May 22, 2008

AWeber Price Increase!

The new Aweber price change is causing a big stir in the Internet Marketing community.

For 10,000 subscribers you now have to pay $69 per month instead of the $19.95 per month you would have paid under the old price structure.

The reason for the price increase is because of the new "Analytics Package" that aweber has just unveiled.

All new AWeber accounts will be subject to the new prices. If you had an account prior to the price change, you can choose to upgrade to the new analytics package and be subject to the new prices or you can remain on the old system and continue to pay at the rates you have been paying.

I think the new prices are way too high. In fact, If I personally chose to upgrade my account I would be paying $1043 per month instead of $159.25 ! Are you kidding me?

I have no plans on upgrading my account at this time, no matter how good the analytics are.

I have a feeling that AWeber is trying to move in on the higher end customers. If you look at this Autoresponder Price Comparison Chart , you can see that AWeber is still one of the lowest priced autoresponder services out there…

…But you can also see that GetResponse is now the best deal on the market by a long shot.

 

Filed under Autoresponder Services, Autoresponder Tips, Aweber Autoresponders, Email Marketing, Email Newsletters, Ezines, Getresponse Autoresponders, List Building by Wade

March 13, 2008

Making Your Squeeze Pages a Success

Many internet businesses are beginning to recognize the importance of a squeeze page on their website. This is due to the fact that squeeze pages allow an internet marketer the ability to create an effective list of individuals that they may contact in their email marketing plan. If you wish to maximize the success of your squeeze page, this article is for you. Here, you will find many useful steps on how to increase the profits from your squeeze pages.

When creating your squeeze page or pages, it is important to make the words dance right off the page into the interests and concerns of the individual reading it. If an individual feels a need will be fulfilled by providing their name and email address for the information that you are offering, this is truly a successful squeeze page. If an individual has a want and the information that you provide will fulfill that desire, you are likely to experience a lot of success with your squeeze pages. If you know what the customer wants, and what they need, and you are able to accurately describe the product or service in such a way that they feel as if it will benefit them, your pages will live up to their full potential.

When creating your squeeze pages, it is essential that you ensure that you offer some type of goods or service. If an individual is required to enter their personal information, they will definitely expect something out of it. Many website owners will offer a free e-book of some kind that implements the main theme of the product that they are selling, or explains why receiving their service will benefit the reader. There are some website owners that may offer a free e-book on their products. For example, a person selling a pain reliever for Fibromyalgia may offer a free e-book titled “How to Soothe the Symptoms of Fibromyalgia”.

Many website owners are part of the Google Adsense program. This program allows individuals to place various Google advertisements on their website. When an internet visitor clicks on these advertisements, the website owner will accumulate earnings. When you are creating squeeze pages, it is imperative that you avoid placing these advertisements on it. There should be no way that an internet visitor can click off of your squeeze page. You want them to remain on your page and provide the information that you are urging for. While it may be tempting to place links to your other websites, or links to your Google Ads – do not do it. You will end up regretting it later.

While many website owners will want to acquire as much information as possible for an internet visitor, it is important that you do not do this on your squeeze pages. The squeeze page should request a first name and an email address at most. If you begin asking for a lot of information in your squeeze pages early in the game, you will lose. You will lose potentially interested individuals, potentially successful sales, and a large amount of profits. Remember to keep it simple and direct.

Many website owners do not realize the possibility of increased trust by adding some contact information somewhere on the squeeze page. However, if a visitor sees that they have a method to contact you directly with any questions and/or concerns, they may be more likely to opt in to the offer presented on the squeeze pages. Many individuals do not trust the activity behind the scenes of the squeeze page. As a matter of fact, trust has been noted as one of the determining factors in accepting an offer on an unknown website. If a person discovers that they can communicate with you directly, and you are helpful if they do, they will establish trust in you. If a potential consumer establishes trust in you, they will establish trust in your products as well. If they trust your products, you can trust you will profit.

When creating squeeze pages, it is essential to ensure that you do so in a professional manner. If your squeeze pages look cheap and lack the detail of the websites of the competitor, you are likely to lose business. It is important to articulate appropriately, integrate only the latest and greatest in modern technological graphics, and create an appealing page that will attract and maintain the interest of those that visit your page.

The squeeze pages within your website are the most popular pages to your success. You should ensure that you take special care in creating these pages. You should always ensure that you keep up with the latest trends in internet marketing to ensure a successful marketing campaign for your products.

Filed under Autoresponder Tips, List Building, Squeeze Pages by Wade

March 3, 2008

6 Important Rules of Effective Email Newsletters

1. Stay on schedule

Your subscribers should be able to synchronize their watches by the arrival of your email newsletters. Of course there are always glitches and unexpected problems that may arise, but other than that, pick a day and general time that works best for you and stick to it.

The frequency will depend on how much information you’d like to share, how often you think your readers will want to hear from you, and how much time you have to devote to producing a quality offering. Before launching your weekly newsletter, be completely sure you’ll really be able to live up to your word each and deliver every week.

For quality assurance purposes, it’s a wise idea to send out a “test” mailing to yourself or your editors before sending to the subscribers to check for any errors or typos, and to see that all links are working properly.

2. Capture their attention

The subject line of an email newsletter should be enticing enough to make your readers want to open the mail, and then pore over the contents. While listing the volume or issue number is a good way of organizing the newsletters chronologically, there’s nothing exciting about that type of subject line.

3. Make it readable

From the very first issue, an email newsletter should have a set style that’s clean and simple with an easy to read format. Too many graphics and other distractions give the appearance of junk mail or spam. While it is perfectly acceptable to include two or three pictures of products you may be selling or showcasing, more than a few is overdoing it.

Important points and paragraphs should be emphasized with bullet points to draw the reader’s eye and grab their attention. As a general rule, people usually will “scan” emails for useful information rather than actually read them from start to finish. Keeping the same format every time, with each section located in the same spot in every issue gives a sense of organization and familiarity.

Paragraphs should be short, to the point, and never use all capitals for any reason, unless it’s to occasionally emphasize a word or two. Email newsletters should be completely free of errors and typos, so read, read again, then re-read your work before sending the final copy out.

To truly accommodate all of your readers, consider including a link to a printer-friendly version of your newsletter, as well as a plain text version as opposed to HTML.

You’ll also want to establish your “voice” or the tone of the newsletter from the first issue whether it’s serious, funny, newsworthy, or however it relates to and reflects your business or products.

4. Know your goals

Before even attempting to start an email newsletter and build a subscriber base, it’s important to know your goals and what you’re exactly trying to achieve by sending this newsletter. Ask yourself questions such as:

- What is the main purpose of the newsletter? Attracting visitors to your website? Selling your product? Increasing your readership?

- Who is your target audience?

- What will you say to connect with your readers and gain their respect?

5. Provide accurate contact information

Don’t forget to include your contact information, or at least a link to a working email address in every newsletter you send. You may list all of your pertinent information, including your postal address and phone numbers, or you can choose to keep it limited to just your website and email address.

Links to contact you or that lead to your website should be prominently listed in the newsletter placing one at the beginning, the middle, and the end. It’s also a good idea to include several “forward to a friend” links throughout the newsletter to encourage readers to share with their peers, which will hopefully generate more subscribers and customers.

It’s imperative to include an unsubscribe link in all email newsletters you send. Readers should have an easy way to remove themselves from your mailing list if they wish to do so.

6. Offer quality content

Email newsletters should be long enough to be interesting by offering a wide variety of useful information, but not lengthy enough to be boring. No one wants to receive a newsletter full of fluff, or one that’s repetitive, or contains out of date information. Consider periodically asking your readers for their feedback, or offer surveys if you’re having trouble gaging what keeps people involved in your particular niche interested and coming back for more.

Readers also love to get something for free. Whether it’s an e-book, or some type of course, free samples of your products, or a free software download, bonuses and freebies keep people interested and are a great way of expanding your marketing plan and spreading your company’s name. Be careful about using the word “free” in your newsletter as some spam filters are programmed to weed out mail using that word.

Filed under Autoresponder Tips, Email Marketing, Email Newsletters, Ezines by Wade

March 2, 2008

A Few Basics for Email List Building

If you are building up an email list, no doubt you are always working to get a larger list. The truth is that the profits are actually all in your list, so email list building is extremely important.  While many companies and internet marketers are always trying to build up their lists, many actually are not aware of some of the basics when it comes to email list building. The following are some very basic steps that you should be using in order to build up your email list.

Basic #1 – Put an Opt-in Box on Every Page – When new visitors show up at your website, you don’t want them to have to go searching for your opt-in page. Instead you should provide an opt-in box on every single page of your website. This way, no matter what page of your site a visitor is on, they have the option to enter their email address in the opt-in box. The more they see it, the more likely they are to join your email list.

Basic #2 – Keep it Easy – When you design your opt-in box for collecting email addresses, make sure that you keep it easy. If you are asking for their name, phone, number, address, as well as their email address, chances are they are not going to respond. The less information you ask for, the better. Usually you only need a name and an email address. Once you get them on your list, then you can worry about trying to get other information.

Basic #3 – Invite Opt-ins in Transaction Emails – If someone actually purchases from you and you send them emails of confirmation or emails that allow them to track their purchases, this is a perfect opportunity. In these courtesy emails, be sure that you include and invitation to become a part of your email list. They just might sign up.

Basic #4 – Request Opt-in at Checkout – Another great time to use an opt-in box is when people are checking out. Whenever anyone buys something at your site, always be sure that an opt-in box is a part of the checkout page so they can sign up if they want to.

Basic #5 – Place Ezine Ads – Ezine ads are another very basic way to build your email list. Find out about ezines that target the group you want to reach, and consider purchasing ad space. Make sure that the link leads to a page that will invite them to sign up for your emails.

These are just a few of the basics when it comes to email list building. Once you have the basics in place, no doubt you will quickly begin to build your list. So, make sure that you employ the basics to build up your own email opt-in list.
 

Filed under Email Marketing, Ezines, List Building, Squeeze Pages by Wade

March 1, 2008

Making Money with Autoresponders

An autoresponder is an easy, web-based email marketing software that delivers your email campaigns, offers, newsletters, and follow-ups.

With an autoresponder you can convert your website visitors into subscribers.  You can convert your subscribers into paying customers.

Autoresponders also allow you to launch your email marketing campaigns with newsletter hosting features that allow you to track your email marketing clicks, visitors, open-rates, undeliverables, sales and sign-ups.

You can build traffic to your blog with automatic mailings to your visitors whenever you update.

Here are additional uses of an autoresponder:

• Use it to inform potential customers of additional products or services you or your company provide.  For example:  If someone has contacted you through a form on your website about a particular product or service you can use the autoresponder to send back a message detailing additional products or services you can provide them.

• Send promotional articles about a product or service a customer or potential customer is interested in.  OVER DELIVER information and your customer will appreciate it.  In other words, give them more than their money’s worth.

• One of the most effective uses of the autoresponder is to sell a class or a book. If someone signs up for a class or a free e-book from your website then use the autoresponder to send them the specifics of the class or the e-book (and be sure to include a not so obvious ad for another similar product in the message).  It’s a great way to expose clients or customers who are interested in one product to another similar product.

• Keep your customers or clients informed on product updates.  Let them know that the newest version or a valuable update is available. 

• Use it to send answers to frequently asked questions. 

• A great use for an autoresponder is to use it like a sales letter.  Have each individual message sell (like parts of a sales letter) and eventually build to a final call to action.
 
These are effective ways to use an autoresponder.  Just remember that the most profitable autoresponders are those that over deliver and provide the customer or client with valuable information when they request it. 

 

Filed under Autoresponder Tips, Email Marketing, Email Newsletters by Wade

October 25, 2007

Getresponse Autoresponder Review

Around since 1989, GetResponse is a remotely hosted email marketing system that allows you to send (unlimited) sequential autoresponders to your sign up list as well as send newsletters and manage your lists.

For less than $18 dollars a month (or if you’d like they offer a free trial so you can test it out), you can sign up and begin using this system. 

There are many main features that you will find in the GetResponse system.  There are unlimited amounts of follow-up emails that you can send.  They are all queued up in advance to be sent out on given dates.  You are also presented the option to follow-up on your emails.
 
Other features include:
• No limit to email message length
• A confirmation page that subscribers can be redirected to
• A customizable “unsubscribe page”
• Features that can be personalized
• Ability to add custom variables to messages
• Remove or add subscribers from one account or more
• Performance tracking for each message
• You can import and export your list database
• You have an unlimited amount of broadcast emails
• Ability to attach files to messages
• Plain text or html conversion

GetResponse also offers some additional resources for when you sign up to a Pro Account.  You get 5 informative Ebooks as well as an interview with the CEO of Getresponse in which he tells you how to use the system effectively.  You also get five hundred free ad exposures across the GetResponse network. 

One of the best features of this system is their technical support.  They have excellent tutorials on everything from using the tools to actually writing an effective email message.   Their response time is fantastic and you are given the option of email or a free telephone support line. 

Another excellent and important feature that GetResponse offers is their tracking system. You can see exactly where your prospects inquiries are coming from.  This way you can tell which ad or ads you are getting the highest response from.

GetResponse also offers an RSS feed.  This is a feature that has not been offered in many other systems (if any). So when you send a message via a broadcast, it is added to an RSS feed.  You also have control over feed options such as feed owner link, feed logo, and feed title. 

And this system will also remove undeliverable email addresses from your autoresponder list.  If the email message gets blocked then the address will automatically get removed.  These addresses will be collected for you to view from the control panel. 

Overall GetResponse offers a very solid autoresponder system that provides users with all the essentials they need to run smooth and effective campaigns.

Click Here Now To Join Getresponse

Filed under Autoresponder Tips, Email Marketing, Email Newsletters, Ezines, Getresponse Autoresponders, List Building by Wade

October 19, 2007

Building A Lucrative Relationship with Your Subscribers

Email marketing campaigns can be very lucrative if done correctly. However, many newbie internet marketers fall flat on their faces. There are numerous reasons for this, but the main reason is that these individuals do not understand the importance of developing a relationship with their subscribers. They jump in head first, and do not realize the benefit of looking to see if there is water in the pool first. This can be an unfortunate experience for both the internet marketer, as well as the subscriber. Here you will learn about some successful strategies that you can use to build a lucrative relationship with your newsletter, ezine, marketing and autoresponder subscribers.

The first thing that you should understand when you are attempting to build a relationship with your subscribers is that it will not happen over night. Yes, it is true that your bills need to be paid, and that bank account could be a little healthier, but it is best to allow time to be factored into your marketing strategy. Many internet marketers are so desperate to make that sale that they forget the importance of an effective business relationship with the customer. These individuals often suffer tremendous financial losses. Do not allow yourself to become the next victim of this common mistake.

The next thing that you should take into consideration is that these are "real people" that you are dealing with. In this digital age, it is often a common thing for internet marketers to view each individual as a certain number in their database. However, these numbers represent real people, with real needs, wants, and feelings. If you are able to keep the mindset that you are dealing with “customers” and not “numbers”, you are much more likely to create effective electronic communications with the subscribers.

The third thing that you should do is display empathy. Customers who feel as if an individual, or business can relate to them, their feelings, the things that they want…these are the customers that will remain loyal. 

For example, if you are promoting a weight loss product, it is important to communicate with subscribers in such a way that displays that you understand their hardships. In sensitive matters, such as obesity, it is important to display a sense of unity with the subscriber. Touch on the benefits that the individual may experience by implementing the use of your weight loss product. It is important to remember that the main issue may not be the weight; the customer may not enjoy the lack of self-esteem, or the constant fatigue that they feel. It is important to think outside the box and then transform the box into an effective sphere where everything rolls into one and comes together.

When developing a relationship with your subscribers, do not forget the fact that each and every one of us enjoys a gift every now and then. Perhaps you are selling a weight loss product. Maybe you can throw in a free e-book on fat free recipes, or a list of natural remedies that help to increase metabolism. Your customers will learn to appreciate the extra mile that you are virtually running for them.

Many individuals who sway from attempting to sell in the emails to their subscribers and focus on teaching them instead often get a better response from those subscribers. It is also essential to allow the subscribers to provide feedback on the information that you have provided to them. This will allow them to take an active role in the type of relationship that you are trying to develop. If a customer feels as though they are a valued part of your business, they are more likely to stay loyal to your business. This can mean large growth is in your future!

Developing a relationship with the subscribers does not have to be a complicated task. Yes, it can be a bit time consuming, but the growth that you can experience makes every single minute worth it! By practicing the methods listed in this article, you will soon develop a long list of loyal customers.

Filed under Autoresponder Tips, Email Marketing, Email Newsletters, Ezines by Wade

October 17, 2007

Autoresponder Follow Up Secrets

When you employ the use of an autoresponder program, there is a strategy that you are usually trying to play on to successfully market your website and all the items that you offer on that website. You probably realize that many initial visitors to your website will not make a purchase. This is why it is essential to ensure that you follow up with as many visitors as you can. This particular marketing strategy should maintain and increase the interest of those individuals who have looked at your space on the internet. In this article, we will cover autoresponder follow up essentials.

When creating your preset autoresponder messages, it is vital that you ensure that you write in a highly intelligent, yet casual manner. You should write in such a way that it immediately captures the attention of your audience. This will ensure that they read what you have to say all the way to the very end. The first thing that your audience will see is the headline. This is the very place that you should start. Make sure that the headline that you create is appealing and will draw the audience in. You must instill a sense of excitement in your visitors.

One of the many methods that internet marketers use to draw the interest of their readers is to make the autoresponder personal. Normally this is done by plugging the name of the individual into the message. A person values their name. This is one of the most important things about them. If you make good use of their name, you are sure to capture their attention. Furthermore, using a person’s name makes it seem as if you truly value the customer that you are dealing with. They will feel unique and special. This can help to build trust among individuals in your email list as well.

The first message is the most important message when it comes to autoresponder follow ups. This message should always thank the customer for their interest and their time. It is important to properly introduce yourself, and a little bit about your company. Did you notice how I said “a little bit about your company”? It is important for the person receiving your email to see you as a person, and not just a bit of data transmitted across the digital bounds of the internet. You want to make your message personal, appealing, and friendly. If you go on and on about your business, this will probably bore the recipient. However, if you indulge a little bit of information about yourself, this may hold the readers interest.

The messages that follow that initial response are equally important. However, the first message is vital because it provides the “first impression”. Following messages should encourage readers to actively participate in discussion with you. This will make the messages that you send more exciting. You may elect to promote quizzes and similar items. This is a great method that is used by an assortment of individuals when they are trying to develop trust and relationships with the subscribers.

There are numerous ways to ensure that your autoresponder is effective in the overall success of your business. The key is research and development. You must research what strategies have been effective for others, as well as you. You must then develop your autoresponder according to the evidence that shone through in your research.

Filed under Autoresponder Tips, Email Marketing by Wade

October 15, 2007

Driving Traffic To Your Squeeze Page For Free

The most effective way to drive traffic to your squeeze page is through article marketing. It is also a completely free strategy with no downside. By writing and distributing your articles to high traffic article directories you not only generate back links to your website you also have the opportunity to provide your readers with information related to your products or services. This way, you can be sure that people who click through to your site from an article are actually interested in what you have to say. Effectively, by using article marketing you will have well targeted visitors who will be far more likely to respond to your call to action whether by purchasing or signing up for an offer.

However, article marketing will only work if it is done well. A poorly written, unprofessional article will have the opposite effect and cause people to shy away from you and your business. It is therefore very important that you only submit high quality, professional articles to top of the line directories such as ezinearticles.com. You can either write your own articles or pay a professional writer to do it for you. Not all web writers are good, however. If you are going to pay a freelancer to write for you, make sure that they are well versed in English, preferably a native speaker. Many online writers come from countries where English is not the first language and these writers are able to write for less than the average native English speaker residing in a first world country. Even the better of these writers who do not speak English as a first language, do not write naturally or colloquially and readers can tell the difference. The quality of your articles will only reflect on you so make sure it’s a good reflection.

If you want to use article marketing to drive traffic to your squeeze page, you need to be prepared to be prolific. It also pays to write a variety of different types of articles that appeal to different types of readers and therefore different segments of your market. For example, you can write product reviews, book reviews, news stories related to your industry as well as informational articles which are relevant to your product or service.

When it comes to article distribution, there are widely diverse opinions as to whether it is best to mass distribute using an article submission service like articlemarker.com or submission software, or whether it is best to personally submit your articles only to a few high profile article directories. By trialing different article distribution methods and monitoring resulting visits to your squeeze page, you can determine which approach best suits your product or service.

While article marketing can certainly direct a lot of free targeted traffic to your website, only you can convert those visits to sales or sign ups. If you are getting visits but they are not responding positively to your squeeze page, you may need to rewrite your page. You should also reevaluate whether or not there is an actual demand for your offering. However, if you have a good product and a well designed squeeze page, article marketing is a guaranteed way to attract visitors and increase your profits.

Filed under Email Marketing, List Building, Squeeze Pages by Wade

October 14, 2007

Single Opt-In Versus Double Opt-In

The first rule of an email marketing driven website is that your list of qualified subscribers is your "bread and butter" .  You recommend products to your list, they buy the products, and you make money off your affiliate program links.

However, populating that list is something of an ethical dilemma.  You want to make sure that your list is populated with quality subscribers. You've already heard about how to use squeeze pages to get peoples email addresses…but unless you have some method of confirming the email address, you're only buying trouble.

Single opt-in used to be the rage in the mid-90s, when internet marketing was in its infancy.  You get an email address (some even harvested them from news groups…) and you send a message to it, people respond, you make money.  That's how it was supposed to work, anyway.

You can see the actual results of this course of action whenever you open your inbox, or look at your web mail account and see hundreds or thousands of spam emails filtered out.

Single opt-in can be a hazard to your business and can get you shut down if you are not careful.

What you need to do when getting someone signed into your list is send an email confirmation that  the subscriber must click on to confirm their subscription.  This is called "double opt-in".  It filters out the people who put bogus email addresses up, and ensures that your list is clean. 

Think about it… You want the people on your list to be people who are interested in your offerings, who will stick with you in the long haul.  It doesn't matter how big your email list is if the majority of addresses on it are dead end accounts. 

There's another excellent reason to go with double opt-in subscriptions beyond the straightforward business case:  More ISPs are cracking down on spam emailings.  The one vendor you cannot afford to offend, or make abandon you is your Internet Service Provider.  They track how many "bounced emails with identical subjects" come back to your account, and will shut you off without any notification if they think you're doing a spam assault. 

The third benefit of double opt-in is legitimacy.  Most major internet businesses out there are not using single opt-in any more.  Consumers expect to get a confirmation email, proving that you're a legitimate business who takes their time seriously.

Setting up a double-opt-in subscription system does require that you write a simple welcome message.

Here's a basic example:

"Dear <name>, in order to use our services, we have to be certain that you're giving us a valid email address. Please click on the link below to complete your registration." 

Something else you should do with your email list is provide, at the bottom of every email you send out, a way for someone to unsubscribe that doesn't cause them to jump through lots of obstructions.  Easy opt-out options help your list clean itself – after all, if they want off your list, they're not going to buy anything you recommend anyway.  All you're doing by not letting them unsubscribe easily is giving them a reason to mention your business in a negative light on blogs and forums about the products you sell.

In the end, there are established, and well recognized, good business practices for being an ethical internet marketer.  It's always in your best interests to follow them, to make this work for you.  Your customers will stick with you if you do so, and will leave within moments of you stepping off the straight and narrow.

Filed under Email Deliverability, Email Marketing, List Building, Spam, Squeeze Pages by Wade