Friday, November 20, 2009
Top 15 Ways to Build Your Subscriber List
Email marketing can be profitable for any business, no matter what kind of product or service you offer. It is significantly cheaper than other advertising methods and, if done right, helps build loyalty and trust with customers. As a result, you generate more sales and more profits!
The foundation for successful email marketing is a targeted, permission-based email list. Marketers call contact lists their "goldmine" because it can generate much of their sales revenue. If you've built up a list of opt-in subscribers that are qualified and interested in what you have to offer, then you've completed the first step and are on your way. Now it's time to "mine" for gold!
Below you'll find several list-building and retention ideas that will help you get the best results from all your email marketing activities:
1.
Provide useful, relevant content. Your visitors will not give you their email addresses just because they can subscribe to your newsletter free of charge. You have to provide unique and valuable information that will be of interest or use to them.
2.
Add a subscription form to every page on your website. Make sure it stands out so it is easy to find. If it doesn't look cluttered, you may want to include more than one on some pages. For instance, if your opt-in form always appears in the top-left corner of your site, you may want to add one at the end of your most popular articles.
3.
Add subscription forms to your social media pages. Make sure that you don't waste this valuable source of revenue opportunities. Integrate your sign-up forms with Facebook and more!
4.
Make it easy for readers to sign up. The more information you request, the fewer people will opt-in. In most cases, a name and an email address should suffice. If it's not necessary, don't include it here. You can always survey them once they're customers! We do recommend that you provide a link to your Privacy Policy however.
5.
Publish a Privacy Policy. Let your readers know that they can be confident you will not share their information with others. The easiest way to do this is to set up a Privacy Policy web page and provide the link to it below your opt-in form. (Note: If you don't have one, put the words "privacy policy generator" into a search engine and you should be able to find a suitable form to use.)
6.
Provide samples of your newsletters and Ezines. This lets potential subscribers review your materials before they sign up to determine if it's something they'd be interested in.
7.
Archive past newsletters and articles. An online library of past newsletters and articles is both appealing and useful to visitors and builds your credibility as an authority. In addition, if your articles are written with good SEO techniques in mind, they can increase traffic to your website through enhanced search engine positioning.
8.
Give gifts subscribers can actually use. Offer an opt-in bonus for joining your subscriber list! Write an ebook or provide a PDF business report, or even hire a programmer to create downloadable or web-based software. But don't limit yourself to offering gifts to opt-ins. Give them out when your readers fill out a survey, provide a testimonial, success story, or a great product idea. Let them know when they can expect the next gift offer. Everyone likes to get something for free! And if you pass out "goodies" throughout the year, your subscribers will feel truly appreciated − and that's good for business!
9.
Ask your subscribers to pass it on. Word of mouth is a powerful viral technique that works great with email marketing. If your subscribers find your content interesting, amusing or informative, they'll probably share it with their friends. This can be a great source of new customers, so make sure to remind them to "pass it on".
10.
Let others reprint your newsletter as long as the content is not modified. If you're happy to share your content with the universe, then why not! Many webmasters and newsletter publishers are actively looking for high-quality content and, if they reprint your newsletter, you'll get new subscribers, and more traffic and links pointing to your site.
11.
Include a "Sign Up" button in your newsletter. If you're using plain text instead of HTML, be sure to provide a text link to your subscription page. You may feel that this is not required because the subscriber is already on your list, but remember that readers will forward your newsletters to others, or reprint them online. Make it easy for them to subscribe!
12.
Add a squeeze page. A squeeze page has one goal − to acquire opt-ins and build your list. Think of it as a mini-sales letter to go along with your subscription or opt-in gift. It should feature a strong headline and a couple of powerful benefits that should make subscribers salivate to sign up! Once created, use a service such as WordTracker to find hundreds of targeted keywords, and promote your offer using pay-per-click advertising from Google, MSN and Yahoo. Now that should make a splash!
13.
Include testimonials on your squeeze page. This is crucial. Put one or two strong testimonials from satisfied customers on your squeeze page. This can be in any format, but you may find that multimedia (audio or video) is more "believable" and inspires more people to action. To further enhance believability, get permission to use actual customer names, locations and/or urls (Don't use "Bob K, FL"). Add a note inviting others to participate. After all, it's free publicity!
14.
Blog religiously. Blogging is a great way to communicate with prospects and potential customers, and creates a nice synergy with your email marketing. Be sure to include your newsletter sign-up form on each page of your blog. You can start a free blog at Blogger or WordPress.
15.
Post on other blogs. Post thoughtful comments and information on similar blogs with a link to your squeeze or opt-in pages. Also comment on others' blogs through trackbacks. In most cases, your comments will be posted on their blogs with a link back to your site. This is an easy way to generate new traffic and subscribers, and get your brand out there! Go here to get started.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
The Best Conversion Traffic Around
Traffic Python is a new site that says it guarantees more CONVERTING web visitors and online advertising with very little effort or cost. So I decided to put it to the test...
My first impression was the site looks professional and clean, with an attractive look and feel. It is easy to read and understand. Joining the site was easy and painless--they do offer 2 upgrade options but they are not required to gain the benefits.
The Members Area is very well laid out and intuitive--I could figure out what to do after only a few minutes and was able to get up and running in less than 5 minutes. Inside the site, you create links and ads--the links you simply enter any URL links you use into the generator and it transforms them into "Traffic Python" links. You create ads for anything you want to promote using the Traffic Python Ad Generator, which is very easy to use. You can create as many links and as many ads as you like. And they are organized in a logical way--links are displayed in the order you create them but also your 5 most recent links appear on the main page for quick reference. Also, since the link generator is the tool you'll use most, it is also right at the top of the main page when you login. Very smart!
After you've created at least 1 link and 1 ad you can start to generate traffic. Just use and promote the new Traffic Python link instead of the original source link you had. Every time the Traffic Python link is clicked, the page loads followed by a cool slide-up ad window at the bottom. It displays an ad PLUS an image with your affiliate link that goes back to Traffic Python. So if anyone clicks the Traffic Python image they see the site, and if they signup they become your referral. It's a great viral feature because you can build referrals without even trying to just by using the site.
Now every time the ad window displays (your Traffic Python links get clicked) you earn credits that get YOUR ad displayed in the ad windows when other members' links get clicked. So the more clicks, the more times your ads get displayed.
And this works virally--meaning as you make referrals into Traffic Python (either by promoting it or just using it and visitors click the Traffic Python image on the ad window to join) you also earn ad credits on THEIR link clicks. And this works up to 5 levels deep. So you can create a massive amount of free ad views and web traffic by referring others to Traffic Python also.
I didn't get to test the full effect of a big downline yet (I just got the tool) but I can tell you the rest of the site works exactly as stated--my links got clicked, I earned credits, and my ads got displayed. Traffic Python even tracked my results so I know how many clicks and how many ad displays. That was an impressive unadvertised extra feature.
There is one more benefit and feature which might be the best of them all--downline emailing. You can email your downline with offers, promotions, or whatever you like, and here is where Traffic Python really shines. They took time to make the emailing often enough that it's valuable as a user, but no so often that it's a burden to your downline. But the best part about this feature (and actually the credit earning too) is that it tells you exactly how long until you can mail again. Now THAT's cool.
Overall I have to say I am impressed with Traffic Python. It is simple yet powerful, and delivers on its promises. Highly recommended to anyone who wants to increase traffic and advertising.
See it and join at Traffic Python
My first impression was the site looks professional and clean, with an attractive look and feel. It is easy to read and understand. Joining the site was easy and painless--they do offer 2 upgrade options but they are not required to gain the benefits.
The Members Area is very well laid out and intuitive--I could figure out what to do after only a few minutes and was able to get up and running in less than 5 minutes. Inside the site, you create links and ads--the links you simply enter any URL links you use into the generator and it transforms them into "Traffic Python" links. You create ads for anything you want to promote using the Traffic Python Ad Generator, which is very easy to use. You can create as many links and as many ads as you like. And they are organized in a logical way--links are displayed in the order you create them but also your 5 most recent links appear on the main page for quick reference. Also, since the link generator is the tool you'll use most, it is also right at the top of the main page when you login. Very smart!
After you've created at least 1 link and 1 ad you can start to generate traffic. Just use and promote the new Traffic Python link instead of the original source link you had. Every time the Traffic Python link is clicked, the page loads followed by a cool slide-up ad window at the bottom. It displays an ad PLUS an image with your affiliate link that goes back to Traffic Python. So if anyone clicks the Traffic Python image they see the site, and if they signup they become your referral. It's a great viral feature because you can build referrals without even trying to just by using the site.
Now every time the ad window displays (your Traffic Python links get clicked) you earn credits that get YOUR ad displayed in the ad windows when other members' links get clicked. So the more clicks, the more times your ads get displayed.
And this works virally--meaning as you make referrals into Traffic Python (either by promoting it or just using it and visitors click the Traffic Python image on the ad window to join) you also earn ad credits on THEIR link clicks. And this works up to 5 levels deep. So you can create a massive amount of free ad views and web traffic by referring others to Traffic Python also.
I didn't get to test the full effect of a big downline yet (I just got the tool) but I can tell you the rest of the site works exactly as stated--my links got clicked, I earned credits, and my ads got displayed. Traffic Python even tracked my results so I know how many clicks and how many ad displays. That was an impressive unadvertised extra feature.
There is one more benefit and feature which might be the best of them all--downline emailing. You can email your downline with offers, promotions, or whatever you like, and here is where Traffic Python really shines. They took time to make the emailing often enough that it's valuable as a user, but no so often that it's a burden to your downline. But the best part about this feature (and actually the credit earning too) is that it tells you exactly how long until you can mail again. Now THAT's cool.
Overall I have to say I am impressed with Traffic Python. It is simple yet powerful, and delivers on its promises. Highly recommended to anyone who wants to increase traffic and advertising.
See it and join at Traffic Python
Thursday, October 1, 2009
The Company You Keep
"Surround yourself with successful people and in turn, you will become a success!"
In order to be a huge success in the internet marketing industry or any potentially lucrative industry for that matter, you have to be in the right frame of mind. Have you ever noticed how the wealthy and affluent mix and mingle with each other? What do you think they are doing? They're networking. Exchanging information. Exchanging ideas. They encourage and inspire each other. They're the elite. This is a tough industry. It's very easy to "give in", to "give up". To throw your hands to the sky and say, "forget it." It's this type of negative thinking that can turn a potential success into a failure.
Wealthy people are wealthy for a reason. Not all who have wealth are born into it. Some start with nothing and then build themselves into financial powerhouses through hard work and positive thinking. Also through learning all they can from people who were already wealthy--already where they wanted to be. Success comes with learning and who better to learn from than those who have already accomplished what you want to achieve. Think about it for a second. If your goal was to become a scholar, doesn't it make sense to hang around other scholars? If your goal was to become a master musician, doesn't it make sense to study those that have already mastered the art? The same principals apply if your goal is to become through internet marketing. Associate yourself with other people who have become wealthy doing the same thing.
A good way to put all this into perspective is to look at the flipside of things. Some of you may know someone who is ALWAYS negative. They never have a good thing to say about anything. They never try to lift you up. In fact, they may try to bring you down. If you really look at their lives you'll find that they don't have a whole lot going for themselves. They may have dead-end jobs, very little money, and an existence that is more than likely even less than mediocre. Those people are stagnant in life for whatever reason. They have no drive, no ambition, no desire to become anything more than what they are. Or maybe some do, but they become so complacent with their situations that they become jaded on the possibilities for something better. And so they keep attracting the negativity into their lives, oftentimes, even inadvertently bring those negative vibes into the lives of those around them. If you want to be a success at anything, you simply don't need these types of people in your inner circle. Surround yourself with positive people. Surround yourself with success!
Copyright 2009 Lisa Washington http://www.newfoundwealth.info
In order to be a huge success in the internet marketing industry or any potentially lucrative industry for that matter, you have to be in the right frame of mind. Have you ever noticed how the wealthy and affluent mix and mingle with each other? What do you think they are doing? They're networking. Exchanging information. Exchanging ideas. They encourage and inspire each other. They're the elite. This is a tough industry. It's very easy to "give in", to "give up". To throw your hands to the sky and say, "forget it." It's this type of negative thinking that can turn a potential success into a failure.
Wealthy people are wealthy for a reason. Not all who have wealth are born into it. Some start with nothing and then build themselves into financial powerhouses through hard work and positive thinking. Also through learning all they can from people who were already wealthy--already where they wanted to be. Success comes with learning and who better to learn from than those who have already accomplished what you want to achieve. Think about it for a second. If your goal was to become a scholar, doesn't it make sense to hang around other scholars? If your goal was to become a master musician, doesn't it make sense to study those that have already mastered the art? The same principals apply if your goal is to become through internet marketing. Associate yourself with other people who have become wealthy doing the same thing.
A good way to put all this into perspective is to look at the flipside of things. Some of you may know someone who is ALWAYS negative. They never have a good thing to say about anything. They never try to lift you up. In fact, they may try to bring you down. If you really look at their lives you'll find that they don't have a whole lot going for themselves. They may have dead-end jobs, very little money, and an existence that is more than likely even less than mediocre. Those people are stagnant in life for whatever reason. They have no drive, no ambition, no desire to become anything more than what they are. Or maybe some do, but they become so complacent with their situations that they become jaded on the possibilities for something better. And so they keep attracting the negativity into their lives, oftentimes, even inadvertently bring those negative vibes into the lives of those around them. If you want to be a success at anything, you simply don't need these types of people in your inner circle. Surround yourself with positive people. Surround yourself with success!
Copyright 2009 Lisa Washington http://www.newfoundwealth.info
Friday, September 25, 2009
Go Ahead...Quit Your Job!
Over the years, I've had many jobs, most of them I hated. For a long time I was one of those people that walk around complaining all the time about how unhappy they were at their jobs. I mean, here's a scenario for you: You wake up in the morning to a screeching alarm clock. Then you hit the snooze button no less than five times, all the while not going back to sleep but instead lying there trying to think of a reason NOT to quit your job. Not to go back to the imprisonment of being chained to a desk for 8 hours a day doing something someone ELSE wants you to do. Anxiously awaiting the five o'clock bell to sound so you can get your "night pass" to be free to do what YOU want to do. That sound familiar? Well it does to me. So one day I made the decision that so many of us don't. I decided to stop complaining and DO something about it.
Now please don't get me wrong. I'm in no way saying to go out and "quit your job" since you don't like it. No. That's not what I'm saying. What I AM saying, however, is that nobody can change the undesirable things in your life but YOU. A lot of us never take the initiative to make those types of changes in our lives because of one thing--FEAR! Fear of failure. Fear of rejection. Fear of the unknown. And so we become "settled" and that leads to frustration from feeling "stuck" doing something that we don't enjoy. Yet we feel like we have to keep working that job because we don't really know how to do something different. We are afraid to try to go and learn how to be successful doing something new.
You know that feeling you get when you know that you've done a good job? Or when you have made an accomplishment that means a lot to you? That's a beautiful feeling and it can be addictive to those of us who already have at least a little bit of drive and ambition within us. But it's a good addiction. Wouldn't you like to feel that everyday? I know I would. That is another thing that pushed me to really take a stand in my own life and stop complaining about the things that I COULD change. Being the person that I am, for me, that means being my own boss. Not waking to another alarm clock. Not punching another time clock. There was this little voice inside of me saying, "you can do this and even if you quit your job tomorrow, you will be fine. You will succeed."
Well, of course, I didn't up and quit my job. When I entered the world of internet marketing 4 years ago, I knew absolutely nothing about what it was, how to be successful at it, or how to make money from it. I just did a search one day after my mom mentioned some email she got about a marketing business. I went to the site and found some interest so I signed up. (It is actually one of the good ones and I am still with them today). I played around with it for a few months before I put it aside. I wasn't making any money. My referrals weren't doing anything beyond signing up. I didn't know how to provide support for them. Therefore, I really didn't see the point. In hindsight, I see that my mistake was jumping in without knowing anything. It was a waste of time and money. The training that the company provided was good information but in my opinion, the learning platform was all wrong. At least for me it was. When you take "newbies" and try to teach them something that they have no clue about, your training platform has to be clear, concise, easy to understand, and easy to navigate. There needs to be examples, lessons, training exercises and support available at all times. Learning is a very big deal in this industry and how long or short the learning curve is depends on YOU. Once I came across a reputable training and educational platform that delivered, I was off to the races. Sales increased. Knowledge increased and relationships formed and prospered. Learning how to succeed in this industry and then applying those techniques and strategies will be the difference between the 3% of internet marketers that are the wealthy affiliates and the 97% of marketers that fail. Once you CHOOSE to be in the 3%, THEN you can quit your job. Which group do YOU want to be in?
Now please don't get me wrong. I'm in no way saying to go out and "quit your job" since you don't like it. No. That's not what I'm saying. What I AM saying, however, is that nobody can change the undesirable things in your life but YOU. A lot of us never take the initiative to make those types of changes in our lives because of one thing--FEAR! Fear of failure. Fear of rejection. Fear of the unknown. And so we become "settled" and that leads to frustration from feeling "stuck" doing something that we don't enjoy. Yet we feel like we have to keep working that job because we don't really know how to do something different. We are afraid to try to go and learn how to be successful doing something new.
You know that feeling you get when you know that you've done a good job? Or when you have made an accomplishment that means a lot to you? That's a beautiful feeling and it can be addictive to those of us who already have at least a little bit of drive and ambition within us. But it's a good addiction. Wouldn't you like to feel that everyday? I know I would. That is another thing that pushed me to really take a stand in my own life and stop complaining about the things that I COULD change. Being the person that I am, for me, that means being my own boss. Not waking to another alarm clock. Not punching another time clock. There was this little voice inside of me saying, "you can do this and even if you quit your job tomorrow, you will be fine. You will succeed."
Well, of course, I didn't up and quit my job. When I entered the world of internet marketing 4 years ago, I knew absolutely nothing about what it was, how to be successful at it, or how to make money from it. I just did a search one day after my mom mentioned some email she got about a marketing business. I went to the site and found some interest so I signed up. (It is actually one of the good ones and I am still with them today). I played around with it for a few months before I put it aside. I wasn't making any money. My referrals weren't doing anything beyond signing up. I didn't know how to provide support for them. Therefore, I really didn't see the point. In hindsight, I see that my mistake was jumping in without knowing anything. It was a waste of time and money. The training that the company provided was good information but in my opinion, the learning platform was all wrong. At least for me it was. When you take "newbies" and try to teach them something that they have no clue about, your training platform has to be clear, concise, easy to understand, and easy to navigate. There needs to be examples, lessons, training exercises and support available at all times. Learning is a very big deal in this industry and how long or short the learning curve is depends on YOU. Once I came across a reputable training and educational platform that delivered, I was off to the races. Sales increased. Knowledge increased and relationships formed and prospered. Learning how to succeed in this industry and then applying those techniques and strategies will be the difference between the 3% of internet marketers that are the wealthy affiliates and the 97% of marketers that fail. Once you CHOOSE to be in the 3%, THEN you can quit your job. Which group do YOU want to be in?
Thursday, September 10, 2009
The secrets of presenting your online business
* Located In A Back Alley. You Will Need A Map To Find It.
* If You Are Interested, Leave A Note Under The Door. I Hate The
Phone.
* Might Be Some Problems But I'll Fix Them When I Have Time.
(Remember Don't Call Me)
* You Can Always Reach Me By Email. Sometimes. Maybe.
* The Rent Is Really, Really Cheap.
If you were ready to start a new business and were searching for
a location. Would this ad interest you. Probably not. No matter how
cheap the rent, this building would kill your new business before it
got started. But you know, when new entrepreneurs are ready to start
their online businesses, they very often get started in a building
just like this!
Do you know that most hosting companies do not even own their own
servers. Servers are the computers that your websites are hosted on.
These companies rent space on servers owned by other companies. They
may be hundreds or thousands of miles away. When you have a problem,
you must first try to reach your hosting company and they in turn
must reach the company where the servers are located. All the time
your website is down, your store is closed. How much of this could
your new business survive?
FOR RENT-COMMERCIAL BUILDING-REASONABLY PRICED
* Located On Main Street
* Your Customers Will Find You Easilly
* Landlord Available 24 hours A Day
* If You Need Any Assistance Just Drop Into Our Support Room
* As A Free Bonus We Provide Business Training To Help You Succeed
How About this ad? Does this sound more like something an astute
business owner would be looking for? Don't destroy your new business
at the start opening your store in the wrong location.
Allow me to describe the perfect landlord, (Hosting Company).
+ Reasonably priced hosting packages to fit your business
+ Adaptable. Allowing you to grow your business without moving
your location
+ 24 hour online support. Speak with a live person 24 hours a day
+ All servers owned and maintained by company on their location
+ Twenty live training conferences a week. Learn how to succeed
+ Meet with the president of the company twice a week. Share your
suggestions. State your concerns and learn whats new from the
boss
+ Network with successful internet marketers daily
+ Give all these features a try with our 30 day trial plan
Get All The Facts. Attend One Of Our Online Conferences.
See If Our Location Is The Perfect Home For Your Business!
http://www.wwkiosk.com/members/lwash524
* If You Are Interested, Leave A Note Under The Door. I Hate The
Phone.
* Might Be Some Problems But I'll Fix Them When I Have Time.
(Remember Don't Call Me)
* You Can Always Reach Me By Email. Sometimes. Maybe.
* The Rent Is Really, Really Cheap.
If you were ready to start a new business and were searching for
a location. Would this ad interest you. Probably not. No matter how
cheap the rent, this building would kill your new business before it
got started. But you know, when new entrepreneurs are ready to start
their online businesses, they very often get started in a building
just like this!
Do you know that most hosting companies do not even own their own
servers. Servers are the computers that your websites are hosted on.
These companies rent space on servers owned by other companies. They
may be hundreds or thousands of miles away. When you have a problem,
you must first try to reach your hosting company and they in turn
must reach the company where the servers are located. All the time
your website is down, your store is closed. How much of this could
your new business survive?
FOR RENT-COMMERCIAL BUILDING-REASONABLY PRICED
* Located On Main Street
* Your Customers Will Find You Easilly
* Landlord Available 24 hours A Day
* If You Need Any Assistance Just Drop Into Our Support Room
* As A Free Bonus We Provide Business Training To Help You Succeed
How About this ad? Does this sound more like something an astute
business owner would be looking for? Don't destroy your new business
at the start opening your store in the wrong location.
Allow me to describe the perfect landlord, (Hosting Company).
+ Reasonably priced hosting packages to fit your business
+ Adaptable. Allowing you to grow your business without moving
your location
+ 24 hour online support. Speak with a live person 24 hours a day
+ All servers owned and maintained by company on their location
+ Twenty live training conferences a week. Learn how to succeed
+ Meet with the president of the company twice a week. Share your
suggestions. State your concerns and learn whats new from the
boss
+ Network with successful internet marketers daily
+ Give all these features a try with our 30 day trial plan
Get All The Facts. Attend One Of Our Online Conferences.
See If Our Location Is The Perfect Home For Your Business!
http://www.wwkiosk.com/members/lwash524
Friday, August 28, 2009
6 Common Mistakes of Internet Marketers
1. Typos, misuse of grammar and misspellings. I can’t tell you how many times I have run across ads on the internet, whether in text ads or email subject lines and content, that contain typos, grammar usage errors and misspelled words. Nothing says “unprofessional” like an un-proofed ad copy. The good news is that all of these errors are avoidable. The main thing I think a lot of marketers need to do is just slow down a bit and take the extra time and steps needed to make sure they are running a professional ad. The way I create my ads is to use the word processing software that is on my computer. This is also a good practice because you can save them for future use. This helps me tremendously in my articles and blog entries. I use the spell and grammar check in all my online marketing content. Another thing I do, which you may think is silly, is read it out loud. That way I can hear what the reader is hearing in his or her mind as they are reading the content. This has helped me many times to catch my own errors as well.
2. Not sending personalized welcome messages to new referrals. One of the main reasons that people drop out of programs is because they feel like they have no support from the person whose affiliate page they signed up from. In other words, “no upline support”. We are all here to grow our downlines so that we ultimately make money from internet marketing. However, the best way to ensure that we achieve our true goal of making a solid residual income and ultimately becoming “financially free” is to not focus on trying to make a “sale”, but rather on sincerely trying to help others. A great quote from Zig Ziglar that I like to tell people is “you can have everything you want in life if you will just help enough other people get what they want”. There’s nothing more true than this in internet marketing. When you are lucky enough to get referrals into your programs, always send them a welcome email letting them know that you are a real person and that you are there to provide them with help and support. And then actually help them if they need it, as they are here for the same reason as you and the rest of us--to build a successful online business. Also, let’s face it. When you help them, you help you. You will be amazed at how far this personal and hands on approach will take you in this industry.
3. Not confirming entry into the programs from the link in the confirmation email. Ok, so you’re online browsing, surfing traffic exchanges and clicking ads and you come across a program that you are actually interested in seeing what it is about. So you put in your name and email address in the form and then…what? Believe it or not, a lot of people never open the confirmation email that most programs send out when you hit that “join” or “send” button and they really aren’t even signed up for or won’t get the information they were trying to get in the first place. With all the SPAM laws, most programs require you to confirm that you wish to receive information from them and if you are not remembering to check your email AND your bulk mailbox, you may miss these messages. The reason you want to check both is because sometimes, depending on your email client, messages will be automatically labeled SPAM and go straight to that bulk or SPAM mailbox instead of your inbox. It may be a good idea if you are in the internet marketing industry to set your SPAM filter to allow you to have the option to look through them first instead of the client just deleting them as they come, without you even getting a chance to see what it is.
4. Not “Whitelisting” the email addresses of the programs they join. Another thing you want to do that coincides with No. 3 above, is to “whitelist” the email address of the programs you join or are receiving information from so that the mail doesn’t go to your SPAM folder. Doing this lets the email client system know that it is ok to deliver those messages directly to your inbox.
5. Not using an autoresponder. Once your business starts to grow, you want to utilize all the tools necessary for you to become organized. As you start collecting prospects, you want to be able to communicate with them about your current business and even future endeavors. Email marketing is one of the top forms of business building on the internet. What an autoresponder does is automate that form of marketing for you. Let’s say you have 100 people respond to your ad giving you their contact information because they happen to be very interested in what you’re offering. Can you imagine how much time it would take to email all of these prospects individually? With an auto responder program, you build your list of prospects because once they submit their contact info, they are instantly put into your autoresponder system. They will still have to confirm that they want to receive information from you but once they do that, they can start getting that information through an email or even an email series pre-written by you and stored in your autoresponder program. You can also send broadcast messages to all of your subscribers at the same time. Think of the time you will save in using an auto responder, especially as your prospect list and organization grows to hundreds and even thousands of potential buyers.
6. Not using a lead capture page (LCP). After reading No. 5 above, you may be asking how do I get people to enter their contact information and subscribe to my list? The most common and effective way is by using what is called a lead capture page or (LCP). This page should be a page that contains catchy content or video and a form which prompts the visitor to provide their name and email address and whatever other contact information that you may wish to have. If you make the page unique and exciting enough to “bait” the visitor into wanting to know more, then they will go ahead and fill out the form and “presto”!! You now have a new lead or prospect subscribing to your autoresponder list.
Written by Lisa Washington. THE WASHINGTON-REPORT ã2009
http://www.website.ws/lisawashington
2. Not sending personalized welcome messages to new referrals. One of the main reasons that people drop out of programs is because they feel like they have no support from the person whose affiliate page they signed up from. In other words, “no upline support”. We are all here to grow our downlines so that we ultimately make money from internet marketing. However, the best way to ensure that we achieve our true goal of making a solid residual income and ultimately becoming “financially free” is to not focus on trying to make a “sale”, but rather on sincerely trying to help others. A great quote from Zig Ziglar that I like to tell people is “you can have everything you want in life if you will just help enough other people get what they want”. There’s nothing more true than this in internet marketing. When you are lucky enough to get referrals into your programs, always send them a welcome email letting them know that you are a real person and that you are there to provide them with help and support. And then actually help them if they need it, as they are here for the same reason as you and the rest of us--to build a successful online business. Also, let’s face it. When you help them, you help you. You will be amazed at how far this personal and hands on approach will take you in this industry.
3. Not confirming entry into the programs from the link in the confirmation email. Ok, so you’re online browsing, surfing traffic exchanges and clicking ads and you come across a program that you are actually interested in seeing what it is about. So you put in your name and email address in the form and then…what? Believe it or not, a lot of people never open the confirmation email that most programs send out when you hit that “join” or “send” button and they really aren’t even signed up for or won’t get the information they were trying to get in the first place. With all the SPAM laws, most programs require you to confirm that you wish to receive information from them and if you are not remembering to check your email AND your bulk mailbox, you may miss these messages. The reason you want to check both is because sometimes, depending on your email client, messages will be automatically labeled SPAM and go straight to that bulk or SPAM mailbox instead of your inbox. It may be a good idea if you are in the internet marketing industry to set your SPAM filter to allow you to have the option to look through them first instead of the client just deleting them as they come, without you even getting a chance to see what it is.
4. Not “Whitelisting” the email addresses of the programs they join. Another thing you want to do that coincides with No. 3 above, is to “whitelist” the email address of the programs you join or are receiving information from so that the mail doesn’t go to your SPAM folder. Doing this lets the email client system know that it is ok to deliver those messages directly to your inbox.
5. Not using an autoresponder. Once your business starts to grow, you want to utilize all the tools necessary for you to become organized. As you start collecting prospects, you want to be able to communicate with them about your current business and even future endeavors. Email marketing is one of the top forms of business building on the internet. What an autoresponder does is automate that form of marketing for you. Let’s say you have 100 people respond to your ad giving you their contact information because they happen to be very interested in what you’re offering. Can you imagine how much time it would take to email all of these prospects individually? With an auto responder program, you build your list of prospects because once they submit their contact info, they are instantly put into your autoresponder system. They will still have to confirm that they want to receive information from you but once they do that, they can start getting that information through an email or even an email series pre-written by you and stored in your autoresponder program. You can also send broadcast messages to all of your subscribers at the same time. Think of the time you will save in using an auto responder, especially as your prospect list and organization grows to hundreds and even thousands of potential buyers.
6. Not using a lead capture page (LCP). After reading No. 5 above, you may be asking how do I get people to enter their contact information and subscribe to my list? The most common and effective way is by using what is called a lead capture page or (LCP). This page should be a page that contains catchy content or video and a form which prompts the visitor to provide their name and email address and whatever other contact information that you may wish to have. If you make the page unique and exciting enough to “bait” the visitor into wanting to know more, then they will go ahead and fill out the form and “presto”!! You now have a new lead or prospect subscribing to your autoresponder list.
Written by Lisa Washington. THE WASHINGTON-REPORT ã2009
http://www.website.ws/lisawashington
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Your Ads Aren't Working!
I know your ads aren't working.
How do I know this?
Because I'm betting that you're probably getting a pathetically
low click-through rate and an almost non-existent conversion
rate out of those ads.
Let me explain.
The truth is, banner ads and link exchanges just don't work
anymore. People just ignore them completely.
Google and other major companies that get the bulk of their
profits from advertising have tried to counteract this
'banner blindness' by making ads different sizes
- which worked ... for awhile.
You can be the best graphic designer or copywriter in the
world - and it doesn't make one bit of difference. Your ads
still have a horrible conversion rate.
Want to know which kind of ads people don't ignore?
==> Header Ads.
The header is the area at the very top of a web page. It
usually includes the product name, maybe a photo of the
creator and a graphic of a software box or book cover.
It's also the very first thing people notice on a website,
and the very first graphic to load.
Now what if you could take this same header area from
someone else's site and put YOUR ads on it?
Can you see just how much more targeted that would be?
The site visitors can't help but notice it - which means
you get more click-thrus and more eager buyers coming
to YOUR site!
See what I mean at http://www.HeaderAds.com/8821
It's like getting someone else to do all the marketing
for you. All you do is sit back and watch as the customers
pour in!
And best of all - if you go to http://www.HeaderAds.com/8821
- you'll find out exactly how much this advertising costs:
Nothing!
But I should warn you. As soon as the big marketing
pros hear about this - their servers are going to fill up
fast. And once the space fills up, they might have to
start charging.
Get in now before it's too late - http://www.HeaderAds.com/8821
How do I know this?
Because I'm betting that you're probably getting a pathetically
low click-through rate and an almost non-existent conversion
rate out of those ads.
Let me explain.
The truth is, banner ads and link exchanges just don't work
anymore. People just ignore them completely.
Google and other major companies that get the bulk of their
profits from advertising have tried to counteract this
'banner blindness' by making ads different sizes
- which worked ... for awhile.
You can be the best graphic designer or copywriter in the
world - and it doesn't make one bit of difference. Your ads
still have a horrible conversion rate.
Want to know which kind of ads people don't ignore?
==> Header Ads.
The header is the area at the very top of a web page. It
usually includes the product name, maybe a photo of the
creator and a graphic of a software box or book cover.
It's also the very first thing people notice on a website,
and the very first graphic to load.
Now what if you could take this same header area from
someone else's site and put YOUR ads on it?
Can you see just how much more targeted that would be?
The site visitors can't help but notice it - which means
you get more click-thrus and more eager buyers coming
to YOUR site!
See what I mean at http://www.HeaderAds.com/8821
It's like getting someone else to do all the marketing
for you. All you do is sit back and watch as the customers
pour in!
And best of all - if you go to http://www.HeaderAds.com/8821
- you'll find out exactly how much this advertising costs:
Nothing!
But I should warn you. As soon as the big marketing
pros hear about this - their servers are going to fill up
fast. And once the space fills up, they might have to
start charging.
Get in now before it's too late - http://www.HeaderAds.com/8821
Monday, July 27, 2009
Persistence and Your Home Business
Where does the needle point to on your persistence meter? Are you someone who decides to let something go at the first indication that it just may require more work than you originally thought? If so, and you are trying to build a home business, then you might want to think about changing your thought process. There really is truth to the old adage, “anything worth having is worth working for.” Running a successful home business is not exempt from that concept.
It is a known and common sentiment that 97% if all internet marketers fail. Think about that for a second. 97%. The reasons for their failure vary but among them are that some don’t know much, if anything, about marketing online. Another reason many fail is that some people get into the wrong programs or businesses and don’t have anyone to mentor them and virtually no upline support. Others fail simply because they lack a crucial trait of all home business successes. They lack persistence. They try something for a few months and because they are not seeing the money roll into their bank accounts at lightning speed the way some of these scams out here have led them to believe they will, they simply give up. I believe the reason for this is that many people, let’s face it, just don’t want to work hard for what they truly want and deserve. They want to earn an abundance of cash online but they are not willing to be PERSISTENT in their quest and with their efforts to make their dreams come true.
I have decided to devote The Washington Report to helping those who truly want to succeed and who know a thing or two about persistence. Let me tell you a story. I grew up in a town called Gary, Indiana. All my life I always felt that there was more out there that the world had to offer me than what I could find in this small, economically challenged steel mill town. So at 18 when I graduated from high school, instead of going to college like I should have, (teenagers, right?), I moved to Dallas, TX to live with my Aunt. A few months later, there I was in my own place with a job making minimum wage thinking I was actually big stuff. After losing that job and seeing what struggle was really like, I quickly came to my senses 6 months after moving to Dallas and decided to take my big ideas back home to Gary and get an education beyond a high school diploma. At least some kind of skill that would earn me more than just a minimum wage job. You see, even though I was so eager to fly the coop after graduating from high school, and ended up falling flat on my butt, that didn’t stop me from working hard to get back to Dallas. Even though I ended up pregnant and married while in business school, I told my then future husband that if he wanted to marry ME, then WE would be moving to Dallas after graduation. He was fine with it so there I was, two years after my first failed attempt at making a life in Dallas, finally I was back where I wanted to be. I loved it there, especially compared to where I grew up. Things were fine for a couple years until the marriage went south. Ended up taking my 3 year old son back home to Indiana to stay with my parents. You know kids have a way of detouring you and slowing you down but I wouldn’t trade him for the world.
To make a long story short, he was ten years old before I decided to let him go and live with his father and I moved back to Dallas. By this time I no longer had family there nor did I still have any contact with the few acquaintances I had made the other times I was there so I was literally on my own. I stepped out on faith (that will be another topic for another blog ;-) ). It took me four attempts and 3 temporary moves back home before I finally found some stability and a good career in Dallas to become self sufficient. I remember one of those times when I was home and had gotten to the point where I was telling my step dad that I was ready to go and try it again and he said, “why do you keep putting yourself through this?” I replied, “well, Dallas is where I want to be…so if at first you don’t succeed, you keep trying.” The point is I kept trying through hunger, pain and even temporary homelessness but I PERSISTED, and I PERSEVERED because it was something I truly wanted at the time.
So I know a little bit about persistence, folks and I have learned in the last couple years as my drive and determination has grown for building a successful and lucrative home business through education, ambition, a genuine desire to help others and a boatload of PERSISTENCE, that I WILL accomplish what I have set out to do, which is to help others to achieve their dreams of financial freedom as well.
©2009 From “THE WASHINGTON-REPORT“ WRITTEN BY LISA G. WASHINGTON
http://www.lisawashington.ws
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