Internet Tip of the Week: Seven Rules of Email – Email-Marketing
Internet Tip of the Week: Seven Rules of Email
Now there is no law that says you have to follow these rules, but if you are in business on the Web, you should definitely pay attention.Rule #1 - Turn off your CAPS LOCK - Some people seem to feel that if they write their E-mail in ALL CAPS it will be more effective.
Quite the opposite is the case. CAPS should be used only for emphasis. Many people consider the use of ALL CAPS as being the equivalent of shouting and do take offense at it.Rule #2 - Never send multiple E-mails without using Blind Carbon Copies (BCC). If every E-mail address you sent it to is displayed, you are making the spammers job a lot easier when they harvest addresses. But you have to address it to someone, even if using BCC, so remember, there are a lot of "kooks" in this world who will persecute anyone they can identify.When using BCC, never send the note to someone on your mailing list. If you have a second ID use that, or send the note to yourself with copies to everyone on your list. That way, if someone decides to "vent" it will come back to you and not someone on your list. It also gives you a permanent record of the E-mails you sent to your mailing list. If you don't have a second ID#, you can get one easily at Juno, Hotmail, etc.Rule #3 - Are you sure your E-mail was actually sent to your mailing list? One easy way to be sure it was, is to include your E-mail address in your file of names you send it to. A good method is to include your address at the very end of the list. If you get your copy, you can be sure everyone else did as well.Rule #4 - Don't Bore Them to Death - Advertising by E-mail is a cheap and effective way to get your message out to people, and most people don't mind getting an E-mail if it is short and to the point, but don't spam and send to people you don't already have a relationship with. Also, don't try to sell them your product or services with your first mailing. Try to pique their curiosity instead and have them either reply to your E-mail or visit your Web Site.Rule #5 - Honor Removes - if someone asks to be removed from your mailing list, do it immediately and send them a courtesy note advising them it has been done. Keeping people on your mailing list that don't want to receive your information is not only bad form, but can cost you your ISP if a complaint is lodged against you.And NEVER forge headers so they can't respond to you by E-mail.
This is the favorite trick of the scamsters who don't want you to respond to their E-mail, and give you a number to call or a form to fill out instead.Rule #6 - Be sure that you are not sending the same person multiple E-mails. This is a definite sign of spam and most people will simply delete them.Rule #7 - I still get E-mails with no text and the message they wish me to read is an attachment to the E-mail. It is immediately deleted as it could very well contain a virus - even from someone you know. Some ISP's have a top limit to the amount of text they will display, and anything larger is automatically converted to an attachment. Many people will not go through this exercise, so you should ensure that your E-mail message can be read by all the people it is sent to, without them having to open an attachment.Did you know that subscribers to Bob Osgoodby's Free Ezine the "Tip of the Day" get a Free Ad for their Business at his Web Site? Great Business and Computer Tips ? Monday. Wednesday. and Friday. Instructions on how to place an ad are in the Newsletter.Subscribe at: http://adv-marketing.com/business/subscribe2.htm.
Speech Presenting – Seven Ways to Tailor Your Speech to the Audience – Public-Speaking
Speech Presenting - Seven Ways to Tailor Your Speech to the Audience
Every speech has an audience and every audience is different. Tailoring your next speech to its audience is as important as the content in the speech. So how do you connect with an audience so your message matches their expectations, wants and needs and you get your message across effectively.Here are the Seven Strategies to Target Your Business Presentation Message With Laser-Like Precision1. Research your audience prior to the presentation.The more you know about your audience the more likely you are able to connect with them. I'm often blown away by the number of business people who just don't bother to find out anything about their audience. The more specific you can be the better. For example one of the best briefs I received from a client was the following description of the audience:"The majority of the group are on a two days, two nights, four off roster. These are largely process technicians. The remainder are on a five-days-on two-days-off roster. Day shift people include tradespeople (we call them maintenance technicians) and lab, administration and professional employees. Average tenure across the group is eight years ranging up to over 30 years. Average age across the group is 38 years. Gender Split: Females 6 per cent, Males 94 per cent"What a great start and fantastic research statistics on the audience. From this I could work out nearly half the audience hadn't been with the company very long, they were predominantly a younger audience and mostly male! This provided a strong foundation to tailor my message to connect with this group. Please note this was an exceptionally good briefing from the client and most of the time you will have to do the legwork to find out who your audience is!2. Find Out What Your Audience Want.Again ask key questions of the event organiser such as 'What are the key issues impacting on your industry, business or members?' I always try and meet as many of the audience as
possible prior to a presentation as ask "what's on your mind at the moment and what do you want to get out of this presentation?" Be specific.Here's an example I used for a recent presentation for entrepreneurs and venture capitalists. I discovered most potential investors will want to know 3 things when trying to raise finds. What are the sales projections? Who are your target customers? What is the exit strategy? Provide this and you've won them over.3. Use Examples.Nothing builds empathy and rapport with your audience as powerfully as examples. Remember you are selling intangible ideas and practical examples make these ideas more memorable, believable and tangible.4. Use Vignettes.No, this is not a type of dressing you put on your salad! It is a short story, example or incident. The key point is they are easy to remember and tell. But they must be short and relevant.5. Use Metaphors.These are powerful words that conjure up vivid images in the minds of your audience. They are a proven speechwriting technique. I recently heard former US President Bill Clinton speak. Clinton used the metaphor of the gap between the invention of the club and the shield to describe the present situation in the war against terrorism. He said,
"this gap needs to closed". This makes intangible concepts have more impact with an audience.6. Be Specific.The more specific you can be with actual examples, case studies, and results the more laser-like your precision will be in targeting your message. Know your content and don't be afraid to reveal personal stories as examples in your speech, this will strengthen your relationship with your audience.7. Use the Incident/Point/Benefit Technique.This one is really powerful. Tell the story, make the point and then importantly, reinforce how this will benefit the audience. It took me years to work this one out but it will make
a big difference to the impact of your presentations.Thomas Murrell MBA CSP is an international business speaker, consultant and award-winning broadcaster. Media Motivators is his regular electronic magazine read by 7,000 professionals in 15 different countries.
You can subscribe by visiting http://www.8mmedia.com. Thomas can be contacted directly at +6189388 6888 and is available to speak to your conference, seminar or event. Visit Tom's blog at http://www.8mmedia.blogspot.com
Seven Steps to Starting Your Internet Business – Internet-Marketing
Seven Steps to Starting Your Internet Business
There is no reason to be afraid of creating an online business. It is a very easy process if you take it one step at a time. Let's make the assumption you aren't going to quit your day job (not yet, anyway). So how do you get started working part-time only?Think of this as a step-by-step process.Step 1. Forget the website for now!Many people believe they have to start an online business with a website. This is wrong and a dangerous mistake. Why? Websites (particularly for a novice) can take a lot of time and money to create. Why start there when you aren't even certain you can make this work? Let's start easier.You "think" you want an online business. Let's start by spending maybe $20. Sound ok?Go to your closet or garage. Find four or five things to sell and list them on eBay. It's very easy to set up a seller account (and free) by following the eBay tutorials. The listing fees are very cheap compared to other methods of selling. It is an excellent place for a novice seller to start.Now, when you make that first sale, do you feel a rush? If you don't feel the exhilaration that comes with selling something, don't quit your day job. An online business is NOT for you.
But what if you do feel that rush? Time for step 2.Step 2: Make the Business LegalTo start a business requires at the very least a business license (probably city/county and state) as well as a resale license. These are very easy to obtain. Start by going to your local city or county office (determined by where you live). Tell them you want to form a home-based business and they will give you the paperwork necessary. Also ask them what state obligations you have. They will point you in the right direction.Now that you're all legal, it's time to find a product we can sell profitably.Step 3: Choosing Profitable ProductsIn order to choose a profitable product to sell, you need to follow four steps: observe, analyze, test and commit. Start by observing the world around you. Look at trends reported daily in the news. For instance, obesity in America gets a lot of coverage and based upon your observations, it appears to be true.Next, make some assumptions about the trend you have identified. For instance, if people are generally fatter, we can assume they don't like that and they are probably wearing bigger size clothes. Now let's test those assumptions.Let's use eBay as a microcosm of a larger world. We can use one of many tools available on the market to analyze sales at eBay. "Auction Intelligence" is one of them. With Auction Intelligence, we determine that in the last 30 days at eBay, plus-size clothing for women has sold more than $191,000 and exercise equipment has sold in excess of $1.125M (all in 30 days!). Obviously, these could be profitable products for us to sell.It's time to commit to one. So let's pick plus size clothing as our example. Now it's time to find a supplier.Step 4: Finding WholesalersWhen we made the company legal, we obtained a resale license (unless you live in a sales tax-free state like Oregon). A resale license is required if you wish to purchase products from legitimate wholesalers. But how do we find legitimate wholesalers for your plus size clothing line?There are three methods for finding legitimate wholesalers: thomasregister.com, trade shows, and trade magazines.Thomasregsiter.com is a free service to you. You use the search tool on their website and find prospective wholesalers. For your plus size clothing line start by searching for "women's clothing" or "women's plus size clothing". You will have contact information available for all wholesalers which meet your search criteria (many will not have a website). Contact them by telephone or writing. You will ask them to send you a catalog (they may charge for the first catalog to make certain you are a serious buyer). That's one easy way to find wholesalers but you should also consider attending a trade show.Trade shows are an excellent way to meet hundreds of prospective wholesalers face-to-face. Search the Internet or trade journals for a list of trade shows for your product line. Find a trade show near you and attend. Take lots of business cards!Last, but not least, subscribe to trade magazines for your product line. There will be many articles on prospective wholesalers, as well as classified ads by many of them.Now that you have a supplier, you need an outlet for selling your product.Step 5: Creating An Online PresenceThose snazzy corporate web sites can cost millions of dollars. Do you need one? No! Customers expect you will have a web presence but start out easy. An eBay Store will cost you $15.99 a month (about the same as web hosting) and you can set it up in a day.Professional designers spend years and thousands of dollars purchasing the right programs and learning how to use them. You can skip the learning curve by starting with an eBay Store. You eBay Store will be fully ecommerced-enabled (people can use a credit card) and you'll be ready for business in no time. But, it isn't that easy. We need to drive traffic (customers) to our web presence.Step 6: Getting Customers To Our eBay StoreYou may have noticed that eBay Stores show up in your search results when you are surfing the web for products. This is because your eBay Store has a unique URL (web address) just like a website. What does this mean for you?You can place your eBay Store web address on your business cards. You can add the web address to your signature line on every email you send out. You can find hundreds of free online classified ad sites on the Internet to post your address. And, you can make your eBay Store searchable by the search engines by electing that option when you establish your eBay Store.After the eBay Store has been producing well for you, you will establish a website. Every serious online business ultimately has their own website with their own name.Step 7: Establish The WebsiteEstablishing a website consists of three steps: securing a domain name, designing the website, and finding a web hosting service.A domain name (the www.yourname.com of your business) is easy to secure. Simply contact any online accredited registrar, like godaddy.com or register.com. Pay a yearly fee (about $8.95 for a .com name) and get the name of your choice (if it's available). If it isn't available, choose a name that references your product or is easy to remember.Website design can be done without professional assistance but not very effectively for a novice. You don't want a website that looks like a beginner did it. Get help with the design and writing your web site copy. Effective copy can make a huge difference in how many people buy from your web site.Having a professional writer do all your copy will probably be too expensive. Instead, write your copy yourself and have a professional writer fix it up. It may take no more than an hour of their time. Become an expert on your product or something related to your product. Experts are in constant demand. Everyone wants to buy from an expert. Becoming known as an authority is probably easier than you realize.Spend time at your local library reading up on a subject your customers care about. Use search engines to find more information online. Jot down the things you learn and spin them into short articles using your own words.Once your website is ready to grace the Internet, it's time to find a web hosting service. You might want to ask your web designer or copywriter for suggestions. The most important part of a web hosting service is their reliability and low price.ConclusionYou may not quit your day job today but your can plan your escape. Follow the steps we've identified above and that cubicle will become a thing of the past. Picture this?No alarm goes off in my morning silence. I awake naturally to the sound of birds about 6:15am. I slip on my slippers and walk 40 feet to my home office. I'm at work! No disapproving boss monitors my every move. No crazy drivers tailgate my vehicle. I am at peace. I have a successful home-based business.What stands between you and a 40 second commute? Nothing, except a little knowledge regarding how to start, and successfully run, your own business.Michele Schermerhorn calls herself a "Corporate Freedom Fighter" dedicated to freeing cubicle prisoners throughout the country. She has over 30 years experience in the business world and over 12 years running her own successful online businesses. She is President of Online Business Institute Inc. (http://www.obinstitute.com), authors a sassy marketing blog (http://www.imarketblog.com), and regularly conducts free online seminars. Online Business Institute Inc. exists to "Create Successful Online Business Owners One Person At A Time".