Monday, September 28, 2009
Ignored Email Practices
Email is a vital communication medium in the world of internet marketing. There are no hard and fast rules for the success of mass email marketing campaigns as it is a matter of adopting some effective, yet undocumented practices. They make your message effective, attractive and inspiring to your readers. People try their best to get maximum benefits from their marketing messages but they ignore some practices due to which they may not get considerable benefits. Here are some most frequently ignored email practices which you should inculcate in your emails for effective results.• Marketers ignore putting in links to the administration centre in their newsletter for their subscribers. There should be a link to subscribe, unsubscribe and to view the company’s privacy policy. It will distinguish your email from unsolicited emails. It will also contain your street address, phone number and email address.• You should provide ‘Search Links’ as your recipients may want to search for products, articles and company information from here instead of going to your website to start search.• You should try to get more and more email addresses by providing a link like “Send to a friend” or forward to a friend etc on your website. It is a good idea to get new leads from your existing subscribers. People are more receptive to recommendations from acquaintances. • Ask your readers to add your email address to their safe senders list. That would keep your email messages from their junk mail folders’. You should also include a link to a web version in your email because some readers don’t have access to HTML clients.• Email is fast but a telephone call is faster. You should provide your contact phone number as many buyers, salespeople and clients would like to contact you directly. In this way you don’t need to wait for them to visit your website.• You should display recipients’ and senders’ email addresses in the proper fields in your mass emails for credibility.• You should provide navigation links to your website for quick and fast information. These links will also help recipients’ visit various areas of your website.• You should ask for feedback from your email reader. For this purpose you can provide an email address or a link to a form on your website. The readers can ask questions and send comments.The cut and short of this is that you will not be able to achieve 100% effective results from your mass email marketing campaigns if you do not practice above mentioned guidelines.
Friday, September 25, 2009
How To Succeed In Online Marketing - Building Your List To Make Money Online
If you are new to online marketing, you may well have already heard the saying “the money’s in the list”. But you may also be wondering “what is this list” and just how do I get one!
Your list is basically a list of people, usually names and email addresses, but it can also be phone numbers or addresses, depending on the type of marketing you are undertaking. These people should already be interested in hearing what you have to offer, and are sometimes referred to as hot prospects, which means that they are potentially ready to purchase items or services that you can offer them.
This type of marketing is also referred to as Direct Marketing, as you are sending information directly to an interested party, as opposed to other marketing methods, such as newspaper advertising, where you are relying on customers to see your advert and respond accordingly.
But just how do you go about building your list?
Well, there are many ways to build a list, but what you want are contacts that are ready to listen to what you are offering. You can have a list of thousands, but if it is not focussed then it can potentially be useless.
So how do you get a focussed list?
Relationships! Generally if you have a relationship with someone, you will have trust. If people trust you, they are more likely to buy from you. Simple! So you need to be building relationships online, building a brand, so that people know you and trust you. Never forget one of the golden rules of sales, “People buy from people”.
One of the best ways to increase your profile and build relationships online is through social marketing, using sites like Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. Using these free resources on a daily basis will soon have your brand come to the attention of many people, and if you then are able to direct these interested parties to your own site, you can collect their name and email address, to add to your list.
Substance – however, you do need to be able to offer something of substance, something of value, otherwise why would someone want to know more about you? Writing articles, such as this, can help to increase your brand and help increase your credibility online.
Having good products to offer is also vital. If all you sell has no real value, your customer base will soon leave you, making all the hard work you put in to get them a complete waste of time. Always remember, if you are building a serious business online, you need to act in a serious manner, just as you would in any other business.
Your list is basically a list of people, usually names and email addresses, but it can also be phone numbers or addresses, depending on the type of marketing you are undertaking. These people should already be interested in hearing what you have to offer, and are sometimes referred to as hot prospects, which means that they are potentially ready to purchase items or services that you can offer them.
This type of marketing is also referred to as Direct Marketing, as you are sending information directly to an interested party, as opposed to other marketing methods, such as newspaper advertising, where you are relying on customers to see your advert and respond accordingly.
But just how do you go about building your list?
Well, there are many ways to build a list, but what you want are contacts that are ready to listen to what you are offering. You can have a list of thousands, but if it is not focussed then it can potentially be useless.
So how do you get a focussed list?
Relationships! Generally if you have a relationship with someone, you will have trust. If people trust you, they are more likely to buy from you. Simple! So you need to be building relationships online, building a brand, so that people know you and trust you. Never forget one of the golden rules of sales, “People buy from people”.
One of the best ways to increase your profile and build relationships online is through social marketing, using sites like Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. Using these free resources on a daily basis will soon have your brand come to the attention of many people, and if you then are able to direct these interested parties to your own site, you can collect their name and email address, to add to your list.
Substance – however, you do need to be able to offer something of substance, something of value, otherwise why would someone want to know more about you? Writing articles, such as this, can help to increase your brand and help increase your credibility online.
Having good products to offer is also vital. If all you sell has no real value, your customer base will soon leave you, making all the hard work you put in to get them a complete waste of time. Always remember, if you are building a serious business online, you need to act in a serious manner, just as you would in any other business.
Starting An Online Business - Do You Believe It’s Possible?
Wow, what a wide ranging question! It can of course relate to just about anything in life, but I particularly want to relate it to starting an online business.
A lot of what we do is affected by our mindset, how we feel about things. It is no different when we are thinking about a new business venture. You do the research, talk to people about it, find out as much as you can about it, but if then you don’t believe it will work, it probably never will. I believe it was Henry Ford who once said “whether a man thinks he can or he can’t, he is usually right.”
When you start a new business, you need to believe that it will work, and keep that belief with you right throughout your journey. As with anything new, it takes time to master. If anyone has found the perfect business which immediately brings in thousands of dollars on day one with no effort required, please let me know, as I’m pretty sure it doesn’t exist!
As with any new business, you have to build it up step by step, putting in the effort on a daily basis, so that gradually, over time, you build up the different layers needed to make your business successful. It is easy to stop believing, to say that this system doesn’t work, if it seems very slow at first. Many people will give up at this point, as they lose their belief., but if you are following a proven system, with lots of successful people using it, stick with it, BELIEVE and it will work! Perseverance will always pay dividends in business.
And there, I think is the key. If you have chosen a business model that has proven success, such as My Net Biz, then invariably, if you follow the instructions given, put the work in, and speak to your mentor when you get stuck to get you going again, it will work. You just have to stick with it and not find your own excuses as to why you can’t succeed. The mind is a very powerful tool, and needs to be directed in a positive manner.
So in answer to the original question, YES, you do have to believe it’s possible, to succeed!
A lot of what we do is affected by our mindset, how we feel about things. It is no different when we are thinking about a new business venture. You do the research, talk to people about it, find out as much as you can about it, but if then you don’t believe it will work, it probably never will. I believe it was Henry Ford who once said “whether a man thinks he can or he can’t, he is usually right.”
When you start a new business, you need to believe that it will work, and keep that belief with you right throughout your journey. As with anything new, it takes time to master. If anyone has found the perfect business which immediately brings in thousands of dollars on day one with no effort required, please let me know, as I’m pretty sure it doesn’t exist!
As with any new business, you have to build it up step by step, putting in the effort on a daily basis, so that gradually, over time, you build up the different layers needed to make your business successful. It is easy to stop believing, to say that this system doesn’t work, if it seems very slow at first. Many people will give up at this point, as they lose their belief., but if you are following a proven system, with lots of successful people using it, stick with it, BELIEVE and it will work! Perseverance will always pay dividends in business.
And there, I think is the key. If you have chosen a business model that has proven success, such as My Net Biz, then invariably, if you follow the instructions given, put the work in, and speak to your mentor when you get stuck to get you going again, it will work. You just have to stick with it and not find your own excuses as to why you can’t succeed. The mind is a very powerful tool, and needs to be directed in a positive manner.
So in answer to the original question, YES, you do have to believe it’s possible, to succeed!
Internet Marketing - The Five Golden Rules
Follow a proven system
I’m sure that you will have done your research when trying to find the right business on the web, but there are so many ‘opportunities’ available, all promising the earth, so which do you choose?
It is often said in business that it is better to follow than to be first. What this means is that the innovators go through many more hardships, trying to create the successful business system, then the second wave, who can use the mistakes of the innovator to create a much more successful system..
So, when researching your systems, look for one that is established, has a good number of users who are already being successful, and one that has backup in place to allow you to get underway immediately. One such business can be found at http://www.great-online-income.com.
2 Work hard!
The Lazy Mans Way to Riches! Does it exist? Are there any systems out there where everything is done for you? The short answer is NO! If you want to make money online, you have to treat your business like any other business. If you don’t put any effort in, you’ll get nothing out.
What is working hard though? Leaving home at seven in the morning, commuting for a couple of hours to get to your office, working all day then trying to get through the traffic to get home at a decent hour?
Working hard with an online business means applying yourself for 3-4 hours a day, working from home, working when you want to work, and not when your employment contract tells you.
3 Do a little every day
It is important to get into a routine with your new online business, and that you do a little every day. Write an article one day, update your blog, do more training…there are lots of things to do that will help you with your online presence, and just doing a few small things every day soon adds up to a great deal!
4 Get a mentor
It’s always the same when starting anything new – there will be times when however straightforward the information is, you need help. It is at this point where the great business systems really shine. If you have a personal mentor that you can call, email or skype at any time, who will be able to answer your questions and get you underway again, this is worth its weight in gold. If the system you are reviewing does not offer this, I would look elsewhere. http://www.great-online-income.com does use the mentoring system, so is worth checking out.
5 Enjoy it!
You only have one life, so enjoy it. If you don’t enjoy doing online marketing, it will be difficult, but not impossible, to be successful at it, which does, in fact, when you think about it, apply to almost everything you do in life.
I’m sure that you will have done your research when trying to find the right business on the web, but there are so many ‘opportunities’ available, all promising the earth, so which do you choose?
It is often said in business that it is better to follow than to be first. What this means is that the innovators go through many more hardships, trying to create the successful business system, then the second wave, who can use the mistakes of the innovator to create a much more successful system..
So, when researching your systems, look for one that is established, has a good number of users who are already being successful, and one that has backup in place to allow you to get underway immediately. One such business can be found at http://www.great-online-income.com.
2 Work hard!
The Lazy Mans Way to Riches! Does it exist? Are there any systems out there where everything is done for you? The short answer is NO! If you want to make money online, you have to treat your business like any other business. If you don’t put any effort in, you’ll get nothing out.
What is working hard though? Leaving home at seven in the morning, commuting for a couple of hours to get to your office, working all day then trying to get through the traffic to get home at a decent hour?
Working hard with an online business means applying yourself for 3-4 hours a day, working from home, working when you want to work, and not when your employment contract tells you.
3 Do a little every day
It is important to get into a routine with your new online business, and that you do a little every day. Write an article one day, update your blog, do more training…there are lots of things to do that will help you with your online presence, and just doing a few small things every day soon adds up to a great deal!
4 Get a mentor
It’s always the same when starting anything new – there will be times when however straightforward the information is, you need help. It is at this point where the great business systems really shine. If you have a personal mentor that you can call, email or skype at any time, who will be able to answer your questions and get you underway again, this is worth its weight in gold. If the system you are reviewing does not offer this, I would look elsewhere. http://www.great-online-income.com does use the mentoring system, so is worth checking out.
5 Enjoy it!
You only have one life, so enjoy it. If you don’t enjoy doing online marketing, it will be difficult, but not impossible, to be successful at it, which does, in fact, when you think about it, apply to almost everything you do in life.
Five Key Principles You Need To Make Money In Online Marketing
1 Belief
Can you succeed without belief? It’s all to do with your mindset, and as Henry Ford once said, “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t, you will always be right.” So, if you go into your business venture thinking that it won’t work and will fail, it invariably will, as that is your expectation. Sometimes it may be hard to maintain your belief, particularly in the early stages of your business, as you don’t always see things happening as quickly as you might have expected, and then negative thoughts may start to creep in. This is entirely natural, and it is at this point in your journey, that you need ensure that persistence is on your side!
2 Persistence
Persistence is a great leveller, as it is an attribute that anyone can employ, whatever your intellect or capability. You really don’t need to have studied at the top universities to be able to make a great success of your business. In fact, many successful entrepreneurs and businessmen started with nothing, apart from a desire to succeed, and of course, persistence. When things get tough or you’ve been knocked back, you need persistence to pull you through. Many people may well give up at this point, but if you are truly serious about succeeding, persevere, try and try again, until you get what you want or where you want to be.
3 Right Business System
However, if you have chosen to follow a business system, you need to ensure that it is one that is not only proven to work, but that it will also give you what you need, in terms of backup and training. Remember, if you are new to internet marketing, you will need training and guidance, just like you would in any new job, so this should be one of the key elements when assessing your chosen system. If the system has already worked for lots of other people, then there should be no reason as to why it shouldn’t work for you as well.
4 The List
The List – this should be your mantra! Your list is your business, never forget this. All your marketing focus should be aimed towards building your list, as without this, the process of selling online becomes much, much harder, as you are then trying to sell to new, individual customers each time. And as all the marketing gurus will tell you, it’s much harder to find a customer than it is to retain them.
5 Relationships
But to get a customer in the first place, they need to know and trust you. People buy from people! So you need to be building relationships with your leads, and not bombarding them with the hard sell, to earn their trust, so that in time, they will listen to you and what you have to offer. The same rule apples for your customers, build the relationship, keep in contact, as you ideally want your customers to buy from you over and over again.
Keep these five principles close to you on your journey, and success and wealth will be virtually assured for your internet marketing business.
Can you succeed without belief? It’s all to do with your mindset, and as Henry Ford once said, “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t, you will always be right.” So, if you go into your business venture thinking that it won’t work and will fail, it invariably will, as that is your expectation. Sometimes it may be hard to maintain your belief, particularly in the early stages of your business, as you don’t always see things happening as quickly as you might have expected, and then negative thoughts may start to creep in. This is entirely natural, and it is at this point in your journey, that you need ensure that persistence is on your side!
2 Persistence
Persistence is a great leveller, as it is an attribute that anyone can employ, whatever your intellect or capability. You really don’t need to have studied at the top universities to be able to make a great success of your business. In fact, many successful entrepreneurs and businessmen started with nothing, apart from a desire to succeed, and of course, persistence. When things get tough or you’ve been knocked back, you need persistence to pull you through. Many people may well give up at this point, but if you are truly serious about succeeding, persevere, try and try again, until you get what you want or where you want to be.
3 Right Business System
However, if you have chosen to follow a business system, you need to ensure that it is one that is not only proven to work, but that it will also give you what you need, in terms of backup and training. Remember, if you are new to internet marketing, you will need training and guidance, just like you would in any new job, so this should be one of the key elements when assessing your chosen system. If the system has already worked for lots of other people, then there should be no reason as to why it shouldn’t work for you as well.
4 The List
The List – this should be your mantra! Your list is your business, never forget this. All your marketing focus should be aimed towards building your list, as without this, the process of selling online becomes much, much harder, as you are then trying to sell to new, individual customers each time. And as all the marketing gurus will tell you, it’s much harder to find a customer than it is to retain them.
5 Relationships
But to get a customer in the first place, they need to know and trust you. People buy from people! So you need to be building relationships with your leads, and not bombarding them with the hard sell, to earn their trust, so that in time, they will listen to you and what you have to offer. The same rule apples for your customers, build the relationship, keep in contact, as you ideally want your customers to buy from you over and over again.
Keep these five principles close to you on your journey, and success and wealth will be virtually assured for your internet marketing business.
Friday, September 4, 2009
How to Make a Guest List for Your New Year's Eve Party
Step 1
Get a pen and paper.
Step 2
Write down the names of everyone you know.
Step 3
Cross out people you don’t like, people you don’t want to spend time with, those you find boring, people who live too far away and those you don’t know well enough to invite.
Step 4
Decide how many people you can fit in your space.
Step 5
Cross off names from the least important people until you reach the number from number 4.
Get a pen and paper.
Step 2
Write down the names of everyone you know.
Step 3
Cross out people you don’t like, people you don’t want to spend time with, those you find boring, people who live too far away and those you don’t know well enough to invite.
Step 4
Decide how many people you can fit in your space.
Step 5
Cross off names from the least important people until you reach the number from number 4.
How to host a fabulous New Year's Eve party on a budget
Guest List -- To help save money, consider limiting your guest list to the people who are the most important to you. You don't need to invite the entire neighborhood. Two or three other couples is just fine.
Step 2
Free Babysitters -- When possible, take advantage of free babysitting help from grandparents or other relatives. You could also take turns babysitting with another couple. In exchange, you could offer to run some errands or cook for them. This is a huge help, so be sure to thank your babysitters for all their hard work!
Step 3
Invites -- Sometimes the party's budget can be blown before the party even starts just because of expensive invitations! Instead, try Evite.com and you will be able to send online invitations, track RSVP's, ask guests to bring an item, or send party updates quickly and easily. Evite.com is free!
Step 4
Lighting -- Use lighting and decorations that you already have on hand. You could take down the Christmas tree (to free up some space), and use the lights around the party area. Silver garland works well.
Step 5
Food -- Since your party will probably start late in the evening and go all night, you can easily skip a full holiday dinner. Instead, offer lots of tasty homemade appetizers! One of my favorites is Bacon-Wrapped Artichoke Hearts. Here is the recipe: Bacon Wrapped Artichoke Hearts:Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees. Cut bacon slices in half horizontally. Wrap each artichoke heart in the 1/2 slice of bacon and secure with a toothpick. Place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Serve immediately. You can prepare large trays of these ahead of time and pop them in the oven when the party is about to begin!
Step 6
Drinks -- Instead of loading up a full service bar, try serving one signature drink for the party. Pomegranate Martinis make for a festive drink everyone is sure to enjoy. Be sure to include at least one non-alcoholic beverage.
Step 7
Music -- Hiring a band can be very expensive, so instead try hooking up some speakers to your computer or iPod. Set up a playlist in iTunes and you have a very inexpensive music solution. You could also borrow music CDs from your local public library for free.
Step 8
Entertainment -- If one of your friends has a Wii, you could borrow it to set it up with some fun party games such as Wii Sports, Super Monkey Ball, or Mario Party 8. Also, you could try some other fun games including CatchPhrase, Cranium, Taboo, and Apples to Apples. Ask around if any of your friends have these games to see if you could borrow them.
Step 2
Free Babysitters -- When possible, take advantage of free babysitting help from grandparents or other relatives. You could also take turns babysitting with another couple. In exchange, you could offer to run some errands or cook for them. This is a huge help, so be sure to thank your babysitters for all their hard work!
Step 3
Invites -- Sometimes the party's budget can be blown before the party even starts just because of expensive invitations! Instead, try Evite.com and you will be able to send online invitations, track RSVP's, ask guests to bring an item, or send party updates quickly and easily. Evite.com is free!
Step 4
Lighting -- Use lighting and decorations that you already have on hand. You could take down the Christmas tree (to free up some space), and use the lights around the party area. Silver garland works well.
Step 5
Food -- Since your party will probably start late in the evening and go all night, you can easily skip a full holiday dinner. Instead, offer lots of tasty homemade appetizers! One of my favorites is Bacon-Wrapped Artichoke Hearts. Here is the recipe: Bacon Wrapped Artichoke Hearts:Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees. Cut bacon slices in half horizontally. Wrap each artichoke heart in the 1/2 slice of bacon and secure with a toothpick. Place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Serve immediately. You can prepare large trays of these ahead of time and pop them in the oven when the party is about to begin!
Step 6
Drinks -- Instead of loading up a full service bar, try serving one signature drink for the party. Pomegranate Martinis make for a festive drink everyone is sure to enjoy. Be sure to include at least one non-alcoholic beverage.
Step 7
Music -- Hiring a band can be very expensive, so instead try hooking up some speakers to your computer or iPod. Set up a playlist in iTunes and you have a very inexpensive music solution. You could also borrow music CDs from your local public library for free.
Step 8
Entertainment -- If one of your friends has a Wii, you could borrow it to set it up with some fun party games such as Wii Sports, Super Monkey Ball, or Mario Party 8. Also, you could try some other fun games including CatchPhrase, Cranium, Taboo, and Apples to Apples. Ask around if any of your friends have these games to see if you could borrow them.
Cocktails for a New Years Eve Party
In planning a New Years Eve party, one of the most exciting items is the selection of cocktails for the party. New Years Eve is a holiday which is largely associated with alcohol consumption. Those who attend these parties are likely to expect an array of interesting cocktails to celebrate the coming of the New Year and many hosts are more than willing to oblige their guests with an assortment of delicious and interesting cocktails.When planning a New Years Eve party which will include children, it is important to plan on serving a wide variety of non alcoholic beverages in addition to the alcoholic cocktails for the adults. This is important because it will prevent the children from being envious of the interesting beverages the adults are drinking. It will also prevent the children from being curious about the drinks the adults are enjoying and attempting to sneak a taste of these beverages. Non alcoholic cocktails are also considered mocktails and can often be created to look just like the real beverages in a wide variety of colors, flavors and textures. Beverages such as the pina coloda, margarita and a variety of martinis can all be made in non alcoholic versions.In planning cocktails for a New Years Eve party, you should consider offering a wide variety of beverages throughout the night. This could include both hot, cold drinks and even frozen drinks. One of the most popular cocktail options for a New Years Eve party is punch which is served from a punch bowl. This festive cocktail is typically sweet and contains ingredients such as fruit juices, lemon lime soda and an array of alcoholic ingredients such as vodka and rum. Some hosts may even include champagne in the punch mixture. Adding a scoop or two of sherbet to the punch bowl also helps to cool the beverage and adds an additional layer of taste and texture to the mixture.Another popular option of a New Years Eve party is to offer one signature cocktail throughout the evening. This can be an item such as a Martini created specifically for the occasion with a seasonal feeling. An eggnog martini is an example of a beverage which is a great deal of fun as well as appropriate for the season. Champagne cocktails are also appropriate for a New Years Eve party. You can create a simply champagne cocktail by combining champagne with sweet vermouth and grenadine.Hot cocktails are also popular options for a New Years Eve party. Spiked coffees and hot chocolates are always popular but for a more festive cocktail consider creating drinks with a hot cider base. You can create a luxurious hot chocolate cocktail by combining a butterscotch flavored liqueur with rich hot chocolate. An example of a hot beverage which is also quite festive is a hot cider spiced with cranberry juice and rum. Although hot cocktails are extremely popular, most guests will likely only drink one or two hot cocktails during the evening. Conversely they are likely to consumer significantly more cold cocktails during the course of the evening. For this reason, it is recommended to provide both hot and cold cocktails during your New Years Eve party. Regardless of the type of cocktails you decide to serve throughout the evening, it is customary to offer a champagne cocktail at midnight. You should begin distributing the champagne a few minutes before midnight to ensure everyone has their glass in hand to make a toast and take a sip of the bubbly champagne at midnight. Offering the champagne in an elegant glass and including a strawberry in the glass can create a more elegant presentation. You should also use a fine champagne. During the evening, you may have served alcohols which fit your budget, but it is worthwhile to splurge on a more expensive champagne for the toast at midnight.
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