If you’re ready to implement an email marketing campaign, and you’ve already selected quality email marketing delivery software (e.g., AWeber, MailChimp, etc.) you must take time to analyze the factors necessary for quality email message and a effective email campaign.  Below you will find a few tips for designing a quality email system, many “borrowed” from some of the best in the field of email marketing.

In other words, those individuals who get their email opened and acted upon!

Targeting your Email

Most email marketing campaigns fail because the marketer fails to recognize many of the important aspects of the niche, and therefore the target audience, he or she is speaking to.  The person who was seeking information about article marketing is sent information concerning video over and over again. While the people who may be interested in video will be fine with the cross promotion, many of the email recipients will be unreceptive and perhaps alienated. Don’t make this mistake! Know your list well and pay attention to open rate and unsubscribe activity after each email delivered.

It is important to gather as much data as you can, from geographic location to customer buying habits, if indeed they have purchased from you. Study that data and divide your list accordingly. If you have a group of people who love one type of service you offer and another group that couldn’t care less, strategize accordingly.

There is nothing more annoying to have made a purchase from an marketer and then to be continually bombarded by the same offer again and again. Make sure you segment your email list accordingly.

Personalizing Email

Call your customers by name in email if you can. Most email software allows you to tailor your message and to “fix” names when necessary. Send your emails from the same address every time. The more personal you can get, being careful not to become too familiar too quickly, the easier it is to build trust, rapport,  and a relationship with your subscribers. You’ll also have a better chance of your emails being opened and read on a regular basis.

Keep Your Layout Simple

Don’t overload your layout with flashy graphics, huge fonts and other in-your-face items. Keep your layout clean and simple. Your layout should look professional and be easy to navigate. A overly busy layout will turn your recipients off and send your email campaign or newsletter right into the trash file.

Don’t Overload on Copy

It’s tempting to use three paragraphs to describe a product you really love and think your customers should love as well. But don’t do it! Use small paragraphs and economy of language to cater to the short time frame your customers have to go through all their emails. If you have something you want to expand upon, link to the rest of the story via a page on your site.

Keep in mind that most individuals do not have a lot of time to spend on email and in many cases view it as an annoyance. If you make your email too busy and/or too long it will be deleted. Do it too many times and they will unsubscribe.

Include a “Call to Action!”

What’s the purpose sending an email touting products if you don’t ask your customers to do something beyond read your message?

Your call to action can do many things:

• Ask customers to click on a link
• ask customers to fill out a survey
• ask customers to make a purchase

Whatever call to action you choose, just make sure you make it subscriber appropriate and that it actually works! Nothing is more aggravating and screams unprofessional louder than a broken link…a call to action leading nowhere! Yes, it happens to the best of us but be aware and test, test, test!

Create a Compelling Subject Line

Your subject line will make or break your open rate and whether of not your email is read or deleted. Do your due diligence. Come up with an honest, compelling subject line meant to grab the attention of your customers. Avoid hot-button words and phrases like “make money!” and “earn cash!”. Go for subject lines that pique the recipient’s curiosity, but tells the truth at the same time. If you mislead your readers you will get away with it only once…and never again!

Keeping these things in mind as you create your campaign won’t guarantee success, but they’ll dramatically improve your chances to generate sales and improve your metrics.

Questions?

Contact me anytime!

John Zajaros
The Ultimate Internet Image
440-821-7018
216-712-7004
excellencepaidforward@gmail.com

PS, The absolute best overall email service, one that is dependable and reasonably priced, with a myriad of features to enhance delivery and open rate is AWeber! It is by far the class of the business! For the best in email marketing? Aweber is number one!

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How to Succeed in an Online Business

Going from Newbie to Profitability in a few Short Months…Instead of Years!

The journey from what they call a “newbie” to profitability has been an interesting one, one that has taken many hours, days, weeks, and months. Making money with an online business has taken quite a bit more time and effort than most would have you believe while they attempt to rope you into the latest “get rick quick” scheme.

The road to Internet marketing profitability has been full of ups and downs, with quite a few moments when I simply wanted to throw my computer right out the window…and then track down each and every person who had introduced me to the computer age…to “thank” them, of course!

Sound a bit harsh? Not if you have been in the Internet marketing world for any length of time, either attempting to make money in an online business or with an Internet presence for a traditional brick and mortar business!

Before we get into the highs and lows, the strategies that work and the schemes to avoid, let’s define a few terms:

Newbie: The word newbie is a slang term for a person new to some form of online activity. For our purposes, the definition we will use applies to an individual engaged in Internet marketing and online business for the first time…with little or no experience. While in some corners it has derogatory connotations, for our purposes and in the manner most people online use the term, it is for descriptive purposes only. Of course that is not to say there aren’t those out there who won’t use it in a derogatory fashion; this is, after all, the real world and there are people like that in every walk of life. But for our purposes, it simply means an individual just starting down the road to an Internet marketing education, usually to build and online business of some kind.

Guru: The word guru, and I am using it with a small “g” on purpose, has entered the online lexicon, conferring the status of “more-than-expert” on an individual. While the original usage of the word had religious connotations and was bestowed on an individual with great authority through wisdom and knowledge, particularly in India with Hinduism, Sikhism, and Buddhism. In much of the Western world, the term or designation of guru generally applies to anyone who amasses a number of followers, not always in the religious or philosophical sense…but in business and academia, as well. In it’s latest incarnation, the Internet Marketing and online business usage, the term guru is used to denote authority due to a particular set of skills…in this case building online businesses and marketing on the Internet.

The above terms are used in various ways by the Internet marketing crowd. Suffice it to say, they are not universally recognized or applied, often meaning different things to different people. The term “guru” being particularly problematic, as the designation of one with great authority and wisdom has carried over from the original usage and meaning; and, this use of the word has been encouraged by many Internet marketers today, for obvious reasons!

Significantly, as a beginner or newbie online, and one not completely understanding the nuances of the jargon and the history behind the evolution of the usage of the words above, this often leads people to chose to follow someone who has not earned the designation conferred or bestowed upon them…a designation either bestowed by others or, just as often, by the person himself or herself!

So Newbie Beware!

Things are not always as they appear online…but this is true in the offline world, as well. The problem online is many of the Internet marketing “gurus” are often quite adept at pushing all the right buttons in just the right way, creating a sense of desire and urgency, a powerful combination and an often irresistible force! Some of them are true gurus, at least in the sense that they are excellent marketers, fully capable and willing to part a budding newbie from his or her hard earned, and often limited resources!

So, how do you succeed at Internet marketing? In fact, who do you believe and who do you learn from if you don’t know who is a legitimate Guru and not simply a self-appointed, or self-anointed “guru”?

The best advice I can give you is to talk to other newbies. Most newbies will tell you if they have had a bad experience with a certain Internet marketer (see The Law of 250 below) and will usually be forthcoming about what works, and what doesn’t, as well.

Also, follow the conversations on social media, many of the conversations, and I am not referring to the recent unending linkfest over at Twitter, what a spamfest that has become, I am talking about reading the articles posted on LinkedIn and Mashable, just to name two excellent resources for newbies. Another wonderful resource is the free material provided by some of the more established Internet marketing firms, including TrafficGeyser, StomperNet, and HubSpot. (see the links below)

Opt-in to the email lists of the recommended programs (below), read their free material and follow the advice. When ready, they are some of the best programs on Internet marketing and they will teach you everything you need to know once you join…and they will help with implementation too, a rare combination.

The first steps to take in building your online business:

1) Decide on a niche. There are literally thousands of niches, so pick one you can get excited about. But also make sure it will pay!

2) Do the necessary keyword research and competitive analysis before jumping into an unprofitable niche. (I use Market Samurai, Google, and Wordtracker)

3) Only after the first 2 steps are completed should you purchase your own domain name. (I use GoDaddy)

4) Make sure you have a hosting company, a good one, one with 24/7 support. I use HostGator and SEOHosting (Both owned by the same company and they offer Fantastico…a must)

5) Get an email account set up, for your email marketing and your autoresponder. (I use a branch of AWeber)

6) Set up your profile for your social media image and make sure it is appropriate to and for your business model.

7) Set up an account at EzineArticles and a couple of others and begin to write a few articles. (We will get into this in an upcoming article)

Set up your YouTube, Break, and Viddler Channels for video. When ready, go to TrafficGeyser-link below-don’t try to “go it on the cheap” with the
freebie services, they all have major drawbacks and hooks! You get what you pay for, especially with implementation!

9) Find a great SEO course and apply yourself immediately. Get the SEO right from the beginning because it is huge and once everything is set up correctly, it will be your biggest asset! Get it wrong and you will pay for it in a myriad of ways and over the life of your business.

10) Find a mentor! I cannot overstate this point!!! Even Michael Jordan, Kareem, Tiger Woods, Babe Ruth, and Hank Aaron had/have their coaches and mentors. The major Internet marketing Gurus have coaches and mentors. They may not always talk about them but they all have them! Once you have a mentor? Follow their advice! If you play for Don Shula or Pat Riley or Joe Paterno and you don’t follow their advice…you are off the team! The same holds true for following a mentor! If you don’t think enough of the mentor or coach you have to follow their advice…find another one, because you obviously don’t need the one you have, or you would apply what they teach you. Lombardi, Hayes, Jackson, Paterno, Riley, Rupp, whomever…if you don’t play by their rules, you don’t play on their team. So, once you are fortunate to find a quality coach or mentor, one willing to spend their precious time on you, apply what they teach you because good coaches are hard to come by! Every Tom, Dick, and Mary is calling themselves a coach, mentor or “life coach” nowadays…make sure you have a good one, and then hold on for dear life!

11) Keep learning! Internet marketing and online business building is as fluid as any marketing and business endeavor I have ever been involved in. If you do not continue your education, and I am talking about daily, you will be left in the dust. Internet marketing is active, vibrant, and engaging. If you do not stay current, you will not prosper.

OK!

That’s a lot to cover and we have quite a way to go, yet! However, if you lay the proper foundation, if you get the bare bones stuff right, you will be on your way to profitability! Get it wrong and you will be struggling a year from now…if you last that long.

This is not rocket science! All you have to do is listen to some of the people who have made it, and made it big, to know that you can do it. It simply takes a concerted effort, application on a daily basis, constant education, and what Tony Robbins calls CANI!

Constant and neverending improvement!

If you build each day upon the one before, you will prosper. It will take time but if you apply yourself and understand that there is a learning curve and that The Law of 250 is a make or break proposition, you will do well. In fact, there may come a day when someone refers to you as an Internet marketing Guru…capital G!

One last thing…and this is the biggest of all!

Stop listening to the siren’s song and the promises of “Instant Wealth” every Tom, Dick, and “guru” that comes along is making! Get with a mentor or a quality program, learn it, stick with it, and build it! The tools are available, you simply have to educate yourself and then apply the knowledge to your Internet marketing endeavor. If you do? Your online business will be amazing, and so will your profitability!

REMEMBER: DO NOT LISTEN TO THE SIREN’S CALL!

John

Professor John P. J. Zajaros, Sr.
216-712-6526
866-835-2913 (toll free)
Skype: johnzajaros1
johnz@thequestrevealed.com

PS, Here are the resources I promised. Quality Internet marketing and online business programs:

1) Video Marketing: There is only one for video marketing, the rest all feed off of this one in one way or another! Or they just don’t measure up!

2) Article Marketing: There is only one number one!

3) SEO or search engine optimization: Again, there are a lot of wannabes…but only one quality program and it addresses it all and offers an amazing Internet marketing and SEO education! I didn’t realize how much I had yet to learn until I joined this program!

4) Domain Manager: GoDaddy (see icon on side panel and type in “diggnation” at checkout for the best deal) If you are purchasing more than one domain name? Check only the .com and .info boxes (how can you not buy .info for less than a buck?). Then at checkout you will be offered the remainder of the .org .net and .us or whatever at 50% to 75% savings! Do NOT check them ahead of time…only as part of the upsell process after you proceed to checkout. Then, add “diggnation” into the promo code box for additional savings.

5) Hosting: If you are building one website and/or blog, stay with HostGator (on the sidepanel again). Purchase the “Business” account, not the cheapy ones! You will get a dedicated IP address and an 800 number free. These two add-ons are well worth the extra 4-5 bucks! The psychological impact of being able to offer an 800 number, even if you rarely use it, is huge! The little cues make or break a business early! Take advantage of this cue and apply it!

6) Social Media Marketing: HubSpot is super for social media education…they have it down to a science! Do you need their service? No, at least not at first. But you do need their education. They also have a couple of cool tools for grading your efficacy online…so use them!

PPS, There are a lot more tips and I will pass them along in the weeks to come. January 2010 watch for a new online business building tool for any niche in Internet marketing….it will be comprehensive and it will be all you need!

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Internet Marketing? How do I start an online business? Who do I trust for my Internet marketing resources? Are there any Internet marketing gurus? Really?

In order to begin and run an effective Internet marketing, at-home business you must first educate yourself! But how do you properly educate yourself? Who do you purchase your first program from and how long do you stay with that program? Do I need more than one program? What Internet marketing niche do I enter and how do I find information?

These are all questions we, or people like us, have all asked ourselves hundreds of times! Everyone has the solution, everyone has the product, and everyone is the expert of self-anointed “guru!” Unfortunately, most are not “gurus,” they are hucksters, sales reps at best…pushing their own products to feather their own nests!

So, you must do two things! One, you must find a program that works for you, one that serves your needs at the level you are currently at; and two, you must develop what I call Internet Marketing Myopia!

Internet Marketing Myopia!?

Internet Marketing Myopia (IMM) is the ability to put blinders on and to work, with a single-minded purpose and determination, on your online business, without paying attention to all of the experts out there, ignoring all the distractions that come along with constant exposure to the Internet. And above all? Avoiding the Black hole of internet marketing…email! You must be able to focus, stop following every pied piper that comes along with their distinctive and very appealing siren’s song! There are launches every day, you are enticed at every turn to go here, follow this, do that, try this, just sign up for that! The end result? the Black Hole of internet Marketing sucks all the time you have and you end up spending days with nothing to show for it, except for a very full inbox and a very empty back account!

So, as you watch this video ask yourself one question: “Is this me?”

If the answer to the above is yes, then ask yourself if you have had enough! If you can answer yes to that, we are ready to talk!

Are you ready to succeed? If so, watch this video, opt-in for the newsletter, and call, Skype or email me! Tell me you are ready and what you are willing to do to succeed. We will commence at once to start a profitable and prosperous Internet Marketing Business, a relationship, a mastermind group, complete with the appropriate level of Internet Marketing Myopia!

Don’t forget to sign up for the newsletter! We are having the drawing on April 30, 2009 at noon! Don’t miss it!

Professor John P. J. Zajaros, Sr.
216-712-6526
Skype: johnzajaros1
johnz@thequestrevealed.com

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