In fact, many of the most critical elements of eBusiness are tied to it:  joint ventures, newsletter publishing, automated follow-up, article distribution, free reports, autoresponder messages and eCourses, networking… the list could go on and on.

Of course, I am referring to EMAIL MARKETING.  It is impossible to be successful online without some form of marketing via email.

Nothing else can boost your business like a good list and an understanding of how to use it.

You can *literally* send a mailing in the morning and earn several thousand dollars by the end of the day with email marketing.

What I want to share with you in today’s lesson is how to increase your email marketing leads, sales and profits.  So, let’s get at it…

“How I Get Subscribers To Read My Emails”

Any list publisher in the world knows that in order to get subscribers responding to their email messages, those subscribers must first READ those email messages.

The question is - how to pull it off?

Let’s face it, just blasting out a message to your list won’t make the grade these days. It’s hard enough getting the darn thing delivered properly, but getting subscribers to actually read your mailing takes a bit of work.

And yet there IS a very systematic, very scientific formula for getting list members to take a look at your emails and read what you’ve got waiting for them.

It’s called - PRAYER!

Well, maybe that’s not the formula but it certainly couldn’t hurt. LOL

Getting back to the point, it’s all about crafting powerful “subject lines”.

The reason you’re here reading this is because the title in this lesson got your attention long enough to get you to take action. So, it obviously worked.

Which prompts two important questions:

1. Why did my title work well enough to get you to read it and respond?

2. How can you apply the same technique I used to see results with your emails?

Let’s break down the subject line I used, “How I get subscribers to read my emails”, into three important keys as we answer those two questions…

Key 1 : Focus On The End Result

One of the things that undoubtedly caught your attention when you originally read my title was the fact that it spoke of some enticing results that I was achieving, that YOU would like to achieve as well…

“get subscribers to read my emails”

That’s an end result that every email marketer wants to achieve, getting their subscribers to actually open up and read their emails. So, from the beginning there is this indication, this hint, that I am about to share something that has already been proven to produce desirable results.

That’s all ad copy is, folks, whether it’s a salesletter or a classified ad or an email subject line. The primary objective is to get the reader thinking about the END RESULT.

Start with the end in mind.

What potential results can you promise to your subscribers if they open your email and take a look inside? I assure you, when a man or woman on the other end of the line gets your email, that’s what they want to know - “What’s in it for me?”

You should never click the “send” button until you have made dead certain that something in your subject line appeals to the wants and desires of the individuals who are on your list.

Specifically, focusing on a desirable result (or lack of results, if you are using the “fear of loss” approach) that is so interesting to your subscribers that they stop in their tracks to read what you’ve got inside.

Start with the end results in mind: “get subscribers to read my emails”.

Whatever results YOUR specific list wants to achieve -

• Speed read 150 pages an hour
• Get free airline tickets
• Raise a child model
• Take an extra day off each week
• Stop headaches for good
• Lost 12 pounds in 2 weeks
• Cut wedding costs in half
• Save your marriage
• Quit smoking in 30 days

After you’ve decided what “end result” you want to focus on, there is a second key to consider…

Key 2: Give Them An Example To Follow

Learn this and learn this well: nothing - absolutely nothing - speaks louder than personal results.

How many times have you asked a man or woman who has lost a lot of weight…

“How did you do it?”

Just the other day the youth pastor at my church invited me to speak to the youth during a Wednesday night service. I accepted and for forty-five minutes those teenagers sat quietly, hanging on my every word.

After the service was over, the youth pastor came to me and said those magical words, “How did you do it?”

He went on to explain that they are rarely quiet with him and he has a hard time getting them to pay attention. He was so interested in learning how I did it that he dropped by my home the next day to ask me more questions.

Nothing - absolutely nothing - speaks louder than personal results.

• How did you lose that weight?
• How did you get those youth to listen to you?
• How did you get your lawn so green?
• How did you raise two great kids?
• How did you get that promotion?
• How did you teach your toddler to swim?

You get the attention of your subscriber by hinting at results, but you reel them in by giving them details on how you personally achieved those desirable results.

If we have a pattern to follow, we can do it ourselves.

And that’s what we really want.

Notice my subject line: “How I get subscribers to read my emails”.

• How I speed read 150 pages an hour
• How I get free airline tickets
• How I raised a child model
• How I take an extra day off each week
• How I stopped headaches for good
• How I lost 12 pounds in 2 weeks
• How I cut wedding costs in half
• How I saved my marriage
• How I quit smoking in 30 days

Every single one of us that desires a result, wants to know how to achieve it. And we’d rather not go to the pains of trying to figure it out ourselves.

We’d much rather have someone who has achieved what we want to achieve show us how to do it.

That’s why you are reading this article. Does my system work? You tell me.

You wouldn’t be here unless it did.

But, there’s a third key as well…

Key 3 : Use A Proven Template To Save Time And Increase Results

Now, to be completely honest with you, this technique won’t work if you continue using it every single time you do a mailing to your list.

While you do want to hint at results and even mention personal results, you cannot simply plug in the same subject line over and over again…

• How I make money as an affiliate
• How I make money with joint ventures
• How I make money with my ezine
• How I make money with pay-per-clicks
• How I make money with banners

I mean, that’s gonna get old after a while. It’s gonna lose its luster. It’s not going to be nearly as effective after folks continue seeing it over and over again.

That’s why you need to keep a set of proven effective subject line templates on hand, so you can “copy and paste” them every time you need a “grabber” subject line for your mailings. Watch what your favorite ezine authors do and you’ll come up with some good ones, or you can purchase a set of hot subject lines that you can use any time.

So, that’s how I get subscribers to read emails. I encourage you to do those three things with your own opt-in list…

Focus On The End Result.
Give Them An Example To Follow.
Use A Proven Template To Save Time And Increase Results.

(Ready to learn more about getting your subscribers to open, read and act upon the messages you send them? Then grab your copy of Subject Line Secrets today. You’ll learn which words trigger your readers to click on your emails and receive 20 proven templates you can start using right away!)

Happy publishing,

Really.  I’ve been keeping count.

OK, so it’s probably not quite that many times, but you get the idea.

I get asked that question a LOT.

And so, I’ve decided to share my favorite “idea hangouts”.  That’s right… “idea hangouts.”  It’s been my experience that there are specific places where hot product ideas are always gathered.  I call them “idea hangouts.”

Idea Hangout #1

One of the “idea hangouts” that I’ve identified is Amazon.com.

Amazon.com is the web’s largest bookstore.

It’s also a community center for new product ideas.  I use it as one of my top brainstorming resources.  Again and again I visit this site to come up with topics to write about.

What makes Amazon.com so useful as a research tool for getting new ideas is their searchable database of books. There are thousands of great ideas lurking in there if you just know how to use it.

And that’s what I’m here for.

I’m going to show you how to find hot product ideas with Amazon.com anytime you want.

It’s really a matter of three simple steps…

STEP 01 : Decide Upon A Broad Category

When brainstorming ideas, you must begin with a broad category to work with.  Some examples might be:  weight loss, marketing, dating, travel, baseball.

So, you need that ahead of time.  Figure out a broad subject that you know is popular (I.E. You know that losing weight is ALWAYS going to be a popular subject, as is “making money.”).

As an example for this article, I’m going to choose GOLF.

STEP 02 : Search Amazon’s Database

After picking your broad topic to research, it’s time to visit Amazon.com.

Specifically, you’re going to SEARCH their database of books they are selling.

Upon arriving at their site, locate their SEARCH form.  At the time of this writing, it was in the upper left hand corner of their main page.  Pull the menu down and select BOOKS from the options.

In the space provided, type in whatever broad category you chose.  I’d type in “Golf”. (You don’t need quotation marks)

If you did indeed start with a broad category, then hundreds (or even thousands) of book listings should appear as a result of the search.

STEP 03 : Brainstorm Ideas From The Listings

Let the brainstorming session begin!  Now it’s time to look at the books that are listed and write down as many possible ideas as you can find.

Look for the different TYPES of books written about the subject, identifying different THEMES, STYLES and SUBCATEGORIES.

Let’s look at an example…

When I searched for “Golf”, I was able to immediately spot dozens of great ideas.

Here are a handful…

1. Becoming a better golfer.  There are many golf books available in this area, covering everything from “A-Z of Golf Shots” to specific topics such as “Improving Your Short Game.”  There were lots of different themes from “learning to break 100″ to “shaving 10 shots off your score” to “7 shots that will change your golf game forever.”

2. Guides to Golf Courses.  Again, we have many different ideas here.  Specific golf guides like “Florida golfing”, “golfing in Tennessee” and “golfing the Robert Trent Jones trail” appear, as well as books on “the best golf courses in America,” “best kept secrets:  great golf courses you’ve probably never played,” and “golf vacation guides.”

3. Profiting from Golf.   More ideas pour in with “opening a golf repair business,” “becoming a golf retailer,” “learning how to caddy” and “buying & selling used golf clubs.” What about “running an online golf auction”, “organizing a golf tournament for profit” or even “writing information products about golf!”

4. Golf and Business.  There are millions of dollars in business deals negotiated on the golf course every single year.  And there are books available to teach folks how to get it done.  “How to negotiate business deals during golf outings,” “Legal golf tax deductions for businesspeople,” and “business seminars and golf:  how to mix training and fun for maximum profit” are just a few more ideas worth exploring.

5. Golf Products.  My, my, my there are so many ideas floating around in here!  Everything ranging from reviews of the latest golf equipment to ratings of golf courses to discounts on golf packages.  Resource guides to finding the best deals on golfing products, how to negotiate discounts, and how to find the best products for your specific golf game also come to mind as product ideas.

One Broad Category (Golf)

+ Amazon.com Searchable Database of Books

= 28 Potential Product Ideas

See how easy that was?

I found TWENTY-EIGHT potential new product ideas (and there were MANY MORE that I didn’t mention in this lesson) from a simple brainstorming exercise using ONE “idea hangout.”

There’s got to be a best-seller in that bunch somewhere.  And certainly with a little “mix -n- match” I can come up with a hit product with these ideas.

Not bad, eh?

So, now it’s YOUR turn.  It’s a simple system for coming up with product ideas anytime you want.

Like right now.

(If you’d like to learn exactly how to research, brainstorm and write 7-15 page small reports, and then how to sell them over and over again for healthy profits, visit my “Creating A Six-Figure Income With Small Reports“ website now for a copy of my FREE 24 page report that explains how to do it!)

Happy publishing,

It’s all under your control.

That’s right, you can make more money with your information products simply by doing something that you have the power to do.

It’s not dependent upon anyone else.  It’s entirely up to you.

Let me explain…

While there are a lot of different aspects of selling information products, there are really only two ways to make more money with them…

• SELL MORE
  
• REFUND LESS
  

Really, it’s pretty much that simple. In order to make more money with information products you need to either SELL MORE or REFUND LESS. Or, better still, do BOTH.

Now, in the many years I’ve been selling information products, I’ve found there are three powerful tools that will help you do just that.

You can use these three tools to SELL MORE by using them on your classified ads, solo mailings, sales letters, autoresponder messages and virtually any sales tool.

You can also use these three tools to REFUND LESS by applying them to the information products you create.

Care to find out what they are?

Read on…

THREE POWERFUL TOOLS

What makes these tools so powerful is a combination of important benefits:

• They don’t cost a penny to use
• They work over and over again
• They are under your control

In fact, you already have them.

These three powerful tools are WAYS TO USE WORDS.

Tool #1 - Education

When it comes to information products, nothing comes close to the power and profitability of educating your readers.

I’m talking the distance between the planet Pluto and the computer screen you’re now staring at.

Not even remotely close.

Content is king.  Nobody else gets to wear the crown or sit on the throne.  Content rules the land of information products.

So, first things first, you gotta give your readers information that educates them.  You gotta teach them something.

Do this in your promotion tools (ezine articles, reports, sales letters, etc.) and you’ll have readers thinking “This person knows something - I better take a closer look.”

You’ll SELL MORE.

Educate customers in your information products and show them how to produce results in their own lives and you’ll make them happy, satisfied customers.

You’ll REFUND LESS.

Tool #2 - Entertainment

To be completely honest, it’s not enough to solely provide content.  Even if it’s good content, that won’t always get the job done.

Think of it this way:  your high school civics teacher provided you with (too much) content in a single 55-minute class, but would you really buy anything from him?

Maybe a hall pass or a set of earplugs, but that’s about it. :o)

Nobody likes to read BORING content.  We turn off boring television programs, we fall asleep reading boring books and we keep our credit cards tucked firmly inside our pockets when we read boring sales letters, ezine articles, solo mailings or special reports.

Make it fun.  Make it entertaining.  And you can do that by using…

* Illustrations
* Funny stories
* Analogies
* Outrageous statements

I once wrote an article entitled…

“I’ll Swallow A Live Grasshopper If This Doesn’t Boost Your Website Traffic”

Do you think anyone read it?

Ask yourself this:  would YOU like to read it?

We love to have a good time, and there’s no reason why you shouldn’t apply that reasoning to your writing. Keep readers interested as they consume your promotion materials by entertaining them.

You’ll SELL MORE.

Help customers enjoy reading page after page of your product by entertaining them.

You’ll REFUND LESS.

When you add entertainment to education, you’ll make more money with information products…

…faster than you can say “LIVE GRASSHOPPER”

Tool #3 - Emotion

Whether it’s outrage over an injustice, excitement over a success or piqued interest over a possibility, our emotions drive us.

Few decisions are based on intelligent analysis, but rather on emotional response.  Few actions are based on accurate data, but rather on impulsive feelings.

We are emotional people.  And there is no stronger proof of that than to watch what we do and to listen to what we say.

Your job is to get us emotional.  Fill us with hope.  Empower us.  Give us courage.  Motivate us.  Issue a challenge.  Inspire.  Get us to do something.

That’s what we really want.  More than education, more than entertainment - we want someone to compel us to do something to make our lives better.

And the power and profits go to the ones who can do that.

Fill readers with hope and expectation with your marketing materials.

You’ll SELL MORE.

Give your customers confidence and enthusiasm as they read chapter after chapter of your information product.

You’ll REFUND LESS.

CONCLUSION

If you want to make more money with information products, then you CAN do it.  You’re in charge.  It’s under your control.

• Education
• Entertainment
• Emotion

Three powerful tools that lead to incredible profits.

But, only if you use them.

Some will read this lesson and discard it like they have done with countless others.

And some will get busy.

I think you’ll be one of the few who will make more money.

Prove me right.

(If you’d like to learn exactly how to earn a full-time living online working just a few hours each week from your own home writing 7-15 page small reports, visit my “Creating A Six-Figure Income With Small Reports“ website now for a copy of my FREE 24 page report that explains how to do it!)

Happy publishing,

The word is “specialization”.

A new age has dawned in information marketing and it’s called “specialization”.

Before I explain how this will help you create information products that sell like crazy, let me give you a very brief history lesson.

(I promise, this won’t hurt a bit.

Information products online have evolved since I logged onto the Internet back in 1999…

1) THE SIMPLE AGE

Times were simple back when I first came online.  And so were the information products.  Way back when, information products weren’t readily available online like they are today.  If you could find ANY information on the topic you were interested in, you grabbed it.

2) THE SYSTEMATIC AGE

As more and more people learned how to create and market information products online, a new era emerged:  the “systematic” era.  This was a time when huge information products were created with hundreds of pages.  The idea was to create comprehensive courses on a particular topic.

3) THE SEPARATION AGE

As “internet marketing” and other business-related markets became inundated with product offerings, the birth and rapid growth of “niche marketing” occurred.  People began separating themselves from the crowd and focused on “tiny niche topics” of interest.

4) THE SPECIALIZATION AGE

Again competition came - even in these small niches.  While there is still money to be made by focusing on these tiny, untapped markets - the well is drying up at a fast rate.  Now enters a new age… the “specialization” age of information marketing.

Which brings us to the lesson -

There is a LOT of money to be made by creating small, 7-15
page reports on PRECISE topics.

Most consumers would rather NOT sift through 100 pages of information to find out how to do something they are interested in, nor would they like to pay for 100 pages of information when they only need chapter 3.

With more and more products available on the market, consumers are getting pickier and pickier.  They want what they want and only what they want.

Perhaps the biggest untapped information gold mine lies in this concept of creating small reports on precise topics.

* 17 Ways to Find New Affiliates Using Google.com
* How To Walk Off 7 Pounds in 7 Days
* 3 Ways To Get Your Next Vacation Free Of Charge
* The 15-Minute Guide To Stalling A Divorce
* Top 7 Ideas For Starting A Homeschool Support Group

Specialized information.

7-15 page reports that sell anywhere from $10-$100, depending upon the information.

And the benefits of writing these small reports are staggering -

1. You can write a small report in just a few hours of one day.

2. The profit per page ratio is astounding - 10 pages for $10 is a dollar per page per customer.

3. Small reports are MUCH easier to write than full-length courses.

4. There is a never-ending supply of topics for small reports.

5. You maximize the lifetime value of your customer.  In other words, you can sell report after report to the SAME customer.

6. A series or collection of your small reports can be bundled into premium-priced courses over time.

7. When “hot topics” emerge (almost daily!) you can quickly crank out a small report to strike while the iron is hot.

8. When other marketers are seeing success with their products, you can create a complementary report to offer for sale as a supplement.

9. Many people can’t afford to buy (or refuse to buy) high-priced courses - but virtually anyone can whip out $10-$15.

The list could go on and on.

I’ve been creating small reports for a long time.  In fact, I make over $15,000 in PROFIT every month from just ONE of my sites.

I know this works.

And not just for me.

I had a customer recently email me to let me know he sold 420 copies of his VERY FIRST small report, during its first month.

So, what I want to convince you to do is this -

TRY IT FOR YOURSELF

Create a small 7-15 page report and begin selling it online and see what kind of results you see.

A new information age has dawned - the age of specialization!

Create your own “special” reports and get your piece of the pie.

(If you’d like to learn exactly how to earn a full-time living online working just a few hours each week from your own home writing 7-15 page small reports, visit my “Creating A Six-Figure Income With Small Reports“ website now for a copy of my FREE 24 page report that explains how to do it!)

Until next time,

Whether you’re promoting products, services or affiliate programs, the more website traffic you receive means the more income you’ll earn.

This lesson will share with you the best free and cheap ways I’ve learned to get website traffic to my own network of websites.

Newbie Note: If you’re new at e-commerce, before concentrating your efforts on getting site traffic, take the time to make sure “what” you will be promoting will actually sell. If you plan to market your own products or services, you’ll need to identify a large group of potential buyers first. If you plan to promote an existing product, service or opportunity get some real income figures from others already doing it. Once you’ve accomplished this, you’ll have some solid figures to shoot for and you can start pouring on the traffic.

Here’s what really works for growing lots of site traffic…

1. Give away value with no strings attached

Giving something of value away for free is a great way to attract website visitors. Thanks to the web, distributing freebies is in itself, free. You don’t have to spend a dime to pass out freebies left and right. All you need are a few quality freebies.

2. Go “viral” with your freebies

Viral strategies allow you to multiply your marketing efforts without actually doing more work. Take that example above. You offer a great freebie like an ebook or tutorial. Now, let others give it away for free at their site too, as an incentive, bonus or just for the heck of it. Why not? It adds value to their offering and it creates more visitors to your site as your freebie spreads.

3. Position your site in the search engines

While you absolutely must add your website URL to all the major engines, search engine promotion does not stop there. You need to improve your raking so that your website is not lost among the millions of sites on the web. Unfortunately, many webmasters spend FAR too much time on their search engine ranking. The best strategy in my experience is to optimize all your pages for good ranking, concentrate on getting links, then let the rest take care of itself.

4. Use “pay for rank” search engines

Every month I get a few thousands visitors from GoTo.com, the web’s leading pay for rank search engine. These visitors cost me an average of less than a dime each. There are more and more “pay for rank” engines cropping up on the web and they offer a great way to get targeted traffic cheap. I suggest you try a few.

5. Advertise in email newsletters

Still a bargain. Have you noticed the larger companies jumping on the ezine advertising bandwagon? They know the value of a dollar. For a few thousand bucks they can take out a half-page ad in ONE magazine offline. For the same price they can advertise in multiple ezines and reach literally hundreds of thousands of prospects, faster and cheaper.

6. Publish your own ezine!

I’ve been publishing my own e-newsletter, the BizWeb eGazette since August of 1996. Looking back, starting my own opt-in list may have been my wisest decision to date. My e-newsletter brings customers back to my site on a regular basis. Every webmaster should offer a way for surfers to sign up for a regular email notice. It doesn’t have to be an ezine, you can send specials, freebies or even site updates notices. The key is to keep in touch with the people you manage to get to your site. It’s hard work getting traffic, don’t let them leave without offering to stay in touch!

7. “Rent” opt-in email lists

Here’s a promotion method that works. It can be a bit more costly than the other methods mentioned here, but it does pull in lots of website traffic. Just visit www.postmasterdirect.com — arguably the net’s most prominent opt-in list services provider, and click on “read some case studies”. There you’ll see an unsolicited testimonial from yours truly. Although I don’t spend money on opt-in list rental too often (I’m cheap!) I do use opt-in services when I need a quick boost in sales.

8. Offer an affiliate program

If the product or service you are promoting is your own, adding an affiliate program to your site is a great “pay for performance only” method of increasing website traffic and in turn sales. It’s no wonder that thousands of websites now offer to “share the profits” with their customers.

9. Write articles

Anyone who reads my stuff regularly knows I rave about this promotion method. The fact is, it is responsible for a large part of my traffic. It still surprises me how many people don’t try this. All it takes is a few hours each week or month to write about what you know and then have it looked over by someone with editing skills. Then, you tack on a small footer with your URL and fire it off to a list of editors who publish material related to what you’re marketing. You then post the articles at your own site with re-publishing permission for other webmasters.

10. Create and promote joint ventures

Up until last year I had overlooked joint venture marketing almost completely. What a mistake. Joint ventures are a powerful way to get traffic and additional income online. One particular joint venture I’m involved with is solely for generating for new ezine subscribers. The JV “contest” includes five other ezine publishers like myself and generate over a hundred new subscribers every single week! Your own JV possibilities are limited only by your imagination. If you haven’t tried JV’s yet, start by keeping a notebook of possible joint venture candidates and contact one or two every few months.

There you have it, my top 10 methods for getting thousands of website visitors a day!

Happy promoting,

So, I’ll bet you’re excited to learn this new promotion method that brought in all this email right? Well, before you get too excited, let me tell you this… it’s one you should never even consider using.

You see, the windfall of email was not from potential prospects and customers. It was from angry netizens - all recipients of unsolicited email. No, not spam from me, but spam that caused a nightmare for me none the less. And it shut down the site that was responsible, before they even realized they did anything wrong.

Here are the sordid details…

It seems that a company in New Jersey who was new to the online marketing game decided to try some “email marketing”. So they bought one of those email lists that bulk email companies sell as “targeted email addresses” and had their host load it to their server.

One posting later their business was bombarded with complaints from angry recipients of the message. Not long after, their website was shut down, all because of one email message.

As for me, my own problems started when the spam hit my autoresponders. My “Welcome to the Bizweb eGazette” autoresponder appeared on the list no less than 17 times. The autoresponder was the one I used when new subscribers asked to be added to my newsletter.

Well it seems that the list of 30,000 addresses had been set up as an unmoderated discussion, and every angry spam recipient was free to reply to the entire list, snowballing the problem into a mass of junk mail in seconds. When my autoresponder replied to the list of 30,000 angry spam recipients over and over with “thanks for subscribing”, many of the spam victims figured I was the culprit in the whole mess! And let me tell you, there are more nasty people out there than I imagined.

If I had a nickel for every cuss word and threat that came in over the weekend I could retire today. And I can understand why so many of these people were upset, but unfortunately their anger was misdirected at a fellow innocent bystander.

So anyway, let’s get to the point of this whole story. I’m sure I can keep at least a handful of newbies from getting themselves in hot water like this website did. I can also prepare my fellow “experienced” web marketers for the day when THEY are the recipient of misdirected anger due to spam.

OK, first let’s get to the lesson for newbies…

It all comes down to this. No matter how tempting it may seem to buy a CD and “broadcast targeted email to thousands”, it is a trap. And it only takes one message to shut your site down. The sad part is that these bulk email CD’s are promoted as “millions of targeted addresses” and you can get them dirt cheap, making them even more tempting. The problem is, nearly every bulk email list comes with a few features you are NOT being told about. For instance…

1. None of the addresses on these spam lists have asked to be there. Actually, none of the email addresses on those lists even realize they are on them and they have NOT opted in to receive them.

2. By “targeted” addresses these list hawkers really mean they entered keywords into an email address harvesting program and the program loaded thousands of addresses from sites with that keyword somewhere in their pages. (Is that targeted?)

3. A huge percentage of people on those lists will complain to every ISP, host and agency they can, which will shut your site down in a heartbeat.

4. The user of a bulk email list is the one liable for damages that result. And there is now legislation against sending unsolicited email.

OK, now you know the perils of this marketing method, and it really is simple to stay out of trouble — just don’t ever email anyone without their permission. And never trust a company that sells email addresses. If you think there is a chance that the addresses are truly opt-in (and it would be a rare instance) then ask for a list of satisfied advertisers before you buy the list. Contact each and every one of them and ask about their results.

The fact is, when it comes to marketing with email your very best bet is to build your own email lists. You can do this by offering free reports, email newsletters, email courses, downloadable ebooks, shareware, or anything else related to your area of expertise. In exchange for the free service you offer, you simply ask for the users name and email address.

It takes as little as ten minutes to set up an interface at your site to collect names and email addresses and deliver your free product automatically. And once you set it up your own opt-in lists will grow continually. You’ll never have to even consider using spam! This strategy is 100 times as effective.

Now lets move on to help some spam victims. If you’re doing business online, there is a good chance that one day you will be accused of spamming, even if you are not a spammer. The anonymity of the Internet promotes the attitude of accuse first and get the facts later. (I know this all too well after my recent experience.)

Anyway, when it happens to you, you’ll need some letters to send out to both the spam victims and the company responsible for the spam. Here are the two I used this past week, feel free to save them for future reference and modify them as necessary to fit your situation if and when it arises…

Letter to spam recipients:

Thank you for contacting us. Here is an update on the unfortunate situation…

The spam you received originated from the domain <INSERT DOMAIN HERE>. Rest assured you have NOT been added to any email lists at our site. We do NOT use nor do we condone the use of unsolicited bulk email and we too, are innocent bystanders in this situation.

We are in no way affiliated with the offending website and along with your address, our addresses were on their spam list. They have apologized for the incident and any further actions you wish to take should be directed to them. More details on this incident are available at the following URL:

http://www.yourdomain.com/spamnotice.htm

Regards, Your Name
http://www.yourdomain.com

And here’s a letter you can use as a model when you need to contact the party responsible for your grief… (Actually, as you’ll see, the site in this instance may be getting off a bit easy. Many folks in my position would press charges and seek damages. But after speaking with the person responsible in this case, I’ll probably just bill them for the time I spent fielding angry emails. After all he’s in quite a bit of hot water already and his site was shut down.)

Dear Offending Website Owner Name,

I have copied the headers of an email message sent by your user, which confirms your email activity on Friday August 4, 2000. Your actions have resulted in literally thousands of complains to our email addresses at <YOUR DOMAIN>. Please take the following actions immediately:

a) explain of how this incident took place and why b) take measures to insure that this NEVER happens again c) notify every address on your list that <YOUR DOMAIN> was not responsible and was an innocent bystander in this unfortunate situation

Please reply to this email message before the close of business on <DATE INSERTED HERE> or we will be forced to pursue further action. We will also expect a full letter of explanation mailed or faxed to our offices.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Regards, Your Name
http://www.yourdomain.com

And closing today’s lesson, here are a few more tips to help you avoid trouble with unsolicited email…

- If you have an opt-in list, keep every opt-in request you ever receive. I keep opt-in requests dating back years. On several occasions I have been able to provide proof of signup to someone who forgot they joined and accused me of sending unsolicited email. These email “receipts” also come in handy with ISPs and web hosts.

- Keep your email addresses from being harvested at your website by using a tool that encodes your email addresses. It’s a great way to cut down on spam and avoid situations like the one I ran into! See the following URL for a free encoding service: http://www.siteup.com/encoder.html

- At your site, state your policy on spam very clearly. It’s also a good idea to post reports of any incidents at the same area of your site. See our own privacy statement for an example of how you can set this up.

Well, this closes a rare, not-so-fun chapter in online marketing. Hopefully today’s lesson will help you avoid trouble or save you a bit of time if and when trouble does arrive.

(NOTE: If you’re looking for a good solid - very reliable - mailing list management/autoresponder service, check out Aweber Communications. That’s who we use and we highly recommend them!)

Until next time,

Hot topics and trends come along regularly. There’s always a new “in” thing making an appearance on the radar screen. And whenever there’s a new rage, there will be marketers who jump on the bandwagon.

That can pay off big for YOU if you’re smart.

Let me explain.

What happens when a new trend or technique or tool surfaces?

PEOPLE BEGIN TO TALK ABOUT IT

Marketers begin convincing people why they need it. Consumers tell their stories. Discussions take place. Hype builds. Sometimes controversy breaks out. An education process unfolds.

Through it all … DEMAND increases.

Now, here’s where you come along.

You piggyback on the popularity of the latest big hit by creating a small report on the topic. You get the benefit of other marketers creating hungry leads for your offer without them even knowing it.

Let me give you an example -

When John Reese released Traffic Secrets it was a huge success. He sold over a million dollars worth of product in one twenty-four hour period. However, at a $997.00 asking price, it was out of reach for many consumers. But…

What if YOU had decided to write a 15 page small report entitled, “Free Traffic Secrets” and offered it for $20 …do you think you would have had any takers? Of course!

Why? Because every marketer on the planet was talking about the need for web site traffic so they could build interest in John’s course. They were creating hungry leads for your offer without them even knowing it.

All of these marketers expertly and persuasively pointed out the necessity, benefits and usages of getting web site traffic. They, in essence, would have created demand for the TOPIC of your small report.

1. Many of those that couldn’t afford John’s high-ticket product would likely buy your small report because the end result of getting site traffic was something they had been told repeatedly they needed!

2. Many of those who could afford John’s high-ticket product would also likely buy your small report because of the same reason AND they would like to know what you might offer differently than John.

Do you see how powerful this is?

Even as I type this lesson out, I have received DOZENS of emails today announcing a new co-registration product that everyone’s talking about.

I could spend a few hours this evening writing a small report on the same topic and sell it like crazy tomorrow because of everything that’s being said about the subject today.

So, what’s the lesson for you to learn here -

***The surest way to create a hot-selling small report is to
pick a topic related to that which everyone is talking about***

You know, it doesn’t matter what “market” you’re in, chances are you see the same kinds of outbreaks that I see in “internet marketing” circles…

• Major product launches
• New technologies and tools
• Fresh research
• Innovative features and improvements
• Ground-breaking news
• Hot topics of discussion
• Best-selling books
• Interest-grabbing magazine articles
• Emerging trends

The list could go on and on, right?

It shouldn’t come as a big surprise that you need to monitor what’s going on around you, specifically looking for the latest topic everyone’s talking about.

You can do this by regularly browsing four trend and event “hot spots”…

1. Active Forums

Find at least one ACTIVE forum related to your market and regularly visit it to look for ideas. Keyword here is “active”. The ideal forum will have a number of participants who regularly post messages.

2. News Feeds

You can begin with Google.com’s news center at Google News.

You should also look for a news feed or site that is specific to your field of interest. For example: I regularly visit ChristianHeadlines.com to stay on top of events related to my Christian sites.

3. Article Directories

Spend a few minutes at your favorite article directory, focusing specifically on the NEWEST articles posted and the TOP RECENT articles read. I regularly check EzineArticles.com.

4. Competitor’s Lists

You’ll also want to “spy” on what your competition is doing by joining their lists. When a major competitor begins highlighting certain topics in their content (I.E. “articles”) and / or releases or promotes a specific product, it’s a good indication that you should pay attention.

All of these things allow you to capitalize on the current buzz!

Create small reports based on these buzz-worthy topics.

(NOTE: You know, you can actually earn a full-time living online working just a few hours each week from your own home writing 7-15 page small reports! Visit my “Creating A Six-Figure Income With Small Reports“  website now for a copy of my FREE 24 page report that explains how to do it!)

Until next time,

Well, Jimmy D. Brown has hit a home run. He’s created 15 comics about what it’s like to be an Internet Marketer. Some will make you laugh out loud and some will make you groan, but all are worth taking a minute to peek at.

Stop by and check them out!

They’re totally free and totally funny.

If I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard that said, well, I’d already have a fortune!

However “broken-recordish” it may sound, it is a truthful statement.  The fortune REALLY IS in the list.

Fact is, if you possess the knowledge of how to grow and profit from opt-in lists, you can pretty much write your own ticket.

And, if you’ll read the remainder of this article, I’ll pass that knowledge right on to ya.

It comes down to getting folks to do four things…

1. REQUEST

First things first, you need to convince people to “opt-in” to your list.  That is, get them to join your list of their own free will.

Usually, this involves giving away a mini-course, report or newsletter from your web site.

All you need is…

- An Attention Grabbing Title. (I could have chosen “4 Keys to Successful Email Promotions” for this article, but is that as attention-grabbing as “How to Pull in As Much Profit As Your Wallet Will Hold From Opt-In Lists”?)

- A Handful of Bulleted Benefits. (A short list of 4-6 desirable things subscribers will learn if they join your list. Think “what’s in it for me?”)

- An Opt-In Submission Form. (Your autoresponder system will provide this for you.)

NOTE: The BEST way to get folks to join is to embed the above mentioned items DIRECTLY in the most prominent place you have your site visitors’ attention.  Usually this is 3-5 paragraphs into your sales letter or 1/3 of the way into an ezine article.

2. RECEIVE

After visitors to your site have “requested” information by joining your list, it’s critical that your emails be delivered successfully to their inbox.  With all of the filters in place (among other hazards) this can be quite a chore.

One thing you’ll want to do for certain is check your SPAM rating to make certain it’s in an acceptable range. Again, most of the better autoresponder services offer this feature for you.

You can also do things like…

- Get your subscribers to “approve” mailings from you.

- Authenticate yourself as a legitimate mailer when you receive a “response challenge” from protection services such as Spam Arrest.

- Use alternative formats of your messages such as “downloadable email messages” in PDF format.

3. READ

When your emails successfully arrive at the inboxes of your subscribers, another task awaits - getting them to  actually open your message and read it.

This is going to depend upon your “subject line”.  It is paramount that your subject line be intriguing enough to convince your readers to stop what they are doing and take a look inside.

One way to get this done is to create a swipe file of email subject lines that have convinced YOU to read the messages and then modify those subject lines for your own use.

Ex.  I received an email that had the subject line of “This affiliate tip is almost too easy” that caught my attention and forced me to read the associated message.

This subject line could easily be used in a variety of different niches…

- This dieting tip is almost too easy
- This time management tip is almost too easy
- This marriage saving tip is almost too easy

4. RESPOND

When you have convinced your subscribers to open your email message and read its contents, the only remaining “task” is to get them to respond.

You want them to take action.  Click a link.  Go somewhere.  Ultimately, spend money with you.

The only way you’ll be able to do this is follow a simple catch phrase I’ve been teaching for years:

“useful, but incomplete”

It simply means this:  your messages must provide content that is useful to your subscribers (otherwise, they’ll unsubscribe faster than you can say “oops”!), but is also “incomplete” in that there is some additional offer that could enhance or maximize that content.

Ex.  You might write an article that shares “7 Ways to Profit With Autoresponders” to send to your list.  That’s “useful” information to those who are interested in that particular topic.  It’s also “incomplete” because they need an autoresponder service to put the information into action.  That’s your cue to promote your recommended autoresponder service.

See how it works?

If you want to pad your wallet with profits by using opt-in lists, this is how you do it…

Get people to do these four things:

- Request
- Receive
- Read
- Respond

This is a system that has never failed and will never fail.

I’ve used it. Others have used it. Now, it’s your turn….

(LATE UPDATE: If you enjoyed this lesson you’ll LOVE my powerful 6-step system that will show you how to grow your list, provide your readers with the content they crave and start making more money than you ever expected. You can download it for FREE, right here, right now!)

All the best,