Starting an Email Marketing Campaign-Top Tips

Recently I have started my own ezine. I've always had a newsletter that I sent out in PDF format but I wanted an ezine for email purposes to share information about upcoming seminars, the latest service offerings, and any news I felt would be beneficial to my clients and potential clients.

Previously I had an entry on my blog about different campaign providers and now I would like to share this article I found about some tips for effective email marketing campaigns.

I hope this information helps you as much as it helps me as I try to grow my list and share quality content.

Carole DeJarnatt, Alliance Advisors

Starting An Email Marketing Campaign - Top Tips
By Matt Hick

Email marketing is a fast, easy, and relatively cheap way to promote any business in today’s high-tech world. Whether you are selling a specific service, or an entire product line, email marketing allows virtually any business to reach literally thousands of potential customers with ease.

Today’s online business has the option of three major types of email marketing plans to choose from:

Newsletter Marketing:

It’s true. Just about everyone has their own newsletter these days. From chiropractors, dentists and dog groomers, to hospitals, senior advocates and toy makers, there’s a newsletter to meet anyone (and everyone’s) needs and interests.

E-newsletter marketing is an excellent way to promote your business or service online by providing valuable resources to consumers in an easy-to-read informative format, which also manages to highlight your business. While some other email marketing methods tend to be deleted by recipients before really being looked at, newsletters have the tendency to be read, thus giving you a chance – over and over again – to showcase yourself and your business in a unique non-advertising-like style.

Bulk E-Mail Marketing:

One of the least favorite (and less successful), methods of online advertising/marketing is the bulk email. Although an extremely cheap way to reach thousands of potential customers, it can so closely resemble SPAM, which many recipients may opt to delete the message without ever giving it a second glance.

There’s nothing wrong with sending bulk messages to a solidly researched emailing list that you have obtained recipient permission to use. But bulk-mailing uses purchased email lists to blindly contact recipients with little more than messages featuring more “advertising” than information. Be wary of using this tactic. It can destroy your credibility among recipients who may otherwise be interested in learning more about your business offerings.

Opt-In E-Mail Marketing:

Similar to bulk emailing in the fact that messages are sent to a large grouping of recipients, opt-in marketing is different in one major way: it uses a carefully compiled business directory of email addresses that your company has painstakingly taken the time to ensure that each recipient is interested in your message and has pre-approved its delivery. Opt-in email marketing is an essential tool used by most e-commerce businesses to send important announcements, updates, discounts and specials.

Whether you are an online retail store sending weekly discount coupons to valued customers, or an organization trying to notify clients of an upcoming seminar deadline, opt-in email marketing can get the word out quickly and easily, at much lower cost than any other type of traditional marketing tool. The key here is having a solid client base in which to stay in touch with. Then, let them pass along valuable information to potential customers on their own through a more high-tech form of “word of mouth.”

E-mail marketing can be a valuable tool for any online business if used properly and carefully to ensure that your messages aren’t deleted as junk before they are ever read.


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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Matt_Hick
http://EzineArticles.com/?Starting-An-Email-Marketing-Campaign---Top-Tips&id=588878

Ten Different Ways to Use Video For Your Business

I am considering having a video business card made to promote on my website and also via my emails. I also am considering adding video to my website to encourage visitors to visit all the pages of the website by describing the content. The article below gives different ideas for use of video. Have you been creative in utilizing video for your own business promotion? If so, please share with the readers and myself.

Carole DeJarnatt
Alliance Advisors, Inc.

Ten Different Ways To Use Video For Your Business
By Paul Lyke

No medium is so versatile and interchangeable as video. With a single one time investment into the video production, you can have many different uses and delivery methods. See how a one time video investment pays for itself over and over again, with just these ten ways.

1. TV Commercials. Statistics show that 93% of all people in an area still watch some sort of network programming. Plus with accurate demographic statistics, many businesses owe their huge successes to running effective TV spots.

2. Web Video. Putting the same commercial spot or promotional video on your site is becoming quite popular, as it's easier for visitors to watch a video compared to sifting through mounds of tiny text.

3. Promotional DVD. These are great to offer your prospective customers to help them learn about your products or services, and will prove to them why they need to choose you over your competitors.

4. Business Card CDROMs. These are discs that are the size of business cards and usually have your actual business card printed on the front side of it. So everytime you pass out a business card to your contacts, they are presented with the opportunity to watch your promotional video, instead of just reading your motto on your business card.

5. Kiosks. Depending on the type of business you have, an interactive kiosk will give your current or prospective customers the opportunity to access only the information they need.

6. Virtual Salesmen. When selling products in a retail environment, a video will capture the shopper's attention and inform them about the benefits of products that normally may be difficult to understand by just looking at the box.

7. Trade Show Videos. Similar to the kiosk, a video display at trade shows will be more intriguing than a traditional banner display, and make your booth less intimidating than having salesmen waiting to pounce on them.

8. Product Catalog. If you have a customer by one of your products, then they should receive a DVD catalog of all your OTHER products for cross selling demonstrations.

9. Direct Mail. When sending out brochures, pamplets, or folders of company information, be sure to include a DVD or business card DVD as well. Again, people will always do what is easiest…and watching a video beats reading through pages and pages of information.

10. Podcasts / PDAs. Compress your video down to a podcast or pda format, and distribute online.

About the Author: Paul Lyke is the Managing Director of MidSouth Visual, Inc., a Nashville video production agency.

Source: www.isnare.com

Seven Keep In Touch Marketing Techniques

I am one of those people who believe if you stay in contact with people, it is easier for them to remember you when they need assistance. On a consistent basis, I try to figure out ways to stay in contact with acquaintances and business people I have met but do not see on a frequent basis. I try several methods and some work better than others but here is my list of effective "Keep in Touch" marketing techniques:

1. Newsletters--I send mine quarterly but am getting ready to change that format to monthly.


2. Invite to events--I frequently will invite someone I think may have an interest in an event I am attending. Two purposes, one to stay in touch, and two to get to know the person better.


3. Tracking personal information--If I find out when someone's birthday, anniversary, important date to them, I post it on my calendar for a reminder to send them a card in the future. People love personal touches.


4. Notecards--I send a personal note after meeting someone at events. I have read before that this is common practice, but I have yet to receive a card from anyone as yet.


5. Blogs--Inform people you have a blog by sharing it on your email signature, business cards, newsletters; anything you send out.


6. Contact Management programs--Programs such as Constant Contact, Aweber, and several others, will manage and help you to communicate effectively with your audience. These are accomplished with a subscription basis so you would need to build your list before this would become effective.


7. Review of purchase--Follow up with a client after you have finished working together to ensure they are satisfied with the outcome. Another way to stay in contact and it lets the customer know you care.

If you have more that you have tried, share it with the reading audience. Give us some testimonials. I am always looking for new ways to "reach out and touch someone".

Carole DeJarnatt
Alliance Advisors, Inc.

12 Creative Uses for Autoresponders

In an earlier entry, I shared a list of autoresponders and their pricing that was created by a LinkedIn member. So to follow up, I recently came across this article about autoresponders and some uses. I plan on utilizing some of these tips and I hope my readers enjoy them also. Thanks for sharing your ideas and suggestions, Debbie.

Autoresponders and a Few Creative Usesby Debbie Ray

If you've been online for any period of time and have been trying to do everything on your web site all by yourself I'm sure at one time or another that you've reached a point of exhaustion just trying to keep up. Just how do those other companies keep up? The regular amount of email alone can threaten to bury you alive every single day - not to mention take away your important time to do all those other important internet "chores" that you need to do.

People expect prompt replies to their email inquiries from your internet business. This poses a major problem for you. Unless you can hire plenty of people to constantly monitor and manage your incoming emails or have figured out how to work continual twenty-four hour shifts (with no sleep) things don't look good.

Email is an essential part of your business. That can't be disputed. Email is an excellent marketing tool - it is inexpensive and it is fast. It can also be a major time waster. If you spend all your working hours answering that mountain of email, when will you have the time to complete your other business activities?

So, is there a way to overcome this huge time waster of basic email maintenance? I do have one major suggestion for you - how about the use of autoresponders responding to your emails? Basically, autoresponders are programs that automatically respond to your emails without you having to do anything (once they've been set up). Autoresponders are often inexpensive, and sometimes free. What these programs do is automatically respond to incoming emails as soon as they are received by the system.

Autoresponders can do so much more than just answer your email. They can also send information about your services, products and price lists to your customers. You could also set up an autoresponder to do more than simply send out standardized messages - such as an unlimited number of follow-up messages sent at predetermined intervals of time.

There are many companies that offer autoresponder services free of charge. Go to Google, look for autoresponders, and you will find a long list of companies offering autoresponder services for you to choose from. Autoresponders are very versatile programs that do a lot of work in no time at all. Below I'll list a few ideas that will teach you to use your autoresponders and to transform a casual visitor into a profitable customer.

1. Create various mailing lists. Tip: Inform subscribers about your new articles when you've written them.

2. Write your own reviews. You could review software, books, music, e-books or movies and put each review in an individual autoresponder. Tip: You could also review your own affiliate program if you have one.

3. Publish your own newsletter. Many autoresponders can manage your subscriptions and follow-up with interested prospects. Tip: Your newsletter can keep your visitors informed about your services or products and build your reputation as an expert in your particular field.

4. Publish an affiliates only newsletter. Inform them of current sales, promotional materials, etc. Tip: Include advice or techniques that they could use to successfully promote your business.

5. Distribute your own valuable articles. Tip: Writing and distributing your own targeted articles is a very powerful tool to build your business online credibility, increase your sales potential and bring a lot more traffic to your site.

6. Distribute your own free reports. Tip: This could give your visitor an idea of the type of information you provide as well as the quality of your products and services.

7. Distribute your own email course. Tip: Each day your autoresponder could send out another new lesson, full of quality content - not just a sales pitch.

8. Once a visitor has completed your email course, automate a reminder about your products and services. Tip: You could also use these reminders to promote new products or services.

9. Automate your own sales process. Tip: Create an ad filled with numerous marketing materials which will increase the chances of converting visitors into customers.

10. Distribute your own advertising to future clients. Tip: If you sell advertising on your website, newsletter or e-zine, set your autoresponder to send the advertising rates (and how to place an ad) automatically to all your prospects' email addresses.

11. Create your own trivia quizzes or contest. Tip: Place the answers and confirmation of their contest entry in an autoresponder.

12. Offer a sample version of your own products. Tip: Give your customers a sample of your own ebooks, courses, software, etc.

Autoresponser allow you to automate many parts of your marketing campaign. Autoresponders are potentially a very powerful marketing tool and allow you to make contact with thousands of potential customers with no work on your end - past the initial autoresponder setup.

This could be an invaluable asset considering how many potential customers you usually have contact with BEFORE you make an actual sale. Now that you have a few new ideas about autoresponders, see if you can come up with some brilliant and creative autoresponder methods of your own!


Copyright 2007 • Debbie Ray. All Rights Reserved

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Debbie Ray, owner of http://www.the-website-doctor.com/ , http://www.cheap-legal-help.com/ , http://www.profitwithinternetbusiness.com/ and http://www.total-german-shepherd.com/ is a lifelong dog owner, teacher and internet business owner. Want to learn more about internet business? Purebred dogs? Let me teach you.

Email Campaign Providers--Take your pick!

I am in the beginnings of starting an email newsletter and was researching the best autoresponder to go with. I got this information off of LinkedIn. I was so awed by his details that I thought it was a definite plus for my readers. He even lists the cost of each provider. Thanks, Ethan, for detailing this for someone searching for an Email Campaign provider.

As far as email service providers go, here's a breakdown:

AWeber: The industry leader in autoresponders and also one of the most reliable and economical email service providers. The interface is on the lo-fi side and there is less hand-holding than with Constant Contact, but if you don't require that, they are potentially the best option. They, like most of the options have a very high deliverability rate, plenty of templates and successful email marketing tutorials. $19.95 per month with no setup fee. This covers 10,000 subscribers and you can email them as much as you like. Each extra 10,000 subscribers is $9.95 per month.

Constant Contact: Very customer friendly and non-technically-oriented. Lots of templates and tools and online assistance to help you succeed with your email marketing. $15 per month gets you 0-500 subscribers with unlimited emails. The pricing scales from there, with 10,001 to 25,000 email addresses costing you $150 per month.

Get Response: Another non-techy option similar to Constant Contact. $17.95 per month for 10,000 addresses. $4.50 per month for each 5000 addresses over that. Unlimited emails and campaigns.

Campaign Monitor: A very polished, slick aesthetic earns this one all the kudos from the design crowd. Many good tools and templates to help with your email campaign's success. They use a price per email model instead of a total subscriber model. You pay $5 for each campaign and then 1¢ per recipient. You can get discounts of up to 50% by pre-purchasing email credit.

SparkList: This is the hosted service of Lyris, the makers of one of the more high profile email marketing software systems, ListManager. It is much more expensive than the others but carries the Lyris brand behind it and is much more suited to high volume emailers. It also offers a familiar interface if you are already using ListManager somewhere else. $175 setup, $100 per month for 5000 email messages up to $500 setup and $1000 per month for 500,000 messages.

A very important consideration given if you have an existing email list has to do with importing the list into their system and opt-in confirmation. In order to maintain the positive nature of their relationships with the ISPs, these email service providers want to make sure that you have obtained permission to send email to these addresses. If they require you to re-confirm the opt-in status for each email address, they will send a new request to the address. Since roughly 50 to 60% of email subscribers never confirm their subscriptions, this will erode a fair bit of your list. However, many of these people were probably not receiving/viewing your email anyway, given that they did not respond to the confirmation request.

AWeber: Re-confirmation is required. Each email address will receive a customized message asking them to re-confirm permission. Constant Contact requires you to state that the list is permission based and they will penalize you if your bounce/spam numbers get too high. They offer a free 60 day trial of up to 100 email addresses. Campaign Monitor requires you to state that the imported email addresses are 100% permission based, they were not purchased and they were not scraped from emails/websites. SparkList also requires that a re-confirmation email to be sent to each address. Get Response will also not require that you reconfirm each email's permission.

More info and vendor links at Ethan Pierse's website below.
http://www.advenir.com/internet-marketing/internet-marketing-resources.html...

This is an article I received and thought it was worth sharing. It has good information and suggestions on how to market thru your email signature. It is definitely worth trying.

Market With Every E-mail You Send

The best way to market yourself with every e-mail you send is to have your own e-mail address at your own domain name. It helps build your brand and reinforce the products and services you offer your clients. However, even if you don't have your own domain name, there are some innovative ways to market with every e-mail using signature files.

Signature Files

Signature files are a quick and easy way to send a marketing message with every e-mail you send, even if you don't have your own domain name. A signature file is set up within your e-mail package and is automatically attached to every outgoing message. Even if people know you well and call you often, they often go to a recent e-mail as the easiest, and fastest, way to access your phone number, street address, or even fax number.

The set-up window for signature files is usually in the Tools section of the window bar at the top of the screen when you're in your e-mail software. By clicking on Signature in the Tools window will open a new window and allow you to create a new signature file or edit the signature files you've already made.

Your standard signature file can include your name, company name, phone number, e-mail address, and web site. You can also include your street address, and a short, 10-15 word, marketing message.

Your signature file will give your reader all of your contact information and be reminded of the kind of services or products you offer. Most e-mail programs let you have a large number of signature files. Set up several to help automate the little tasks you need to do regularly.

Use a signature file when you regularly need to send out the same information to multiple people at different times. Simply open your Signature Tools file, click on New and write the information you want to relay.

Entourage and Outlook both allow very large signature files. This means you can include detailed instructions for a meeting announcement and arrangements, explain how to use the product you've sold, or explain what people need to do to get on your mailing list. Be sure to include your contact information at the bottom of these "information files."

Signature File Marketing Messages

Use the short marketing message of a signature file to encourage people to sign up for your ezine by offering a sign-up bonus. In later chapters we'll discuss how to use your one-page web site to deliver bonus items, products, audio files, client services, and even marketing packages. Many Internet-savvy one-person business owners have found combining your offer with a sign-up bonus can significantly increase the size of your database.

I've found signature files to be very effective in marketing my monthly complimentary teleseminars. Others have used them to announce their latest book or other products, direct readers to their blogs, and by using their affiliate links, profit from marketing other people's products or services.

Because signature files are forwarded with their messages, your marketing messages get forwarded when your recipients pass on the messages you send. This puts your message in front of people you would otherwise never reach, or even know.

Signature files are crucial for those professionals who haven't yet installed their own domain names as part of their e-mail system. When your e-mail comes through Yahoo, and your address is some version of yourfirstname732926@yahoo.com, you can clearly indicate who you are, how to contact you, and what you offer with a signature file.

The lesson is clear. Don't send naked e-mail!

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