=================
=================
It`s an old, old saying, but it`s true: you only have one
chance to make a good first impression. And in email, the
first impression is always visual -- a consumer LOOKS/SEES
before he/she READS.
Imagine walking by a grotesquely garish storefront with all
kinds of things hanging off the front porch, every floor
painted a different color, and odd music playing through
loudspeakers. Would you want to walk in the front door? No
way! You`d assume that the owner is a kook, at best, or a
deranged axe murderer, at worst.
Did you ever have an ugly looking email land in your
mailbox? You know what I`m talking about: an orange
background and yellow borders, multi-colored text in all
sizes from gigantic to microscopic, a message that looks like
it was created by a crazed six-year-old? If you did, I bet
you didn`t feel the urge to read it. You probably just
wanted to delete it as quickly as possible.
=> PUT OUT THE WELCOME MAT
You want your email message to be friendly and inviting, not
bizarre and scary. The suggestions below -- and they`re
just suggestions, not hard and fast rules -- will go a long
way towards making recipients` eyes say "come on in!" to
your message.
=> DO`s and DON`Ts FOR ATTRACTIVE EMAILS
-DON`T use COLOR fonts in your message. (Leave that to
junior high girls who want to write about Britney and
Justin)
-DO use BLACK TEXT ON A WHITE BACKGROUND. (When you`re
"speaking" in black-and-white, people will give their full
attention to your message without being distracted by your
color scheme.)
-DON`T use UNCOMMON FONTS. (If someone`s system doesn`t
recognize the font you`ve selected, they could see gibberish
instead of your brilliant message).
-DO use the email marketers` FAVORITE FONTS: Arial, Times
New Roman, and Courier New
And please.
-DON`T use flashing buttons or banners in your email! (Your
prospects have undoubtedly gotten their fill of "bells and
whistles" when they`ve surfed the Internet. They don`t need
more from you.)
=> GET HYPER" WITH EMAIL HYPERLINKS
An "email hyperlink" is just techno-talk for a link in your
email to a website, or email address. Sounds simple enough,
and it is -- unless you try to contact a prospect on AOL who
may not be able to receive "clickable" links.
Don`t worry. There`s a "fix" for this: simply type mailto:
in front of your email address (no space in between, and
include the : )
For a link to a web page, you need to write your link this
href=http://www.anycompany.com>http://www.anycompany.com
. (And tell your recipient they can copy and paste this
link into their browser if it`s not highlighted.)
=> ALWAYS USE SIGNATURE TAGS
Today, it`s common practice on the Internet to tell people
about your product or service with a SIGNATURE TAG, which is
3-6 lines of text (usually) that is automatically added to
every message you send.
If you`d like to add a tag to your messages, simply open
your email program. Find the SIGNATURES TAB (located in the
TOOLS/OPTIONS menu in Outlook Express). Follow the (simple)
instructions for creating a sig file. Easy as pie...and the
results will amaze you.
That`s it for now, but get your "net" ready. Next lesson
we`re going to hunt down and CAPTURE EMAILS.
7 Wise Ways to Collect Email Addresses and Build Your
Mailing List-----------------------------------------------------------------
Okay, enough motivation and inspiration. Let`s get down to
business...the business of today`s "Marketing Strategies that
EMPOWER Success" lesson. We`re hunting big game -- you`re
going to learn HOW TO CAPTURE EMAILS.
If you`re wondering why you need emails, there`s a key point
to remember: your whole objective must be to BUILD A LARGE
EMAIL LIST of prospects and customers. Once you have an
email list, you can begin to make SERIOUS MONEY
So how do you capture email addresses? I`m glad you asked.
The answers follow.
==========================================
Mailing List
==========================================
=> Wise Way #1 - OFFER A FREEBIE
You have to give in order to get. If you want people to
offer up their email address, you`re going to have to offer
up an incentive. Nothing works better than something that`s
complimentary (you spell that F-R-E-E). You can give away
no-cost reports, books, software, or even sample pages of a
book.
-Word to the Wise: Our Empowerism subscribers use
complimentary subscriptions to our "Excellence Magazine" and
ebook giveaways to grow their lists. Works like a charm.
=> Wise Way #2 - USE POP-UPS
Pop-ups are one of the most common methods you can use to
capture email addresses and build your email list
quickly and with ease. Simply construct a web page
containing code for a form and set the page to open (pop up)
when visitors ENTER OR EXIT your site.
Make sure the pop-up offer is something that`s valuable
enough to motivate visitors to take time to give you their
contact information. Your offer can be a complimentary
report, download, or ebook that arrives instantly through
your autoresponder to their email inbox when they give you
their email.
-Word to the Wise: If you need a pop-up, you can pick one
up F-R-E-E (there`s that word again) from Empowerism
-Son of Word to the Wise: "Instant" is a very powerful
pop-up offer.
=> Wise Way #3 - USE POSTCARDS
If you have a mailing list that contains snail mail (street)
addresses, convert it into an email list by sending out a
postcard and inviting people to VISIT YOUR WEBSITE to
receive a gift of some kind -- a report, a discount coupon,
etc. Visitors don`t have to pay in order to receive their
gifts, they simply need to enter an email address.
-A Word to the Wise from the U.S. Post Office: Postage is
much less expensive for a postcard than a standard-size
letter. (Not only are they economical, postcards are more
likely to get your message across since the consumer doesn`t
have to open an envelope.)
=> Wise Way #4 - SUBSCRIBER BOX ON EVERY PAGE
This is a clever trick that so many people overlook. Put a
RESPONSE FORM ON EVERY PAGE of your website offering a
newsletter or other freebie. This will increase the number
of email addresses you capture exponentially.
Why? When search engines index the pages of your website, a
visitor may come directly to a page other than your home
page. If you only have a subscriber box on your home page,
you`re missing the boat, not to mention the thousands of
visitors who bypass your homepage.
-A Word to the Wise: If you don`t know how to create an
opt-in form, no worries. Empowerism has a foolproof `build
your own` tool made just for you!
=> Wise Way #5 - CONTESTS
Contests very often prove to be a good way to generate
traffic and buzz for your business. Create a contest and put
a form on your site or in a pop-up box. The entry "fee" is
their email address.
-Word to the Wise: Not all the people who sign up for your
contest are good prospects. Many are just contest
"junkies" -- people who are only looking for freebies and
have no intention of buying a product or service.
-Warning to the Wise: If your prizes are cash or
large-ticket items, you should be sure to check with local
agencies to make sure you`re not violating any contest laws.
=> Wise Way #6 - DISPLAY YOUR AUTORESPONDER ADDRESS
Most people give their website link when they place solo
ads, ezine ads, or other marketing messages. To be one step
ahead of the game in collecting email addresses, LIST YOUR
AUTORESPONDER ADDRESS instead of your URL. This way you can
capture email address and funnel them into your follow-up
sales letters.
-Word to the Wise: Don`t have an autoresponder? Empowerism
will give you one, provide you with signposts to others, and
make sure you know exactly what to look for to find the
"pick of the litter."
-Word from our "Sponsor": Autoresponders you can use are
just one sample of the incredible resources you can depend
on when you`re a member of the Empowerism family. Our
tools, information, and especially the Empowerism RSVP --
Revenue Sharing Value Program -- are all designed to
generate BIG bucks with LITTLE effort.
=> Wise Way #7 - JUST ASK
If you`re chatting with a prospect on the phone or a
potential customer stops by your place of business, don`t be
shy: ask for an email address or business card (which
usually includes their email address).
Okay, you know what you want...you know what you need. It`s
time for you to set your traps and CAPTURE THOSE EMAILS!
In the meantime, I`ll be putting the final touches on your
next lesson:
"MARKETING STRATEGIES THAT EMPOWER SUCCESS"
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The bell has "rung" and it`s time for today`s lesson.
First, I`d like you to consider these four facts:
*A DIRECT MAIL PIECE costs about 40-cents in postage alone.
(And then you have to factor in paper and printing costs.)
*A PHONE CALL can cost just as much - or more - than a
direct mail piece.
*A PHONE CALL wastes time (and time is money) because you`ll
spend precious minutes - sometimes hours or days - trying to
contact the right person.
*A MESSAGE left on voice mail is almost always a waste of
time, and therefore a waste of money.
Depressing? Not at all. After you read today`s "Marketing
Strategies that EMPOWER Success" lesson, you`ll be able to
say "NO" to the downside of phone calls and direct mail and
"YES" to the upside of email.
Read on ...
Given the inherent problems with traditional marketing
techniques, it`s important to master the BASIC STRATEGIES
FOR INTEGRATING EMAIL into your overall campaign.
As I`ve just shown you, sending out an EMAIL CAN BE MUCH
CHEAPER than other marketing methods. Proceed with caution,
however. Email can also cost you a fortune -- in lost
opportunities AND cold hard cash -- IF you don`t know the
basics.
So that`s where we`re going to start.
First, always keep in mind that your "primary objective".
the master key that unlocks your "Success Vault" in Internet
Marketing is to build your mailing list - your EMAIL MAILING
LIST. (Often referred to as your "In-house list.")
The addresses you collect are going to mean the difference
between the middle-of-the-road results that Average Joe and
Jane are achieving and the through-the-roof, over-the-top,
to-the-moon-and-back MEGA-success that top online sellers
achieve. (The difference really is that dramatic.) So
don`t miss the boat: The time is NOW to start building your
list of email addresses (prospects).
REVIEW
You can begin to grow your list simply by capturing emails
from people who visit your website, as we have already
discussed in a previous lesson.
=> Pop Quiz: What`s the easiest way to convince people to
give you their email address? (Answer: Offer an
irresistible freebie with a sign-up form on your site or in
a pop-up box, drive traffic to your site, and watch as
people start entering their email address. Don`t have a
freebie? Get a good one from the Empowerism treasure
chest!)
Okay, so now you`re "in the groove". you`re capturing
people`s emails like crazy. But if you`re just sitting
there - well, you know the old saying, "Even if you`re on
the right track, you`ll get run over if you just sit there."
So what next?
-- Let me take a moment from telling how to build your email
list to remind you why. It`s been said that - YOU CAN GET
RICH WITH AN EMAIL LIST OF JUST 1000 PEOPLE!
Think about that. Then stop thinking and get going on
new ways to capture and keep email addresses.
(By the way, if you haven`t already "gotten with the
program" yet, I wanted to remind you that EMPOWERISM RSVP
presents an unparalleled opportunity for you to build a
mountain of wealth with a leads-buying program that rewards
you quickly and generously).
GIVE `TIL IT HURTS!
If you want to keep getting addresses, start giving stuff
away! Give, give, and keep finding more things to give! And
since you can`t send a TOASTER through email, why not give
the far more valuable -- and far more affordable for you --
INFORMATION PRODUCTS, business tools, and expert
advice - maybe even a no-cost/obligation email marketing
course like this one!
DRIP, DRIP, DRIP.
You`ll want to have a series of letters already set up so
that they can be "dripped" on your prospects on a regular
basis. Send a message daily, every other day, or on
whatever schedule suits you best, but make contact AT LEAST
EVERY 7 DAYS.
If you`re not confident in your writing skills, you have two
choices: you can hire a professional to write the letters
for you or you can use a system already set up with letters
to help you build your email list. (I suppose the third
choice is to just give up and bury your heard in the sand,
but that`s no way to make a million!)
If you`re serious about this - and you should be, believe
me -- you really should consider tapping into the system
offered by Empowerism. At Empowerism, you can access an
entire AUTOMATED leads/giveaway/database marketing
ALL-IN-ONE SYSTEM that makes it easy for your revenues to
soar.
I`ve got something really special planned for your next
message. It`s not a typical lesson.
MARKETING STRATEGIES THAT EMPOWER SUCCESS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The folks at McDonald`s are right. "You deserve a break
today."
You`ve been doing a bang-up job reading these messages and
learning your marketing A-B-C`s, but without a break, your
circuits are going to overload and instead of looking
forward to my messages...you`ll do exactly the opposite.
You`ll lose interest.
The same is true with potential customers.
So today, we`re going to take a Study Break, sort of. But
don`t worry, there`s still a valuable lesson to be learned.
==========================================
==========================================
Instead of getting tunnel-vision and only seeing the
short-term goal of the right-now sale, remember that your
email messages are an important way for you to build a
RELATIONSHIP with a consumer based on your HONESTY AND
SERVICE.
Although you want your prospect to buy, you shouldn`t
immediately and constantly bombard the folks on your email
list with nothing but sales pitches. You`re looking for a
long-term, committed relationship. Be a person first and a
salesperson second for the best results.
=> RELATIONSHIP COUNSELING
Your first few email sales letters may prove to be the most
effective if they`re written in a warm, helpful,
let`s-be-business-friends "voice."
=> GIVE THE PEOPLE WHAT THEY WANT
In the off-line world, we`ve become accustomed to the fact
that we hear literally thousands of messages each day. An
online experience, on the other hand is still, for most
people, closer to visiting "the library" or perhaps watching
public television rather than tuning into the Home Shopping
Network.
Most people are on the Internet looking for information -
not waiting to be sold. People don`t want to be pitched to
every day with a "you`d better buy it now" message.
So don`t be a salesperson. Be Miss Information (okay, Ms.
Information definitely sounds better) or Mr. Answerman.
After you become a trusted resource, it`s easy to become a
trusted source.
=> TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE
Lasting relationships don`t happen overnight...they`re built
over time. Your sales letters should be crafted in a way
that slowly, but surely convinces your prospects that you`re
someone with whom they`d like to do business. After you`ve
laid a foundation -- made them happy with what you`ve given
them as a gift, demonstrated your knowledge, etc. -- you`ll
have plenty of time to build a case for buying from you.
=> THE E-LIST
Once your prospects have gotten to know you through your
entire series of pre-written (but valuable)
communications...after you`ve built trust in the relationship
and gradually exposed consumers to the benefits of your
product or service...you can "graduate" them into your "real
time" ezine list.
Obviously, you can`t include a time-dependent message in
your pre-written letter series. People are opting in to
your list 365 days a year and you can`t risk that they`ll
receive a "Season`s Greetings" message in the middle of
June.
BUT, when you`ve exhausted the appeal of your letter series,
the people on your email list can become your ezine list.
Then you can send a Valentine`s message in February, a
"Happy Birthday, America" message in July, etc.
=> TO KNOW YOU IS TO LOVE YOU
You can influence people when they know you, like you, and
trust you. Ongoing timely communications means you can
continue to build rapport with the people on your list, and
you can be sure that if they TRUST you, they`ll be open to
BUYING from you.
Okay, I`ll admit that this message wasn`t purely a study
break. It may be the most valuable lesson you`ve learned
yet!
team is using to build an extraordinary residual income working
from home with EMPOWERISM! Let me know if you need any help!
1. You can get ad copy ideas by studying similar
product's advertising material. Collect their sales
letters, classified ads, web ads, e-mail ads, etc.
2. Know exactly what you want your ad copy to
accomplish. It could be to qualify prospects, make
sales, generate leads, attract web traffic, etc.
3. Make a complete list of your product's benefits
and features. Begin your ad with the most important
benefit either in your headline or first sentence.
4. Make your ad benefits as specific as possible.
Include exact numbers, percentages, times, colors,
smells, sounds, descriptive adjectives, etc.
5. List all the ways your product is different from
your competition's. Include all the differences in
your ad copy that are better than their product.
6. Use graphics, pictures and drawings of people
actually using your product to solve their problem.
Include a picture that also shows the results.
7. Make a list of your target audience. Write down
what reasons would attract them to purchase your
product. Include those reasons in your ad copy.
8. Include any proven facts in your ad copy. They
could be customer surveys, scientific tests, product
reviews, etc.
9. Tell your audience what kind of support they'll
get after they buy. It could be free consulting, tech
support, free servicing, etc.
10. Ask people at the end of your copy why they
decided not to buy. This will give you new ideas on
how to produce a more profitable ad copy.
Quote of the Day:
"A desire of knowledge is the natural feeling of mankind;
and every human being whose mind is not debauched will be
willing to give all that he has to get knowledge." --
Samuel Johnson
1. Publish a picture of yourself in your ad. This will
show people that you're not hiding behind your web
site and you're not afraid to backup your product.
2. List how many famous or respected people have
purchased your product in your ad. These people
should be fairly known by your target audience.
3. Publish the results of any tests your product has
passed in your ad. Your product may have passed
a durability test, safety test, quality test, etc.
4. Publish the results of any positive surveys you've
taken from your customers in your ad. Just survey
your current customers and list the results.
5. List any publications that have written about your
business in your ad. It could be a product review,
on a top ten list, an article, etc.
6. List any related books that you've written in your
ad. When you list a book(s) you've wrote, it gives
you credibility because it shows you're an expert.
7. Have a professional looking web site to publish
your ad on. When people visit your site and it looks
unprofessional, they'll relate that to your product.
8. Publish any endorsements from famous people in
your ad. Some people will think if a famous person,
enjoys your product, so will they.
9. Use a money back guarantee in your ad. This
will remove the risk from your potential customers
and show them that you stand behind your product.
10. Provide testimonials from satisfied customers in
your ad. The testimonials should include specific
and believable results you customers have received.
Quote of the Day:
"It is by studying little things that we attain the great
knowledge of having as little misery and as much happiness
as possible." -- Samuel Johnson
1. Know the value of the product before you bid. If
the product is brand new, check to see what price
retailers are charging for it. If the product is used or
reconditioned, you will want to pay way less than the
retail value.
2. If the product's description or picture isn't detailed
enough for you, contact the merchant to get more
information before you bid. You don't want to take a
chance to waste your hard earned money.
3. Know the highest price you will bid for the product
and stick with it. Don't get caught up in a bidding war;
you may end up paying more than the product's worth.
Don't forget to add in the shipping price with your bid.
4. Visit a few online auctions before bidding because
some merchants auction the same product in many
auctions. You usually can purchase the product for
a lower price in a unpopular auction because there
are less bidders.
5. Know the time the auction begins and ends. You
also want to know how long it will take to ship. If
you need the product by a certain date, you'll want
to estimate the time it will take to receive it.
6. Know the payment options the merchant accepts
before you bid on their product. If they only accept
checks or money orders, it may take even longer to
get the product because the payment has to clear. If
they accept credit cards make sure they have a secure
server.
7. Know if the merchant offers a warranty or money
back guarantee or before bidding on a product. You
don't want to get stuck with a product that does not
work or you're not satisfied with.
8. Online auctions will, sometimes, allow you to check
the merchants history with their auction. Check to see
if people have complained about the their products or
business practices before you decide to bid.
9. It's important to place a bid early in the auction to
show other bidders you are interested in the product.
If someone does out bid you, don't be afraid to out
bid them. Remember not to go over your maximum
bid price.
10. Another reason to know when the auction ends;
you can place a last minute bid. The other bidders
may not be keeping track of when the auction ends
or may not have the time to bid again.
Quote of the Day:
"There is a time in every man's education when he arrives
at the conviction that envy is ignorance; that imitation is
suicide; that he must take himself for better, for worse,
as his portion; that though the wide universe is full of
good, no kernel of nourishing corn can come to him but
through his toil bestowed on that plot of ground which is
given to him to till. The power that resides in him is new
in Nature, and none but he knows what that is which he can
do, nor does he know until he has tried." -- Ralph Waldo
Emerson
1. Team-up with your weaker competitors to beat
your stronger competitors. You can create win/win
joint venture and cross promotion deals with them.
2. Design your site so it will be worth bookmarking.
Your visitors will bookmark your web site if it's full
of free original content like articles, ebooks, etc.
3. Offer your customers back-end products. It is
easier to sell to existing customers. If you do not
have a back-end product, join an affiliate program.
4. Increase the perceived value of your product.
You could offer an affiliate program, give away free
bonuses or use famous endorsements on your ad.
5. Remind your visitors to promote your web site.
Use phrases like; "Refer This Our Web Site To A
Friend" or "Link To Our Web Site"
6. Make your testimonials more powerful. You can
include pictures, hand written signatures and contact
information with each testimonial.
7. Up-sell to all your customers. You could sell add-
on products, deluxe products, extra parts, related
products, add-on services, etc.
8. Place your ad in targeted e-zines. Ask the owner
if you could place your ad in a higher position in
exchange for a percentage of the ad's profits.
9. Use permission marketing to increase your sales.
You simply ask people to sign-up to your e-mailing
list. They'll already be interested in messages or ads.
10. Provide a privacy statement and all your contact
information on every page of your web site. This'll
persuade your visitors and prospects to trust you.
Quote of the Day:
"In every man there is something wherein I may learn of him,
and in that I am his pupil." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson
1. Tell people the point or focus of your web site.
Explain to them what things they can do or which
goals they can accomplish while visiting your site.
2. Make your visitors feel comfortable at your web
site. Give them your main business address, your
visitors may not trust you if you're using a P.O. box.
3. Include a FAQ on your web site or via e-mail
on an autoresponder. This will give your customers
an extra convenience without having to contact you.
4. Buy advertising space on discussion board web
sites. They are usually arranged by subject; that
makes them highly targeted.
5. Start a free e-mail newsletter to create your own
opt in list. Create a title that grabs readers attention.
Submit it to free e-zine directories on the internet.
6. Record all your new promotion ideas into an idea
journal, good or bad. Sometimes you can combine
ideas to create new ones to increase your sales.
7. Convert your web site and free e-mail newsletter
into different languages. This will increase your over-
all target market.
8. Make your classified ads stand out in a crowd.
Use all capitol letters in the headline, divide letters
with extra spaces, add in text symbols, etc.
9. Remember your customer is always right, even
if they are not. Resolve all conflicts quickly and
painlessly. They are the lifeblood of your business.
10. Create a bond with your visitors by bringing up
likes or dislikes you have in common with them in
your ad copy. Just make sure you do your research.
Quote of the Day:
"There is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will
not be cut off." -- Proverbs 23:18
1. You could decrease or increase the length of
your ad copy. There is no rule on how long your
ad copy should be unless space is a consideration.
The ad should be long enough to sell your product.
2. You could add some sub headlines on your ad
copy. Sub headlines act just like headlines; they
grab the readers attention. They'll keep the readers
interested as they continue to read your ad.
3. You could ask your reader questions through out
the ad copy. They will answer the questions in their
own head as they read your ad copy. The questions
you ask should persuade the reader into buying.
4. You could highlight keywords through out your
ad copy. The keywords should be attractive to
your target audience. You could highlight them with
color, underlines, italics, etc.
5. You could bullet or indent your benefits on your
ad copy. Must people won't read a whole ad copy,
so make your products benefits standout and you
won't lose the sales from all the skimmers.
6. You could change the size of your text on your
ad copy. You want to make your text large enough
so it's not hard to read. You also want your headline
and major points to be larger so they will standout.
7. You could raise or lower the price on your ad
copy. A higher price could increase the perceived
value of your product and a lower price could
lesson your product's value.
8. You could add proof of results on your ad copy.
You should include testimonials, endorsements,
and factual statistics to prove your product's claims.
9. You could add special offers on your ad copy.
It's usually easier to sell the offer than the product.
You could use discounts, free bonuses, volume
sales, etc.
10. You could eliminate the hard-to-understand
jargon on your ad copy. Unless your product calls
for technical words, you want your ad to be read
without people pulling out a dictionary.
Quote of the Day:
"We love to expect, and when expectation is either
disappointed or gratified, we want to be again expecting."
-- Samuel Johnson
1. Start your own internet radio station. It could be
related to the theme of your web site and you could
advertise your products over the station.
2. Turn your banner ad into a trivia question. Post
the question on the banner and tell readers they can
win a prize if they answer the question at your site.
3. Motivate people to buy your product. Tell them
a lot of positive things like "You can now reach your
goals and change your life if you buy our product".
4. Get your sales letters and web site evaluated for
free. Visit business discussion boards and ask other
discussion participants to evaluated them.
5. Get your products or services evaluated for free.
You can give your product for free in exchange for
evaluations and even testimonials.
6. Keep your loyal customers happy because they
are your future profits. Give them discounts and
free gifts as often as possible.
7. Clone your advertisements all over the internet
by allowing your visitors to give your online freebies
away. Just include your ad somewhere inside it.
8. Make it easy for your affiliates to make sales. Give
them proven ads to use, make it easy for prospects
to order and provide helpful affiliate stats.
9. Persuade e-zine publishers or webmasters to run
your ad for free. Just allow them to join your affiliate
program and earn commission on the sales.
10. Make your products sell quickly by adding a ton
of bonuses. You could get the free bonuses for little
or no cost buy joint venturing with other businesses.
Quote of the Day:
"No pain, no palm; no thorns, no throne; no gall, no glory;
no cross, no crown." -- William Penn
1. End your slow sales periods by planning ahead.
Plan to add extra bonuses, hold a sale or package
your product with other products.
2. Make more commissions off the affiliate programs
you join by giving your personal endorsements for
the products. They usually pull more sales than ads.
3. Speed up your internet access. You can get your
online business tasks done faster which will help you
stay ahead of your competition.
4. Allow people who do not have time to explore
your site to download your web site in ebook format.
This will allow them time to view it offline.
5. Use tons of headlines and sub headlines on your
web site. This will keep their attention and keep them
at your web site longer.
6. Take advantage of popular fads. If something is
popular at the current time, put up a web site about
it. Just promote your main site on the fad web site.
7. Allow your prospects to chose between a retail
or wholesale price. Charge people a membership
fee to always get the products at wholesale cost.
8. Allow other related web sites that don't have a
chat room to link to yours. They'll get use of a free
chat room and you'll draw extra traffic to your site.
9. Increase the perceived value of your free stuff or
bonuses by including the retail dollar amount the
freebie would normally sell for.
10. Create your own web ring. You will gain highly
targeted traffic to your web site and others will link
to your site because they'll want to join the ring.
Quote of the Day:
"Each difficult moment has the potential to open my eyes
and open my heart." -- Myla Kabat-Zinn
Today`s lesson is going to introduce you to your new best
friend -- the autoresponder.
One of the best ways to cultivate new business and save
hours of time is to use an autoresponder. An autoresponder
gives you the ability to follow-up *automatically* on the
email addresses you capture. Instead of wasting hours
following up manually, you can let your autoresponder follow
up while you do the things that you do best -- build your
business...putter in the garden...chase your kids around the
house...catch up on your power-napping.
If you have an autoresponder, today`s lesson will show you
how to make it super-effective. If you don`t have an
autoresponder, Empowerism is the place to go.
(As so many of our subscribers already know, Empowerism is
truly dedicated to providing an ALL-IN-ONE SOLUTION to the
challenges of selling on the Internet. I hope you`ll visit
our site and let us "show you around" Empowerism and the
exciting RSVP -- the NEW way to buy leads.)
============================================
Save Time!
============================================
An autoresponder gives you the ability to send messages
effortlessly for months on end. So if you captured an email
address six months ago, your autoresponder can repeatedly
contact that person to offer your product or service.
=> WASH-RINSE-REPEAT
Repeat contact is a concept that top marketers first used
effectively in the offline world. When you conduct a direct
mail campaign, you send out message after message until it`s
no longer cost-effective. This strategy yields a much higher
response rate than with a one-shot mailing (typically just
1% or less).
-From the Research Labs: Research shows that, on average, A
PROSPECT MUST BE CONTACTED SEVEN TIMES before you
have any real chance at closing a sale.
=> BE IN THE TOP 10
If you apply this strategy to your Internet marketing
campaigns, you`ll have a real edge over the competition.
Remember: 90% of businesses do not follow-up with
prospects!
==================================================
OPEN THE DOOR & CLOSE THAT SALE WITH EMPOWERISM`S
UNBEATABLE AUTORESPONDER SUCCESS TECHNIQUES
==================================================
=> TECHIQUE #1 - THE "KILL OVERKILL" TECHNIQUE
You don`t want an email-inbox crammed with ads and sales
letters, and neither does anyone else. Don`t send out sales
letter after sales letter. Your messages will become an
annoyance and the recipient will either unsubscribe or just
delete the messages whenever they arrive.
By sending a series of sales letters SPACED APART BY 2-4
DAYS, you`ll keep your prospect aware of your business and
develop credibility over time without being a pest.
=> TECHNIQUE #2 - THE "MY GIFT TO YOU" TECHNIQUE
Send freebies such as ebooks, info reports, newsletters,
software, or even product samples. Many marketers use this
approach by offering a newsletter.
-Sneaky Salesmanship: Within the newsletter you have an
excellent opportunity to plug your product with a few lines
of irresistible copy.
With the soft sell approach, you can contact your prospect
once or even twice a week with "valuable information" --
which coincidentally mentions your product or service --
without seeming like you`re over-selling. If you`re a
vacuum cleaner distributor, for example, send a newsletter
on allergies and dust mites, for example.
=> TECHNIQUE #3 - THEY`LL LEARN/YOU`LL EARN TECHNIQUE
Give away a valuable training course via email that has
special appeal to your recipients! You can create a simple
3-day, 5-day, 7 day, or even longer course. And at the end
of some of the course lessons you can add a few lines of
copy plugging your product or service.
This, too, is a soft sell approach.
=> TECHNIQUE #4 - COMBO PLATTER TECHNIQUE
Use a variation of the hard sell, soft sell approach.
Simply alternate your messages. A balance of 40% hard-sell
and 60% soft-sell is generally about right.
That wraps up today`s lesson. Earlier I promised you a
"crash course" in creating the perfect email message. Keep
your eye on the horizon for: 8 Steps to Irresistible Copy
EVERY Time."
The folks at McDonald`s are right. "You deserve a break
today."
You`ve been doing a bang-up job reading these messages and
learning your marketing A-B-C`s, but without a break, your
circuits are going to overload and instead of looking
forward to my messages...you`ll do exactly the opposite.
You`ll lose interest.
The same is true with potential customers.
So today, we`re going to take a Study Break, sort of. But
don`t worry, there`s still a valuable lesson to be learned.
==========================================
==========================================
Instead of getting tunnel-vision and only seeing the
short-term goal of the right-now sale, remember that your
email messages are an important way for you to build a
RELATIONSHIP with a consumer based on your HONESTY AND
SERVICE.
Although you want your prospect to buy, you shouldn`t
immediately and constantly bombard the folks on your email
list with nothing but sales pitches. You`re looking for a
long-term, committed relationship. Be a person first and a
salesperson second for the best results.
=> RELATIONSHIP COUNSELING
Your first few email sales letters may prove to be the most
effective if they`re written in a warm, helpful,
let`s-be-business-friends "voice."
=> GIVE THE PEOPLE WHAT THEY WANT
In the off-line world, we`ve become accustomed to the fact
that we hear literally thousands of messages each day. An
online experience, on the other hand is still, for most
people, closer to visiting "the library" or perhaps watching
public television rather than tuning into the Home Shopping
Network.
Most people are on the Internet looking for information -
not waiting to be sold. People don`t want to be pitched to
every day with a "you`d better buy it now" message.
So don`t be a salesperson. Be Miss Information (okay, Ms.
Information definitely sounds better) or Mr. Answerman.
After you become a trusted resource, it`s easy to become a
trusted source.
=> TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE
Lasting relationships don`t happen overnight...they`re built
over time. Your sales letters should be crafted in a way
that slowly, but surely convinces your prospects that you`re
someone with whom they`d like to do business. After you`ve
laid a foundation -- made them happy with what you`ve given
them as a gift, demonstrated your knowledge, etc. -- you`ll
have plenty of time to build a case for buying from you.
=> THE E-LIST
Once your prospects have gotten to know you through your
entire series of pre-written (but valuable)
communications...after you`ve built trust in the relationship
and gradually exposed consumers to the benefits of your
product or service...you can "graduate" them into your "real
time" ezine list.
Obviously, you can`t include a time-dependent message in
your pre-written letter series. People are opting in to
your list 365 days a year and you can`t risk that they`ll
receive a "Season`s Greetings" message in the middle of
June.
BUT, when you`ve exhausted the appeal of your letter series,
the people on your email list can become your ezine list.
Then you can send a Valentine`s message in February, a
"Happy Birthday, America" message in July, etc.
=> TO KNOW YOU IS TO LOVE YOU
You can influence people when they know you, like you, and
trust you. Ongoing timely communications means you can
continue to build rapport with the people on your list, and
you can be sure that if they TRUST you, they`ll be open to
BUYING from you.
Okay, I`ll admit that this message wasn`t purely a study
break. It may be the most valuable lesson you`ve learned
yet!
The bell has "rung" and it`s time for today`s lesson.
First, I`d like you to consider these four facts:
*A DIRECT MAIL PIECE costs about 40-cents in postage alone.
(And then you have to factor in paper and printing costs.)
*A PHONE CALL can cost just as much - or more - than a
direct mail piece.
*A PHONE CALL wastes time (and time is money) because you`ll
spend precious minutes - sometimes hours or days - trying to
contact the right person.
*A MESSAGE left on voice mail is almost always a waste of
time, and therefore a waste of money.
Depressing? Not at all. After you read today`s "Marketing
Strategies that EMPOWER Success" lesson, you`ll be able to
say "NO" to the downside of phone calls and direct mail and
"YES" to the upside of email.
Read on ...
================================
================================
Given the inherent problems with traditional marketing
techniques, it`s important to master the BASIC STRATEGIES
FOR INTEGRATING EMAIL into your overall campaign.
As I`ve just shown you, sending out an EMAIL CAN BE MUCH
CHEAPER than other marketing methods. Proceed with caution,
however. Email can also cost you a fortune -- in lost
opportunities AND cold hard cash -- IF you don`t know the
basics.
So that`s where we`re going to start.
First, always keep in mind that your "primary objective".
the master key that unlocks your "Success Vault" in Internet
Marketing is to build your mailing list - your EMAIL MAILING
LIST. (Often referred to as your "In-house list.")
The addresses you collect are going to mean the difference
between the middle-of-the-road results that Average Joe and
Jane are achieving and the through-the-roof, over-the-top,
to-the-moon-and-back MEGA-success that top online sellers
achieve. (The difference really is that dramatic.) So
don`t miss the boat: The time is NOW to start building your
list of email addresses (prospects).
REVIEW
You can begin to grow your list simply by capturing emails
from people who visit your website, as we have already
discussed in a previous lesson.
=> Pop Quiz: What`s the easiest way to convince people to
give you their email address? (Answer: Offer an
irresistible freebie with a sign-up form on your site or in
a pop-up box, drive traffic to your site, and watch as
people start entering their email address. Don`t have a
freebie? Get a good one from the Empowerism treasure
chest!)
Okay, so now you`re "in the groove". you`re capturing
people`s emails like crazy. But if you`re just sitting
there - well, you know the old saying, "Even if you`re on
the right track, you`ll get run over if you just sit there."
So what next?
-- Let me take a moment from telling how to build your email
list to remind you why. It`s been said that - YOU CAN GET
RICH WITH AN EMAIL LIST OF JUST 1000 PEOPLE!
Think about that. Then stop thinking and get going on
new ways to capture and keep email addresses.
(By the way, if you haven`t already "gotten with the
program" yet, I wanted to remind you that EMPOWERISM RSVP
presents an unparalleled opportunity for you to build a
mountain of wealth with a leads-buying program that rewards
you quickly and generously).
GIVE `TIL IT HURTS!
If you want to keep getting addresses, start giving stuff
away! Give, give, and keep finding more things to give! And
since you can`t send a TOASTER through email, why not give
the far more valuable -- and far more affordable for you --
INFORMATION PRODUCTS, business tools, and expert
advice - maybe even a no-cost/obligation email marketing
course like this one!
DRIP, DRIP, DRIP.
You`ll want to have a series of letters already set up so
that they can be "dripped" on your prospects on a regular
basis. Send a message daily, every other day, or on
whatever schedule suits you best, but make contact AT LEAST
EVERY 7 DAYS.
If you`re not confident in your writing skills, you have two
choices: you can hire a professional to write the letters
for you or you can use a system already set up with letters
to help you build your email list. (I suppose the third
choice is to just give up and bury your heard in the sand,
but that`s no way to make a million!)
If you`re serious about this - and you should be, believe
me -- you really should consider tapping into the system
offered by Empowerism. At Empowerism, you can access an
entire AUTOMATED leads/giveaway/database marketing
ALL-IN-ONE SYSTEM that makes it easy for your revenues to
soar.
I`ve got something really special planned for your next
message. It`s not a typical lesson.
Have you been enjoying your journey to email marketing
success? Better still, have you moved into the fast lane and
started to put some of what you`ve learned into action?
If the answer is "yes" -- congratulations. The tips offered
in the first two lessons of this course are the building
blocks for what comes next. They don`t require any cash,
just a little time, and believe me, you`ll get back much more
than you give or expect.
Okay, enough motivation and inspiration. Let`s get down to
business...the business of today`s "Marketing Strategies that
EMPOWER Success" lesson. We`re hunting big game -- you`re
going to learn HOW TO CAPTURE EMAILS.
If you`re wondering why you need emails, there`s a key point
to remember: your whole objective must be to BUILD A LARGE
EMAIL LIST of prospects and customers. Once you have an
email list, you can begin to make SERIOUS MONEY
So how do you capture email addresses? I`m glad you asked.
The answers follow.
==========================================
7 Wise Ways to Collect Email Addresses and Build Your
Mailing List
==========================================
=> Wise Way #1 - OFFER A FREEBIE
You have to give in order to get. If you want people to
offer up their email address, you`re going to have to offer
up an incentive. Nothing works better than something that`s
complimentary (you spell that F-R-E-E). You can give away
no-cost reports, books, software, or even sample pages of a
book.
-Word to the Wise: Our Empowerism subscribers use
complimentary subscriptions to our "Excellence Magazine" and
ebook giveaways to grow their lists. Works like a charm.
=> Wise Way #2 - USE POP-UPS
Pop-ups are one of the most common methods you can use to
capture email addresses and build your email list
quickly and with ease. Simply construct a web page
containing code for a form and set the page to open (pop up)
when visitors ENTER OR EXIT your site.
Make sure the pop-up offer is something that`s valuable
enough to motivate visitors to take time to give you their
contact information. Your offer can be a complimentary
report, download, or ebook that arrives instantly through
your autoresponder to their email inbox when they give you
their email.
-Word to the Wise: If you need a pop-up, you can pick one
up F-R-E-E (there`s that word again) from Empowerism
-Son of Word to the Wise: "Instant" is a very powerful
pop-up offer.
=> Wise Way #3 - USE POSTCARDS
If you have a mailing list that contains snail mail (street)
addresses, convert it into an email list by sending out a
postcard and inviting people to VISIT YOUR WEBSITE to
receive a gift of some kind -- a report, a discount coupon,
etc. Visitors don`t have to pay in order to receive their
gifts, they simply need to enter an email address.
-A Word to the Wise from the U.S. Post Office: Postage is
much less expensive for a postcard than a standard-size
letter. (Not only are they economical, postcards are more
likely to get your message across since the consumer doesn`t
have to open an envelope.)
=> Wise Way #4 - SUBSCRIBER BOX ON EVERY PAGE
This is a clever trick that so many people overlook. Put a
RESPONSE FORM ON EVERY PAGE of your website offering a
newsletter or other freebie. This will increase the number
of email addresses you capture exponentially.
Why? When search engines index the pages of your website, a
visitor may come directly to a page other than your home
page. If you only have a subscriber box on your home page,
you`re missing the boat, not to mention the thousands of
visitors who bypass your homepage.
-A Word to the Wise: If you don`t know how to create an
opt-in form, no worries. Empowerism has a foolproof `build
your own` tool made just for you!
=> Wise Way #5 - CONTESTS
Contests very often prove to be a good way to generate
traffic and buzz for your business. Create a contest and put
a form on your site or in a pop-up box. The entry "fee" is
their email address.
-Word to the Wise: Not all the people who sign up for your
contest are good prospects. Many are just contest
"junkies" -- people who are only looking for freebies and
have no intention of buying a product or service.
-Warning to the Wise: If your prizes are cash or
large-ticket items, you should be sure to check with local
agencies to make sure you`re not violating any contest laws.
=> Wise Way #6 - DISPLAY YOUR AUTORESPONDER ADDRESS
Most people give their website link when they place solo
ads, ezine ads, or other marketing messages. To be one step
ahead of the game in collecting email addresses, LIST YOUR
AUTORESPONDER ADDRESS instead of your URL. This way you can
capture email address and funnel them into your follow-up
sales letters.
-Word to the Wise: Don`t have an autoresponder? Empowerism
will give you one, provide you with signposts to others, and
make sure you know exactly what to look for to find the
"pick of the litter."
-Word from our "Sponsor": Autoresponders you can use are
just one sample of the incredible resources you can depend
on when you`re a member of the Empowerism family. Our
tools, information, and especially the Empowerism RSVP --
Revenue Sharing Value Program -- are all designed to
generate BIG bucks with LITTLE effort.
=> Wise Way #7 - JUST ASK
If you`re chatting with a prospect on the phone or a
potential customer stops by your place of business, don`t be
shy: ask for an email address or business card (which
usually includes their email address).
Okay, you know what you want...you know what you need. It`s
time for you to set your traps and CAPTURE THOSE EMAILS!
In the meantime, I`ll be putting the final touches on your
next lesson:
I hope you`ve had time to "digest" the ideas presented in
Lesson #1. Today`s lesson is going to build on the basics.
Here is the second Lesson of the marketing course. (If
you change your mind, just go to the end of this email and
click the link.)
In today`s "Marketing Strategies that EMPOWER Success"
lesson, you`re going to learn how the APPEARANCE of your
email message affects the way your prospects feel about you
and what you have to offer.
=================
EMAIL AESTHETICS
=================
It`s an old, old saying, but it`s true: you only have one
chance to make a good first impression. And in email, the
first impression is always visual -- a consumer LOOKS/SEES
before he/she READS.
Imagine walking by a grotesquely garish storefront with all
kinds of things hanging off the front porch, every floor
painted a different color, and odd music playing through
loudspeakers. Would you want to walk in the front door? No
way! You`d assume that the owner is a kook, at best, or a
deranged axe murderer, at worst.
Did you ever have an ugly looking email land in your
mailbox? You know what I`m talking about: an orange
background and yellow borders, multi-colored text in all
sizes from gigantic to microscopic, a message that looks like
it was created by a crazed six-year-old? If you did, I bet
you didn`t feel the urge to read it. You probably just
wanted to delete it as quickly as possible.
=> PUT OUT THE WELCOME MAT
You want your email message to be friendly and inviting, not
bizarre and scary. The suggestions below -- and they`re
just suggestions, not hard and fast rules -- will go a long
way towards making recipients` eyes say "come on in!" to
your message.
=> DO`s and DON`Ts FOR ATTRACTIVE EMAILS
-DON`T use COLOR fonts in your message. (Leave that to
junior high girls who want to write about Britney and
Justin)
-DO use BLACK TEXT ON A WHITE BACKGROUND. (When you`re
"speaking" in black-and-white, people will give their full
attention to your message without being distracted by your
color scheme.)
-DON`T use UNCOMMON FONTS. (If someone`s system doesn`t
recognize the font you`ve selected, they could see gibberish
instead of your brilliant message).
-DO use the email marketers` FAVORITE FONTS: Arial, Times
New Roman, and Courier New
And please.
-DON`T use flashing buttons or banners in your email! (Your
prospects have undoubtedly gotten their fill of "bells and
whistles" when they`ve surfed the Internet. They don`t need
more from you.)
=> GET HYPER" WITH EMAIL HYPERLINKS
An "email hyperlink" is just techno-talk for a link in your
email to a website, or email address. Sounds simple enough,
and it is -- unless you try to contact a prospect on AOL who
may not be able to receive "clickable" links.
Don`t worry. There`s a "fix" for this: simply type mailto:
in front of your email address (no space in between, and
include the : )
For a link to a web page, you need to write your link this
href=http://www.anycompany.com>http://www.anycompany.com
. (And tell your recipient they can copy and paste this
link into their browser if it`s not highlighted.)
=> ALWAYS USE SIGNATURE TAGS
Today, it`s common practice on the Internet to tell people
about your product or service with a SIGNATURE TAG, which is
3-6 lines of text (usually) that is automatically added to
every message you send.
If you`d like to add a tag to your messages, simply open
your email program. Find the SIGNATURES TAB (located in the
TOOLS/OPTIONS menu in Outlook Express). Follow the (simple)
instructions for creating a sig file. Easy as pie...and the
results will amaze you.
That`s it for now, but get your "net" ready. Next lesson
we`re going to hunt down and CAPTURE EMAILS.
How to let your current employer fund your next startup
As an employer, I hate what I'm about to tell you.
The best way to fund your startup company is to stay at your current job.
I'm not suggesting you stay employed so you can steal office supplies and clients. What I'm telling you is that you can make starting a business significantly less burdensome if you're still pulling down a regular paycheck.
As long as you're willing to invest your moonlight hours to develop your business, continuing to take a salary while launching your startup company is basically like asking your current employer to fund your new startup – without actually asking them.
There's a way to have your cake and eat it too. It has less to do with deception and trickery, relying instead upon commitment and focus. The goal is to get your new startup off the ground quickly and with less capital without sinking your current employer in the process.
Don't quit your day job
People often think starting a company begins with a resignation. Starting a company does require that you resign yourself to dedicate your time and energy, but it doesn't require that you give your boss the “final notice”.
Many entrepreneurs go years before cutting their ties to their day jobs. When I was starting my first company, Blue Diesel, I was a receptionist at the law firm of Jones, Day, Reavis & Pogue. In between phone calls I would develop websites for our first clients on my laptop. I literally couldn't afford to quit my day job, even at 19 years old.
You should think about staying with your current company as long as it's feasible. A steady stream of income means you can devote more cash to the business, which may need every penny. It also means that you can spend more time lying awake thinking about how to grow your company and less time lying awake thinking about how you’re going to pay your mortgage.
Get used to working around the clock
If you think you can moonlight and still only work 37.5 hours per week you're out of your mind. Moonlighting means wagering sleepless nights and strained personal relationships for a potential payoff in opportunity. You need to adopt an 80-hour work week. It’s not fun and it’s not easy, but it’s the sacrifice you must make to keep your regular income.
You also need to think differently about how you work. Up until now you've only had one job. What I'm suggesting will require you to master switching gears easily and maintaining laser focus on the task at hand.
What I've found is that you can't easily do two jobs simultaneously. You need to “punch in” at a certain time and stay focused on one job. It sometimes helps to maintain a separate physical location, like a home office, specifically for your new venture.
Don't Screw your Employer Over
Moonlighting isn't an excuse to shortchange managers at your day job. The worst thing you can possibly do is stick it to the person that signs your paychecks. The best thing you can do is leave your company working better and more profitably than you found it. This isn't just covering your butt from getting fired early, it's good karma. And you'll need all the good karma you can get when you launch your new startup!
By contrast, some people may consider mentally checking out of their current job because they are completely wrapped up in their new idea. That's absolutely normal, yet it's absolutely irresponsible. You owe your attention to anyone that’s paying your salary.
Should your new venture turn out to be a dud, you don't want to have killed your existing career by falling down on the job. Even great ideas turn into crappy companies, so don't bet the farm just yet.
Exit Gracefully
When the time does come to cut ties with your current employer, the only way to leave is on a positive note. I have never met a former employee that said “I’m so glad I pissed off everyone at my old job. It’s helped my career tremendously!”
Your exit from the company is your legacy, so be considerate in how you close one opportunity to pursue another. Former companies have a way of becoming valuable allies and, sometimes, even clients. You may never need to go work at that company ever again, but that doesn't mean you will never have to deal with the bad blood that gets circulated from a rough departure.
It's All About Getting Paid
The only way to see that everyone wins in a moonlighting situation is to make sure everyone is paid fairly. Your employer is paid by having someone that is committed to doing their job. Your new startup is funded by not having to carry your name on the payroll. And of course you’re paid all along the way.
Now all you need to do is find a way to fit in the other 40+ hours of additional work every week! I never said it was going to be easy.
1. Think of ways to get your site or business on the
the news. You could sponsor a fundraiser, break a
world record, hold a major event, etc.
2. Hold a contest on your web site. Give other web
sites the option of offering it to their visitors. This'll
multiply your advertising all over the internet.
3. Tell your potential customers that your ordering
system is highly secure. Also, reassure them that
you take every effort to protect them.
4. Carry business cards with you wherever you go.
Have your web address printed on them. You can
hand them out to anyone you meet.
5. Contact national radio stations to ask them if they
are looking for guest speakers. Tell them your area
of expertise; maybe they'll book you for a show.
6. Join clubs related to your area of business. You
could trade leads with other businesses. Learn new
ways to run your business and sell your products.
7. Think of a domain name for your web site that's
easy to remember. If you can't find a good one left,
use your actual birth name.
8. Position your web site at the top of pay-per-click
search engines. You will only pay your set amount
for each clickthrough you get to your web site.
9. Allow your visitors or customers to increase your
traffic or sales. Ask them how you can improve your
business, web site or product.
10. Team-up with other e-zines that have the same
target audience. Combine subscriber bases and then
publish one e-zine together to increase subscribers.
Quote of the Day:
"Nurture your minds with great thoughts. To believe in the
heroic makes heroes." -- Benjamin Disraeli
1. Solve an existing problem for people. There are
thousands of problems in the world. Create a product
that can provide a solution to one of those problems.
2. Find out what's the current hot trend. You can find
out what the new trends are by watching TV, reading
magazines and surfing the net. Just create a product
that's related to the current hot trend.
3. Improve a product that is already on the market.
You see products at home, in ads, at stores etc. Just
take a product that's already out there and improve it.
4. Create a new niche for a current product. You can
set yourself apart from your competition by creating a
niche. Your product could be faster, bigger, smaller,
or quicker than you competitor's product.
5. Add on to an existing product. You could package
your current product with other related products. For
example, you could package a football with a team
jersey and football cards.
6. Reincarnate an older product. Maybe you have a
book that's out of print and is no longer being sold.
You could change the title, design a new front cover,
and bring some of the old content up to date.
7. Ask your current customers. You could contact
some of your existing customers by phone or e-mail
and ask them what kind of new products they would
like to see on the market.
8. Combine two or more products together to create
a new one. For example, you could take a brief case
and add a thermos compartment inside to keep a
drink hot or cold.
9. Survey the people who visit your web site. You
could post a survey or questionnaire on your web site.
Ask visitors what kind of products they would like to
see on the market.
10. You could create a new market for your existing
product. For example, if you're selling plastic bottles
to a pop company, you could turn around and sell
those bottles to a fruit drink company.
Quote of the Day:
"...if we are willing to abandon our usual coercive tactics
and approach our problems sideways and kitty-corner we
stand a good chance of finding our way through some
interesting gates." -- Eloise Ristad
1. Save time and money using ad submitters. You
will reach a larger part of your target audience far
more quickly than by manually submitting your ad.
2. Create a good first impression. You will not be
able to sell very many products if your visitors think
your web site looks unprofessional.
3. Stop procrastinating and start finishing all your
business tasks. Do one at a time. Do not get caught
up thinking that you can never get them all done.
4. Develop a relationship with all your visitors and
customers. Tell them how much you appreciate
them visiting your web site or buying your product.
5. Hire a business coach to help improve yourself
and business. They could help increase your sales,
motivate you, balance your workload, etc.
6. Stay away from being too comfortable with your
income or life. You should always be making new
goals for yourself and developing new sales ideas.
7. Stay away from becoming a workaholic. Your
mind needs time away from your business life. This
will help your brain think clearly while working.
8. Create and follow short/long term goals for your
business. The short goals can create early success
and the long term goals can create future success.
9. Look for different ways to prove your business
and products to your audience. You could collect
testimonials, hold surveys, do scientific tests, etc.
10. Try new business ideas and strategies. Do not
be afraid of changing what you're doing. You could
try out technology, advertising, marketing, etc.
Quote of the Day:
"Those things that hurt, instruct." -- Ben Franklin
An online community could be a chat room, e-mail
discussion list, discussion forum or other technologies
that allow groups of people to communicate at your
web site. When you have a popular online community
it will increase your traffic and sales. Below are ten
ways to attract people to participate in your online
community.
1. Tell your visitors that you post a new, free offer
every day, week or month in your online community.
The free offers should be attractive to your target
audience.
2. Regularly schedule experts or famous guests to
participate in your online community. You could
design it to be a virtual class or a question/answer
session.
3. Post testimonials on your web site from people
that have participated in your online community.
The testimonials could be about what people have
learned or liked while participating in it.
4. Don't allow blatant ads in your online communities.
If people decide to visit your online community and
see a ton of ads they most likely won't be back.
5. Post all the benefits of participating in your online
community on your web site. You could write it like
you're writing an ad for a product you're selling.
6. Submit your chat room, e-mail discussion list or
discussion board to online community directories.
You can find them by typing " the community type"
with the word "directory" in any search engine.
7. Create an e-zine just for people who participate
in your online community. Allow them to subscribe
for free. When they receive each issue, it will remind
them to come back and participate in your community.
8. You (the owner of the online community) should
participate regularly. Post information that will benefit
the other people. This will show them you care about
your online community members.
9. Have plenty of people to monitor your online
community. They could remove postings that turn
away people like profanity, spam and other off-
subject postings.
10. Your online community should contain user
friendly features, like a search option for archived
discussions, easy posting or chatting options, email
updates or digests, etc.
Quote of the Day:
"If I can line up the people who, back through the ages,
have gone at life in ways I greatly admire, then I can feel
their strength supporting me, all their standards and
values pointing the way in which I am to go." -- Bonaro W.
Overstreet
1. Swap endorsement advertisements with other
web sites. Endorsement ads usually pull more sales
and traffic than regular advertisements.
2. Outsource part of your workload to save time
and money. You can spend more of your time and
money promoting your business.
3. Include a signature file on all the e-mails you send
out. Provide your business name, phone number,
e-mail and web address,etc.
4. Use pictures or graphics on your web site that
support the product you're selling. They could give
your visitors a clearer vision of your product.
5. Create a friendly, long term relationship with all
your customers. Practice good customer service
and follow-up with them on a regular basis.
6. Create strategic alliances with other web sites.
You could exchange banner ads, sell each other's
products as backend products, cross promote, etc.
7. Increase the perceived value of your product to
skyrocket your sales. Add on free bonuses, after-
sale services or an affiliate program.
8. Give customers a discount on their total order
to increase sales. You could give them a discount
for ordering over a set dollar or product amount.
9. Allow your visitors to reprint the content on your
web site. Just ask them in exchange to include your
resource box and a link to your site.
10. Provide a free contest or sweepstakes at your
web site. It's a fact, people like to win things. If you
can fulfill that need, people will visit.
Quote of the Day:
"Whenever words fly up at me from a printed page as I read,
I intercept them instantly, knowing they are for me. I turn
them over carefully in my mind and cling to them hard." --
David Grayson
As you know it can be very expensive to attract new
customers. You can cut down on those expenses
by "upselling" to those new customers. For example,
let's say you're selling a computer with a 15" monitor
for $1200. You tell people they can upgrade to a 17"
monitor for only $200 more. That's upselling! Your
goal is to get more money out of the first sale. Below
are ten upselling strategies you can use to increase
your profits.
1. Deluxe Upsell-You could sell a basic product and
tell people for a little more money they can receive the
deluxe edition.
2. Money Upsell-You could offer people the rights
to sell the product they are buying from your business.
You could charge an extra $30 dollars to get the
reproduction rights.
3. Discount Upsell-If you're selling a product people
may order again in the future like shave gel, you could
offer them a second can of shave gel at a discount.
4. Time Upsell-If you're selling a product or service
people subscribe to, like a magazine, you could tell
them if they subscribe for two years instead of one,
they can receive it half off the cover price.
5. Quantity Upsell-This is similar to the discount upsell.
The only difference is you increase the discount by
how many products they order. If they order 3 it's a
10% discount, if they order 5 it's a 15% discount.
6. Package Upsell-When you're selling a product you
could offer similar products in a package deal. Tell
the people the other products are cheaper with the
package deal versus purchasing them separately.
7. Affiliate Upsell-When you're selling a product you
could offer someone else's product as an upsell. You
would have to make a commission on the product in
order to profit.
8. Free Upsell-You could offer a free sample or trial
of your product (your first sale would be free) and
then tell people if they order the full version right now
they will get a discount.
9. Extra Upsell-There are many things you could
charge extra for at the time of sale. It could be gift
wrapping, imprinting, custom designs, etc.
10. Extended Upsell-If your product comes with a
warranty, you could ask people if they would like to
extend the warranty one more year for only $30.
In conclusion, you can use one or all these strategies
to increase your profits at the point of sale. Don't be
afraid to use your imagination to come up with other
upsell strategies.
Quote of the Day:
"Knowledge is more than equivalent to force." -- Samuel
Johnson
People will feel more comfortable purchasing your
products if you give them a little information about
yourself or business. The information could be your
profile, employee profiles, overall business history,
education credentials, awards you've won, etc.
Below are 10 ways you can use to promote yourself.
1. Teach a free chat room class on a subject related
to your business. You could install a chat room on
your web site or use a free one from another web site.
Before the class starts tell them a little about yourself.
2. Publish a free e-zine. Use some of the extra space
in your e-zine to write about yourself or business. This
could be called "A Note From the Editor".
3. Publish a section on your web site called "About
Us". With your information you could also include
pictures. This shows people your not hiding behind
your business.
4. Write an article on your area of expertise. Include
a resource box at the end of the article. You can add
information about yourself in the resource box. E-mail
the article to web sites or e-zines that accept article
submissions.
5. Create and giveaway a free ebook. In the ebook
include a section called "About The Author". Also,
include an advertisement for your business.
6. Participate in online communities like newsgroups,
discussion boards, e-mail discussion lists and chat
rooms. You will meet many people and in return they
will get to know you.
7. Donate your time, products, or services to charities.
You can list the charities you've contributed to on your
web site. This will show visitors that you and your
business care about others.
8. Promote yourself offline; teach a free class offline,
speak at business seminars, join a business club or
association. Assemble fundraisers for charity. These
are just few ideas to promote yourself offline.
9. Offer free consulting to your visitors. You could do
it via e-mail or phone. They will get to know you and
feel more comfortable buying your products.
10. Publish information about yourself and business
history in your ad copy. While people are reading it
they begin to trust you and your business. Don't over
do it though, you want to keep them interested in
your product.
Quote of the Day:
"For children to take morality seriously they must be in
the presence of adults who take morality seriously. And
with their own eyes they must see adults take morality
seriously." -- William J. Bennett
1. Sell your product at a higher price. This increases
the perceived value because people usually associate
the higher priced product as being better.
2. Offer a free trial or sample of your product. This
increases the perceived value because people think
you're confident in your product, so it must be good.
3. Include tons of testimonials on your ad copy. This
increases the perceived value because you have actual
proof of other people's experiences with your product.
4. Load your ad copy full of benefits. This increases
the perceived value because people think they are
getting solutions to a number of problems.
5. Offer an affiliate program with your product. This
increases the perceived value because people can
also make money with your product.
6. Give people a strong guarantee. This increases the
perceived value because it shows that you stand be-
hind your products.
7. Package your product with a lot of bonuses. This
increases the perceived value because people feel
they are getting more for their money.
8. Get your product endorsed by a famous person.
This increases the perceived value because people
think that famous people wouldn't want their name
associated with a poor product.
9. Include the reprint/reproduction rights with your
product. This increases the perceived value because
people can start a business and make money.
10. Get the word out about your product and brand
it. This increases the perceived value because people
believe the brand name products have better quality.
Quote of the Day:
"If I accept you as you are, I will make you worse; however
if I treat you as though you are what you are capable of
becoming, I help you become that." -- Johann Wolfgang von
Goethe
Do you post to message boards, e-mail discussion
lists, classified ads sites, FFA sites or newsgroups?
People will usually read the subject line before they
read your ad or message, so it's important they get
noticed. Below are ten simple, but powerful tips to
get your ads or messages noticed.
1. Use extra white space creatively in your subject
line. You can add extra blank spaces between your
words or letters.
2. Combine capital letters with lower case letters.
Use all capital letters in every other word or use a
capital letter between every other lower case letter.
3. Add text symbols in your subject line. You could
use them between words and letters. Start and end
your subject with a text symbol. ( *, $, >,{,] )
4. Begin your subject line with the word "STOP!".
People have been trained their whole life to stop
what they are doing when they see that word.
5. Ask people a question in your subject line. We
all went to school and were repetitively branded to
answer questions.
6. Use the word "FREE" in your subject line. Your
offer should be attractive to your target audience.
It could be free information, software, trials, etc.
7. Begin your subject line with an "online smile :)".
People use smiles offline to gain people's attention
and to win their trust, why not use them online too.
8. Don't use unbelievable claims in your subject line.
People have or know some who has been ripped
off and trained themselves to ignore those claims.
9. Don't use all capital letters in your subject line.
It is hard to read, looks unprofessional, and on the
internet it's considered a symbol for shouting.
10. Test different subject lines to see which ones
draws the most traffic to your web site. Also, read
the FAQ before posting a message or ad anywhere.
Quote of the Day:
"The frontiers are not east or west, north or south, but
wherever a man fronts a fact." -- Henry David Thoreau
10 Ways To Increase Your Affiliate Commissions
Visit our sponsor:
-------------------------------------------------------
Launch your very own money making website today
that's 100% ready to take orders and pull in MASSIVE
PROFITS for you right now...GUARANTEED! Plus, you'll
get your own pre-written ezine-in-a-box customized and
setup for you absolutely free WITHIN 24 HOURS!!
http://www.DacierSolutions.net/pips.html
-------------------------------------------------------
1. Participate in chat rooms related to the product
you're reselling. Start a conversation with a person
without trying to sell to them. Later on, while you
are chatting, mention the product you're reselling.
2. Create a free ebook with the advertisement and
link of your affiliate web site. The subject of the free
ebook should draw your target audience to down-
load it. Also submit it to some ebook directories.
3. Start your own affiliate program directory. Join
a large number of affiliate programs and list them all
in a directory format on your web site. Then just
advertise your free affiliate program directory.
4. Write your own affiliate program ads. If all the
other affiliates use the same ads you do, that does
not give you an edge over your competition. Use
a different ad to give yourself an advantage over
all the other affiliates.
5. Use a personal endorsement ad. Only use one if
you've actually bought the product or service for the
affiliate program. Tell people what kind of benefits
and results you've received using the product.
6. Advertise the product you're reselling in your
signature file. Use an attention getting headline and
a good reason for them to visit your affiliate site.
Make sure your sig file doesn't go over 5 lines.
7. Join a web ring. It should attract the same type
of people that would be interested in buying the
product you're reselling. You could also trade links
on your own with other related web sites.
8. Participate on web discussion boards. Post your
comments, answer other people's questions, and
ask your own questions. Include your affiliate text
link under each message you post.
9. Create a free ezine. Use your ezine to advertise
the affiliate programs you've joined. Submit your
ezine to online ezine directories and promote it on
your web site.
10. Start a private web site. Use it as a free bonus
if people buy the product you resell. You could
also allow people to join for free and you could
advertise the affiliate program you've joined.
Quote of the Day:
"The young man of native ability, (with) the will to work
and good personality will, in the long run, get the
equivalent of a college education in the tasks he will set
for himself. If he has ability and determination, he will
find ways to learn and to get ahead." -- Edward G. Seubert
The more time people spend at your web site, the
more time you'll have to persuade them to buy your
product or service. Below are ten powerful ways to
keep visitors at your web site longer.
1. Provide your web site visitors with content they
can't read anywhere else. People will stay longer at
your web site to read the original content.
2. Remind your web site visitors they can print out
your content. They may browse around your online
store while it's printing.
3. Offer your web site visitors a freebie if they take
the time to fill out your online survey. They'll be at
the site longer and might buy something afterwards.
4. Offer your visitors free software that they can
download right from your web site. While they are
waiting they might read your ad.
5. Provide a huge online directory of information
that your visitors could search. The directory must
contain information your visitors would want.
6. Make sure all your web pages load fast or your
visitors will leave fast. Time is precious; they won't
waste it waiting for your site to load.
7. Tell your visitors what's offered at your web site
at the very beginning. If people are confused about
what's being offered they may leave too early.
8. Publish your web site professionally. People will
get turned off and leave if they see a lot of spelling
and grammar mistakes.
9. Make your site text easy to read. Most people
won't strain their eyes trying to read text that is too
small, light or bright.
10. Use headlines and sub headlines all over your
your web site that will grab visitors attention. It will
attract them to explore your web site longer.
Quote of the Day:
"Wisdom is the principal thing;
Therefore get wisdom.
And in all your getting, get understanding." -- Proverbs 4:7
10 Ways To Make Your Ad Command Attention
Visit our sponsor:
-------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------
1. Place colorful graphs, pie charts and other charts
in your ad copy. Use charts that will grab a persons
eye and also support your product claims.
2. Highlight buying incentives like free bonuses and
money back guarantees. You could place them in
boxes or in front of a different colored background.
3. Use short sentences or sentence fragments in the
body of your ad copy. A short burst of words can
catch a skimmers eye with one quick glance.
4. Highlight all the important keywords and phrases
in your ad copy. You could use bolding, underlining
and color to highlight the important words.
5. Place attention grabbing pictures above and within
your ad copy. A powerful technique is to use before
and after pictures of people using your product.
6. Use a headline that catches the attention of your
target audience. One of the most effective ways is
to use a free offer as your headline.
7. Make your ad's keywords and phrases standout
by enlarging the text. This technique works wonders
with headlines and sub headlines.
8. Make your products list of benefits and features
stand out by using a symbol in front of each of them.
The symbol could be a dash, solid circle, star, etc.
9. Use sub headlines to break up your ad copy and
to capture a skimmers eye. You could make them
even more powerful by highlighting them with color.
10. Use attention grabbing adjectives to describe
your product. For example sizzling, incredible, high
power, ultramodern, killer, eye popping, etc.
Quote of the Day:
"Success is the result of perfection, hard work, learning
from failure, loyalty, and persistence." -- Colin Powell
Shopp Electronics
Shopp Electronics
No comments:
Post a Comment