10 Essential Marketing Tips

In my daily receipt of emails and newsletters I found this recent series an excellent lesson for beginning internet marketers. They are full of information so I'll post one lesson at a time.
The key behind these lessons is to build a subscriber following which will build your business exponentially.
Follow these techniques and you will be on your way to building a successful home based business.

Lesson #1
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Essential Rules For Effective Email Marketing

If you want an email campaign to succeed, you don't want to offend anyone when sending your messages. Turn off a consumer with your email and you can be sure they'll tune out your message.

Don`t let this happen to you!

A message that earns respect makes sales. That's why the first lesson is email etiquette.

Train yourself to stick to the rules below when crafting your email messages.

RULE #1 - ALWAYS WRAP YOUR LINES AT 65 CHARACTERS OR LESS

Whenever you write an email, always format the lines so that they're 65 characters, or less, across. To do this, you may need to do a "hard return" by hitting"Enter" at the end of the line. Wondering why to limit your lines to just 65 characters? (Good question! It shows you`re thinking.) There are two reasons that "less is more":--

• The first thing to remember is that looking at a computer screen for a long time causes EYE FATIGUE for many readers. The shorter span of characters across the screen makes reading easier and more appealing to the recipient of your email message.--

• The other reason to go short instead of long is this:some email clients AUTOMATICALLY ENFORCE LINE-WRAPPING at 60-65 characters on received messages. If your email is wrapped at 70, the content will arrive all "chopped up." This makes it unattractive...and worse -- unappealing.--

• Tip #1: Email clients such as OutlookExpress allow you to SET THE LINE-WRAP to any character-width you choose. That means you won`thave to hit Enter each time after typing 65 characters. Makes life easier!--

• Tip #2 - You can type 65 asterisks ordashes in a Notepad file to create a template. Thenpaste your email below it to see if any lines extend toofar to the right.

RULE # 2 - BE CAREFUL USING ALL CAPS

How many times have you changed the TV channel to avoid listening to a screaming car salesperson? No one likes a screaming salesperson...and no one likes a"screaming" email message, either. Odds are, when someone has over-amped the volume of their message by using too many capital letters (not to mention too many exclamation points and other punctuation) -you`re going to be turned off.

On the Internet, email messages written in all caps are considered yelling. It`s okay to write some sentences and some words in all caps, but don`t go overboard. (Asyou can see in this message, I`ve tried to use capital letters to help break up sections of the content from time to time)--

• Tip #1: Consumers buy from a source they trust. Emails in all caps are perceived as "shady" or uneducated, and have an appearance that damages the credibility of an offer.

RULE #3 - WATCH YOUR Ps & Qs (Spelling andGrammar)

Would you be influenced by an email selling you something that had noticeable spelling and grammar mistakes? Sureyou would...and the influence would be negative, not positive! When a consumer reads a sales message that's filled with errors, they think to themselves, "Good grief, this person doesn`t even take the time to get his emails right. His product is probably the same quality as his emails.

"When you're in business, YOUR IMAGE IS YOUR REPUTATION and your reputation is the reason people buy from you or the guy down the block. It's essential that you create an image of INTEGRITY, CREDIBILITY, and HONESTY in the mind of your prospects. Sending emails filled with errors doesn't hurt your professional image...it destroys it. (Ouch!)

Follows these three simple steps in email formatting and you are on your way to building a subscriber list that trusts you.

A person who trusts you is more apt to buy from you than one who doesn't trust you.

Knowing when to switch gears.

In my last post we spoke about taking action and making a commitment.
So my next question would be.......

How long do you commit to something if it isn't working?

For example, a couple of months ago, my girlfriend sent me a link to "make money filling out surveys." Well, the hype said you can make anywhere from $5 - $35 per survey so I thought, "What the heck, I've got time on my hands, my online business is running on it's own and I'm always interested in some more residual income." Did I mention it was a free program too.

So, I commited to answering at least 5 surveys a day and volunteering on a panel at least once a week. Well, it's been exactly 2 months and 18 days since I started and I've made $100 but have spent.........$500+

Ohhhhh, that's right, did I forget to tell you that the survey's that actually pay are those that REQUIRE you to accept at least 1 of their Platinum offers, 2 of their Gold offers, and 3 of their Silver offers.

I don't think I've seen a bigger scam since Herba Life products saturated the market!

So, I ask myself, have I given this a fair try, commited to the project enough to make a judgement of whether it is working? I think I have.

Remember, commitment is a two-sided street. If you have commited and given the business 110% but the project isn't paying you back, it's time to move on!

But this doesn't mean give up! There are plenty of opportunities out there. Some of which are legitimate and given the sweat and effort, you can be successful.

The 7 decisions for success.

How do you define success?

To most of us that is a personal question that results in a unique answer.
Well regardless of the answer - you still need a path to get there, right?

Here are 7 decisions you need to make before success is attainable.

1. The Buck Stops Here! I will begin the process of changing where I am- by changing the way I think.
2. I Will Seek Wisdom! I will listen to the counsel of wise men. The words of wise men are like raindrops on dry ground.
3. I Am A Person of Action! I inspire others with my activity. I am a leader. Leading is doing. To lead I must move forward.
4. I have a Decided heart! I am passionate about my vision for the future. I will not wait, my course has been charted. My destiny is assured- I have a decided heart.
5. Today I will Choose To Be Happy! Today I will greet each day with laughter. I will smile at every person I meet. I am a possessor of a grateful spirit. Today I choose to be happy.
6. I Will Greet This Day With A Forgiving Spirit! I will greet this day with a forgiving spirit, from this day forward my history will cease to control my destiny. I have forgiven myself, my life has just begun.
7. I Will Persist Without Exception! I will persist without exception- I have faith in my future. I do not look left or right. I look forward. I can only persist.

Make these decisions, follow through on their intended actions, and the rest simply falls in line.

Commitment

So you've done your research and planned your attack. NOW GET STARTED!

Commitment plays a huge factor in your success as an online business entrepreneur.

How many hours did you commit to the project? 5, 10, 20? Well, I can tell you, you need to at least commit 1 hour a day to become a productive online business owner.

• You need to commit to learning about your product.
• You need to commit to advertising your product.
• You need to commit to your contact list.
• You need to commit to improving your business strategy.

Are you willing to arrange time to ensure you learn all there is to know about your product so when your customer asks you are not flailing for answers?

Are you willing to arrange time to ensure your Google Adwords campaign is as strong as it can be and converting searchers into buyers?

Are you willing to personally call your contacts including customers and see how they are doing and if you can help them?

Are you willing to take the time to do continual research to learn new ways to improve your business?

You can't just start up an online business and think it will run automatically. Yes, I know, plenty of home-based businesses advertise that there system will work for you while you sleep. But that is UNTRUE.

All the "system" does is gather your contacts in one convenient place and feed them emails. But, you need to be the one to make contact. Show your prospects you are a real person. That you are passionate about the product, the business, and them.

The more time you commit, the better the results.

Fortunes do not happen overnight regardless of all the hype.
Give yourself time to build your fortune instead of expecting instant results.

Rome was not built in a day and neither is financial freedom. But with commitment and perseverance you can be successful in this competive market.