up right then and there using a computer thatกs logged on to the optin form on your website.

Equip your trade show booth. Do the same as above in your exhibitกs reception area. If you rent a lead retrieval machine from the show vendor, be sure to customize it so you can capture email and permission information.

Piggyback instore purchases. When you ring up a customer, ask them if theyกd like to receive email mailers from you. Be sure to let them know what theyกll be getting and when.

Ask people you meet. Even if you don’t sponsor or exhibit at events, try to attend them. Talk to people facetoface and let them know you have valuable information to share. Exchange business cards along the way. Create a special set of cards that include your subscription information.

Promote after the sale. Letกs say your customer didn’t want to get on your email form when given the chance at checkout. They still go home with printed packaging of some form, whether itกs a shopping bag, giftwrap or the product packaging itself. Promote a subscription there, too, because (1) they might change their mind and (2) if they’re giving it to someone else, youกve gained another opportunity.

Use direct mail. It doesn’t have to be fancy. A simple postcard promoting your offer to a small, rented (permissionbased!) group will do. Sometimes all it takes to get people on your list is to let them know about your offer and that you can send it via email (instead of killing trees).

Use print advertising. Placing an ad is almost as tricky as renting an email database, but realize that we’re not talking about placing an ad in Forbes Magazine. Your local newspaper, your neighborhood newsletter, your Laundromatกs bulletin board… start asking about promoting your offer in everything you read and everywhere you go. Get creative!

Use the telephone. Ask everyone who calls in to your company if theyกd like to jsign up to receive information from you.

Use an existing contact database you already have. You probably have one, you just don’t know it! Dig deep into your address book or database to find anyone you ever had a relationship with anyone who ever bought from you, for example. Send them a onetime mailing (via email or mail, use whatever contact information you have) explaining that you are starting a newsletter or periodic emailing and ask if theyกd like to sign up. Assure them that this is a onetime mailing, and then keep mailing only if they give you permission.

******************

You can promote your offer in every corner of the world; but there are a few more things you should do to ensure your email list contains welltargeted, optin, permissionbased, low bounce/low unsubscribe names.

Only use an optin or double optin subscription method not optout. Double optin ensures highest quality, since you are guaranteed direct permission from the subscriber and a valid email address.

Offer people relevance and value in exchange for their contact information, e.g., special discounts, monthly tipsntricks, white papers, etc. Giving away irrelevant freebies builds your optin list in the short term, but over the long run, those leads won’t pay off.

Qualify without scaring away the really interested people. Ask for more than just name and email but not too much. Find the right balance, and the people who truly value your offer and want to hear from you will be the ones who end up in your database.

Set expectations up front. Tell people what theyกll be getting, and only the interested ones will sign up. The key to successfully building a high quality, optin, permissionbased email contact list is to realize itกs a continual process. Don’t expect 10,000 names to appear from your optin form overnight. But the sooner you start, the sooner you can start building rewarding relationships.

About The Author

Steven Boaze is the President of Boaze Publishing with one of the largest databases on the internet. Come by Boaze Publishing and get your 50% off all advertising for the month of Dec! http://www.boazepublishing.biz/

[email protected]

This article was posted on December 16, 2003

by Steven Boaze

Top Seven Ways to Tune up your Website

Top Seven Ways to Tune up your Website

by: Philippa Gamse

We’re in a recession, and perhaps your business is slightly slower than usual. But it’s always a good time to take stock of what’s working for you, and what needs some attention – including your Web site!

Here are my suggestions for a great tuneup audit – take a fresh look at your site and your promotional strategy with these pointers:

1. Is your site appealing to all your markets?

Do you have different potential buyers for different aspects of your products and services? Is there content on your site that’s designed for each of these? Have you considered whether your Web audience might be different from your traditional markets, and if so, whether you can exploit that?

2. Does your content engage your visitors?

Your site should be written from your visitors’ point of view, not yours. Does your home page clearly recognize why the reader might be there – what’s in it for them, and why they should care? What are the problems or issues that they might have, and how will you solve them?

3. Can you make your case?

If you claim that your products or services achieve results, do you have clear content on your site that substantiates this? Do you have case studies, sample client lists, and testimonials from happy customers? Third party endorsements are worth far more than your own promotional text, and they should be spread throughout your site, not relegated to a separate page that few visitors will go to.

4. Do you position yourself as an expert?

One of the most effective ways to get exposure is to publish articles, and white papers around your area of expertise. Even if you sell widgets, you can help people get the most out of using them! Articles on your site will be picked up by the search engines, and you can also offer them to publications that your target markets read – always with a link back, or reference to your site, of course.

5. Do you ask for the business?

Whatever the outcomes that you want from your site, you need to ask for it. Too many Web pages end weakly, with no clear calls to action. Don’t make your visitors have to work to decide what to do next – they won’t! Every page on your site should have a strategy – invite the visitor to interact with you, or go to the next page, but make it easy and obvious.

6. Do you have a diversified promotional strategy?

Don’t depend on free search engines to get you traffic. Are you exploring other ways of promoting your site – such as using your content and articles, advertising in ezines, appending a signature file to your email, regularly sending updates to your database, and ensuring that your traditional marketing is integrated with your online activities?

7. Are you reviewing your traffic analysis?

Last, but really key – your Website traffic reports will tell you what’s working and what isn’t. Without this information, you’re really shooting in the dark – what if you were to find that the majority of your hardearned visitors never go beyond your home page?

This isn’t an exhaustive list, but it’s a good start. I hope that your Web site passes the test!

About The Author

Philippa Gamse, CyberSpeaker, is an internationally recognized ebusiness strategist. Check out her free tipsheet กBeyond the Search Enginesก for 17 ideas to promote your Website: http://www.CyberSpeaker.com/tipsheet.html Philippa can be reached at (831) 4650317 or mailto:[email protected].

This article was posted on November 14, 2002

by Philippa Gamse

Whatกs Your EResolution for 2005?

Whatกs Your EResolution for 2005?

by: Fabian Lim

The year has just started and NOW is the best time to plan ahead for the year.

If you’re like most people, you wake up on New Yearกs Day with a resolution a selfpromise to complete and accomplish a certain challenge.

You probably wrestled with it the night before.

On this glorious morning you feel optimistic, confident and determined to keep the promises you made to yourself.

Your purpose isn’t just the disposal of certain bad habits OR behaviors.

You WANT to succeed online, don’t you?

So, what is YOUR ‘resolutionก for your online business this year?

Is it to make your first online sale?

Is it to publish an ebook?

Is it to make $100,000 annually?

The truth is, it really doesn’t matter how easy or difficult you set your online goal.

What matters is you have developed a plan to achieve your goal and have made a firm commitment to execute your plan.

If you are one of those people who makes resolutions every January then forgets about them by February itกs time to change that this year.

Because 2005 IS gonna be your BEST year online!

But keeping resolutions isn’t always easy.

Itกs mapping out and following a course of action, thatกs dependent upon your own effort and commitment.

The best intentions can change quickly when they meet with the constant potholes of daily living.

Delaying plans until กa more suitable time,ก may be a fastfix solution when the squeeze is on, but it won’t hand you the confidence youกll get, if you keep resolutions and attain your goals.

Here Are Five Tips To Help You Achieve Your กEResolutionก:

1) Provide Yourself A ‘reason Whyก

You need a good ‘reason whyก you chose a particular resolution in the first place. Your ‘reason whyก will help restore your belief in yourself when times of trial and temptation pop up!

Wanting to achieve time and financial freedom are two common reasons why people strive to succeed online. But they are by no means the only reasons. What is YOUR ‘reason whyก?

2) Set Realistic And Measurable Goals

Take small steps, pace your success. Look for progress not perfection. Find an online mentor, someone who is a good example someone whom you respect and trust.

Customize suggestions to meet your needs. Pat yourself on the back when you meet small goals. This allows you to personalize your own program for success.

3) Seek Support Whenever Possible

Expressing concerns to others should be an emotional outlet which inspires you forward. There are many online mentors out there who will be willing to help you online… if you just ask!

The online world is constantly evolving. The only thing constant online is กchangeก. And change is difficult to cope with because it meets with the naturally occurring resistance that it creates. Gently push through your resistance. Remind yourself about other positives. View change as a challenge!

4) Develop A กLearningก Mindset

As mentioned, the internet is an everevolving community. What worked six months ago may not work six months down the road. Youกve got to keep abreast of the online evolution.

And the only way you’re gonna keep up is to develop a กcontinuous learningก mindset. To this end, online forums are the best places to กhangoutก and observe whatกs hot and whatกs not.

5) Reward Your Achievements

Build up confidence in your inner self that already knew you could do it. Resolutions are easier to keep on a daily basis. Setbacks are a realistic part of change. Focus on selfcare and hold tight to your dreams.

Start employing the above tips and strategies and youกll be onestep closer to achieving your New Yearกs resolution.

Make Your กEResolutionก A Reality!

Copyright 2005 BizSuccessOnline

About The Author

Fabian Lim is a Web Analytics & Internet Marketing Consultant. He helps organizations and individuals succeed online. Visit his website at http://www.BizSuccessOnline.com and his blog at http://www.fabianlim.name.

This article was posted on January 20

by Fabian Lim

Top 10 Tips for Blogging

Top 10 Tips for Blogging

by: S. Housley

Tips for creating a blog.

There are no hard and fast rules on how to blog. Having said that, bloggers will likely increase their exposure by following some simple blog guidelines.

1.) Stay on topic.

Opinions are generally accepted but the content of the items in the blog should all relate to a general theme. Unless you have an uncanny knack for wit, humor or cynicism, the majority of your readers will be interested in the content that relates to a specific defined theme or loosely defined area of interest. Most readers won’t care that you eat Cheerios for breakfast. They may, however, be interested in the fact that vinegar takes out stains and that toilet paper rolls make great wreaths. Define a topic and stick to it. This will ensure that you create a loyal following of interested readers.

2.) Stay informative.

If you are attempting to create the impression that you are knowledgeable about a specific industry or sector, be sure that you stay current on news. If you are endorsing a product or voicing an opinion, be sure to check your facts; your reputation is at stake. If you are offering an opinion, be sure to qualify your post, making it clear that the content is intended as an editorial.

3.) Old news is not news.

While blogging every day can be a drain, it is important that the information presented is current and accurate, writing an article or blurb about something that happened 6 months ago, will not be of interest to many. Telling your audience that Martha Stewart was convicted and will be going to prison, after her sentence is completed will make people question the value of your columns.

4.) Adhere to a schedule.

Create a schedule and stick to it. Realizing that blogging requires time and effort, don’t create unrealistic expectations and be unable to deliver. An occasional lapse or holiday is generally understood but readers returning to find stale, outdated content are going to find another blog with similar content. New blogs and RSS feeds are popping up on a daily basis. If you have worked hard to develop an audience and a community you don’t want to lose them due to lack of communication.

5.) Clarity and simplicity.

Keep your posts and blog entries clear and easy to understand. Remember, the web is global and expressions, idioms and acronyms don’t always translate. Sometimes a little explanation goes a long way.

6.) Keywordrich.

If the goal of your blog is to increase your visibility, include related keywords in the title of the blog. Use the title as a headline to attract interest. Each item post should have a title that will attract attention but still be relevant to the post. The title should be no longer than 1012 words.

7.) Quantity matters.

In order to attract the attention of search engines, you will need to develop content and substance. A headline or simple sentence is not going to generate the interest of readers or help with search engine ranking. Be sure to archive old blog posts to develop a large portal of similarlythemed content.

8.) Frequency.

If your blog content is updated frequently, search engines will tend to spider the pages at regular intervals.

9.) Spell checking and proofreading.

It only takes a few extra moments and can save you from having to make embarrassing explanations. Remember that whatever you publish on the Internet can be found and archived. Think carefully about what you post before doing so.

10.) RSS.

RSS will increase your blogกs reach. It is important that you include your blogกs content in an RSS feed to increase readership and distribution.

Most weblog audiences are small, but with time and regular updates audiences grow. Bloggers may never have more than a few hundred readers, but the people who return to regularly are generally interested in what you have to say.

About The Author

Sharon Housley manages marketing for FeedForAll http://www.feedforall.com software for creating, editing and publishing RSS feeds and NotePage http://www.notepage.net a wireless text messaging software.

This article was posted on April 21

by S. Housley