Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Using Copywriting In Your Email Campaign

Writen by Chet Holcomb

Want to double or triple the number of new leads and customers you generate each month with your emails? Try focusing your Email campaign with copywriting techniques.

Copywriting in Emails is the art of using attractively written content focusing around a service or product to sell. A tool used to tempt the reader by making the items for sale seem attractive, desirable and at the same time benificial.Copywriting is often described as a play on words where the best and the most persuasive campaigns win.

Whenever you email someone, you're basically trying to sell a point. So what better way to communicate than with the language of copywriting in your Emails.

The secret is to balance the right blend of benefits and features in your Email marketing copy. Here are some tips to try in your next email marketing campaign.

1. Pack a powerful headline punch. Check top magazine article headlines of the day to see what's working best. Tailor yours accordingly.

2. Draw readers in with a great lead opening. Look to top articles in the news for ideas. And reach out and grab your readers in a similar fashion.

3. Keep the main message focused on no more than 3 main benefits your product or service offers the reader. Present credible info, not hype. And include testimonial when possible to back up claims.

4. State your proposition in a personal way, since the focus is all about the customer...i.e. write in the "You" form, not "he or she." And talk about them or things that they can relate to.

5. Focus on customer benefits. People like to save money, join in and be a part, learn more, earn more.

6. Offer multiple selling points in bullet form. Write them from customer's point of view & reflect their needs.

7. Thoroughly describe the product. Give the customer all the information they need on the product or service in order to make a well educated decision.

8. Create a call to action. Tell the customer what to do exactly, step-by-step.

9. State your unique selling position to differentiate yourself from competition. For example, tell why your product is better than the competition's.

Go for the gusto in selling your email messages with sound copywriting techniques. Sell your audience on reading more, navigating on your site and communicating in some way to show they got your message.

Chet Holcomb of Internet Promotions Marketing Tools is a successful marketing expert providing advice for web marketers and webmasters on how to promote your website, or product using marketing tools that work. His numerous articles provide a wonderfully researched resource of interesting and relevant information.

You may reprint this article freely if the content is not altered and the authors resource box is displayed.

How To Rake In The Sales From Your Loyal Optin Subscribers For Free

Writen by Matt Callen

If you're anything like me, you've probably heard it a thousand times before, stored it in the back of your memory bank, and haven't had the desire to go back there to get it. Well, now's the time to start acting on what I like to call "The Undiscovered Gold Mine." What I'm talking about is the marketing power of an opt-in email list.

But what is the most compelling offer to truly get your visitors to opt-in?

Without a doubt...a Free Newsletter is your best bet! In this lesson, we'll dive deep into the importance of a well-written newsletter, its impressive money-making potential, and the art of writing a profitable newsletter that your subscribers will eat up like candy!

Email marketing is a blessing for small business owners. An effective, targeted email-marketing campaign can drive traffic to your site, get your name in front of qualified prospects and turn leads into sales - for much less than what you'd spend on a traditional direct-marketing campaign. Once you have developed your email list, how do you turn those devoted subscribers into sales? No matter what strategies you used to get your subscribers to opt-in on your emailing list, many of them are already pre-sold to your product. Now, you just have to close the deal.

In this lesson, I'm going to show you why your site needs a newsletter and how to maximize your sales by using this powerful incentive. Offering a free newsletter is the best way to collect loyal subscribers who are actively looking for answers to their problems. If you offer to provide potential subscribers with information they need, they'll be glad to subscribe to your newsletter. But obviously the secret is out, and most online businesses are taking full advantage of the powerful capabilities of this marketing tool. And as a result, there has been a mass of newsletters on the Internet full of nonsense and spam - leaving Internet visitors with a wary concern about handing over their email addresses to just anyone.

This doesn't, however, mean that you shouldn't start your own newsletter. And it doesn't mean that you've missed the boat. All it means is that you are going to have to work at providing your subscribers with quality information that they deem worthy enough to entrust their email address with you. Not a problem! Just create a newsletter that people read faithfully, that is considered to be a reliable source of quality information, and that attracts a consistent number of opt-in subscribers. The best part about newsletters is that you can produce them with little to no cost at all! Of course you can hire a ghost writer to compose your newsletter, but the best way to truly acquire a lasting relationship with your customer is by simply "talking" to them.

Nowadays, it's easy to get away with informal conversations with someone you don't know all that well. In fact, many people actually feel more comfortable with the fact that you're talking to them like a friend. Don't underestimate the power of this kind of relationship!

If you are communicating on a regular basis with your subscribers, giving them valuable information, and allowing them to get to know and trust you, you shouldn't be too surprised about how many of them will actually become devoted customers. Email newsletters are one of the great bargains in marketing. They keep your company in front of your customers on a regular basis for very little cost.

Newsletters aren't right for every audience - I wouldn't recommend them if you're targeting the local B-I-N-G-O crowd - but if you're in the web hosting business, there's a good chance that 100% of your customers and prospects use email, making newsletters a great tool!

Email newsletters are proven to increase sales, if used properly. It has been reported by rigorous research and testing that up to 50% in sales can be generated from newsletter auto-responder follow-ups! And I'm sure you'll also be glad to hear that if used properly, up to 10% of opt-in subscribers will purchase the product being sold. In case you didn't get that - it's been reported that...

10 people out of every 100 subscribers will buy! That's enough to make me want to send out newsletters! But there are a few things that you have to be cautious of when preparing your newsletter. If you want to rake in the ALL of the financial benefits possible, you need to follow the tips below. Trust me, there's an art to creating a thriving, profitable newsletter.

There's no doubt about it - a free newsletter is your best source of generating a list of subscribers you can send promotions to in the future! But how should you go about delivering your message to your potential customers without coming off as a huge advertisement billboard? Because so many of us are already overwhelmed by the daily flood of email, your newsletter will need to be much more than just ads for your products. Including informative articles, interviews, or other information may help entice your subscribers to actually open and read your newsletter. Light "plugs" in the body of your newsletter aren't a bad idea, but remember that your subscribers are looking for quality information - not a salesletter…that's what your webpage is for.

To increase your sales and get the most out of your newsletter, we highly recommend following the tips listed below…

* Registering New Subscribers
When asking visitors to sign up, ask only for the information you need - perhaps just the email address. Remember, that every additional bit of info you collect is another deterrent to customer signup. People don't like to give away their private information, so don't ask for anything more than what is needed.

Make it easy for subscribers to share your newsletter with others. They can simply forward the message, of course, but if you include an explicit send-to-a-friend link you are giving your customers and subscribers a gentle "nudge" to recommend your material to their friends and colleagues.

* Check out your competition
Every business has competition. Find out what they are doing by researching their product or service. Sign up for their newsletters, and then make yours better than theirs. What could you do better? Is there a gap in their service you can fill?

* Content
The first thing I want to tell you is that "Newsletters must be simple." You do not want to be the next "delete" button in your subscribers email account. People get a lot of email. They don't have time to read a lot of text. Newsletters must be designed to facilitate scanning, but then again you want to give them the opportunity to get a "full dose" of what you have to offer. So the best recommendation is to provide links like "Click Here for the Full Report", or "Discover the Answers To Your Problem by Clicking Here".

Above all, deliver content with real value. We're all flooded by email, and if your users don't perceive your newsletter to be worthwhile, they'll just delete it and move to the next message in their inbox. That's why it's important to track your click-through rates: they're proof that your messages are being read - not just your message views. Also, if you have a newsletter that covers a ton of topics and starts to get too long, be sure break it into separate newsletters.

* Write a Good Subject Line
Writing good subject lines is especially important, both to encourage users to open the newsletter, and to distinguish the newsletter from spam. I recommend including some actual content from the individual newsletter in each subject line, even though it's a difficult job to write good content within the 50-60 character limit that is imposed by many email services.

* HTML or plain text?
It's really a matter of what you think will most appeal to your readers. There really hasn't been much difference as far as which one sells the best. It truly depends on your target audience. So if in doubt, offer two lists: one in plain text and the other in HTML. Then let your subscribers decide which one they want to receive.

* Let's Make a Profit! Selling to Your Audience
Many people try and sell their product or service directly from their emails. However this is really the job of your web site, not your newsletter. The purpose of your email campaigns should be purely to get people to click to your web site. Two of the most successful ways to do this are

a) A "Single-Topic" Article in Your Newsletter Create a single article that describes a common problem that your product solves. BUT, don't necessarily mention your product in the article but do point out some of the things to be considered when choosing a solution. Close your article by simply saying something like "To read more about this problem and discover our Tried-and-True solution - Click Here". This link should then direct your opt-in subscribers to you product sales page at which point the user is already thinking about the problem and what to look for in a solution. Then, they discover your product, which just happens to solve their problem. Viola!

b) A Series of Articles in Your Newsletter In each issue of your newsletter, focus on one particular problem that your product solves. But again, don't necessarily mention your product - simply talk about some of the things to be considered when choosing a solution. Dedicate the whole issue to describing this problem and what to look for in a solution. At the end of each issue point them in the direction of your product's sales pages. Again by the time they hit your web pages they will be primed and ready to learn how your product solves their problem.

Then, in your next newsletter series, you can incorporate a "new" problem that your product also solves. Get the picture? It's a great strategy once you get the hang of it.

Never send your newsletter to anyone who hasn't specifically requested to receive it. Remember, new anti-spam regulations require every marketing email to include an opt-out condition and a valid physical address.

Email newsletters are a blessing to small businesses. They are a great way to generate a credible relationship with your customer, drive subscribers to your site, create demand for your product, and thus skyrocket your sales!

Establishing your credibility is the key to making your product or service attractive to potential customers. But once you've done that, your loyal subscribers will WANT to know more about what you have to say. They'll be extremely receptive to your offers. The most valuable customer is the one you already have - right there in your email list.

Be sure to check out the next lesson. You'll be amazed at how easy it is to boost your opt-in mailing list by up to 10 times!

If you liked the lesson and want to learn more about building your email list and tapping into an undiscovered gold mine of profit, visit http://www.InstantPopOVER.com and get your free copy of "7 Days To Building a Booming Email List" right now!

If you were instantly given a blueprint to build a successful email list of repeat customers and loyal subscribers, would YOU take it?

Monday, March 2, 2009

The Lazy Mans Way To Building A Massive List In Minimum Time

Writen by Daniel Kelly

As you read every word of this article, you'll be stunned by how quickly and easily you can build a massive list of opt- in subscribers without spending a fortune. (The idea is to make money, not spend money. Right?)

I'll get right to the point...

It can be a real pain in the butt trying to build an opt-in list using the "old school" methods of list building that every Internet marketing guru out there is teaching these days.

They tell you... "Use pop ups and pop unders, delayed pops, and exit pops", "Put a subscription box on every page of your website", "Use Pay-Per-Click (PPC) search engines to drive traffic to your opt-in page", etc. etc. etc.

Those methods are OK, in my opinion. If you're using them now and they are effective for you, continue using them. If you're not, I'd suggest that you at least experiment with them to see if they work for your situation.

---> THE BIG PROBLEM IS THIS...

The two biggest problems you'll face using the "old school" methods are... either it takes way too much of YOUR TIME or it costs way too much of YOUR MONEY to build a list of any respectable size.

(In the BizOp, MLM, and Internet marketing arenas, many potential joint venture partners won't even talk to you unless your list has at least 50,000 - 100,000 subscribers.)

---> WHAT'S THE SOLUTION?

Very simple...

Instead of waiting for customers to come to you (which you have to do even with PPC search engines)...

You can BUY subscribers.

That's right! There are companies out there that will sell you the names and email addresses of people that have REQUESTED information about business opportunities.

---> WARNING: NOT ALL LEAD SOURCES ARE CREATED EQUAL

There are 8 things you want to look for from any lead/subscriber source.

Here they are:

1. 100% Opt-In: You want to buy the contact information of people that have actively requested more information. There are various methods of capturing contact information. Some leads sources sell you names that came from CD-ROM that has 12 million names on it. Some lead sources pre-check the subscription box, so many of their leads didn't know that they were going to be sent any information from you. You want to make sure that all the names you buy have explicitly requested the information that you are going to send them.

2. Targeted: You want Business Opportunity Seekers ONLY! What good is it if the names you buy really just wanted to be on someone's joke list or recipe newsletter? I'll tell you... Absolutely NOTHING! Actually, less than nothing if you get a lot of SPAM complaints and your ISP bans you from sending emails or your email addresses ends up on blacklists all throughout the Internet.

3. Only "Fresh" Leads: Plain and simple... The older the list, the less responsive it will be to your offer. As time goes by, people become less and less interested in what they requested information on. The more time between their initial request and your first contact, the easier it is for them to forget that they even requested information. My personal recommendation is that you never buy leads that are over 30 days old, unless you can get them at a steep discount.

4. Quick Turn-around: You don't want to wait months for your leads source to fulfill your order. Many smaller sites aren't able to keep up with the demand for leads so you could be waiting months if your order is large. You want a source that can fulfill large orders in a timely basis. Time really is money... especially when someone has yours, and you're left waiting months for your list.

5. Accessible & Effective Support: You want to be able to ask a question any time, day or night, and get a fast, courteous, and most importantly, effective solution to your concern. With some companies, you send them an email and it takes them days to get back to you, if they reply at all. And, speaking bluntly, many of them use incompetent people for their support because they're only after a quick buck. Their motto, "Grab the money and run... They should be able to figure it out."

6. CAN-SPAM Compliant: If you buy a list that has been harvested from websites, forums, newsgroups or any number of other places, you could get in serious trouble just for sending them your email. It's just not worth it! Please, only send your information and promotional material to people that want to hear from you.

7. Exclusivity: You don't want to compete for your leads attention any more than you have to. Spam filter, blacklist, and unexplainable Internet "glitches" cause email marketers enough grief. You want to know that your list is not going to be resold to a dozen or a hundred different marketers. My personal recommendation is that you NEVER purchase a lead that is sold to more than 5 marketers. The quality of response will be horrible if you're competing with that many people for your prospects' limited time and attention.

8. Alternate Means Of Communication: If you can get them, you also want their home address and home telephone number. If you're really serious about promoting your opportunity, you should be communicating with your prospects with more than just email. Postcards and short phone calls/message have be proven to increase response to almost any offer - especially offers where people are naturally skeptical at the outset.

BTW, some websites (I won't name any names.) make it sound like they're doing you a favor by "giving you their name at no additional cost". Give me a break! Names are MANDITORY!

ACTION STEP: Now that you have the criteria, you should evaluate your current lead sources and check out a few new ones.

Dan Kelly is the webmaster of BizOpListbuilder.com - "Helping entrepreneurs build and profit from their single greatest marketing asset - their list."

To see how inexpensive it can be to get your very own list visit http://www.BizOpListbuilder.com/ today. You'll be glad you did!

I look forward to helping you build and profit from your very own opt-in list.