Technorati

Technorati is a great way to drive traffic to your blog site.

They use a "tag" system to relate your blog posts to their "tag the world" project, thus linking your blog to theirs. See http://www.technorati.com/help/tags.html for details.

Enjoy your new traffic!

Fred Raley
Woodbridge, VA
(703) 730 1079
Fred@FredRaley.com

p.s. New look at my home page with new help for your business. http://www.FredRaley.com

[Money Business Marketing]

The VITAL Subject Line

1. Why should they 'open' your mail?

Emails are no different to 'snail mails'. You're not obliged to open them! How many times have you dumped mail in the trash without even bothering to open it? I do it all the time... circulars from supermarkets, fast-food emporiums, auto franchises ... they all make the same mistake - they send me 'snail mail spam' with an obvious commercial message on the envelope that give me no reason to want to open them. And, whether you realize it or not, you go through the same mental process with your emails. Your eyes scan the 'Subject' lines, your brain makes an instant (often subconscious) decision, and you delete anything that screams 'Spam' at you...

- $5,000 EVERY FIVE DAYS!!!!
- $250 weekly or you don't pay anything!!!
- A MILLION DOLLAR OPPORTUNITY
- ACT NOW
- If you can mail two envelopes, you can make a fortune!
- New and most important, FREE!
- Sign up today and secure your place.
- MAKE $55,000 EVERY WEEK GUARANTEED!
- Friend, THIS IS NOT SPAM!
- Blah, blah, blah, blah !!

That was just a small selection from TODAY's inbox... and they'll probably be there again tomorrow, screaming 'WASTE OF TIME' at me.

So please understand this vital lesson now...

YOUR 'SUBJECT' IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF YOUR EMAIL

... because your entire campaign will bomb if people delete your message without ever reading it! Your subscribers will also have an inbox full of legitimate messages like yours, as well as business-related e-mail, plus personal messages from friends and family, plus the usual collection of spam.

With so many messages to sift through, they're going to do exactly the same as me and delete anything that doesn't catch their eye and appeal to them personally. An effective subject line will not "YELL" at you. It will address you personally, and it will offer a clear benefit that makes you want to read the email.

Now stand back from your own efforts and try to be totally subjective...

How many of your own e-mails and newsletters have your subscribers deleted because they saw nothing in the subject line that convinced them it was in THEIR interests to read your missive?

How many of your mails have been trashed because the recipient assumed it was spam?

How many of your mails have been trashed because the reader didn't recognize who they were from?

How many of your mails could you have saved simply by rewriting the subject line?

Probably a lot more than you think!

Does your subject line force the reader to open and read your message?

Is it impossible to ignore?

Does the recipient think, "I've just got to read this."

Does your subject line answer the question, "What's in it for me?"

And yet there is a fairly simple 'set of rules' that will almost 'guarantee' a meteoric increase in the number of emails that get opened...

2. Where you can, use your subscribers' real names

Personalized emails are 65% more likely to be opened that those that aren't.

There is no other single technique that will boost your response rate as much as this, and that's why every e-mail campaign you send should include a personalized subject line whenever possible. Use the name occasionally in the body of the email, too.

Using someone's name makes them feel as though they have a relationship with you. And nothing gets a person's attention faster than 'hearing' their own name! This way, instead of having a subject line that says (for example), "The secret is just a click away", you can place the variable before the subject ... [name], the secret is just a click away so that each and every subscriber will read their own name like, Graham, the secret is just a click away or Angela, the secret is just a click away etc. It really is as easy as that.

With most PRO safelist memberships, You can personalize your mailing... it's an awesome feature and, if you have it, you should USE IT! If you cannot personalize your mailings, start with the word "Hi", or "Hello". It breaks the ice more quickly.

3. Keep the subject short

Don't be tempted to be verbose in your subject line. Remember, you have but a split second to catch your reader's attention, so KEEP IT SHORT. As well as that, most e-mail clients have a maximum length of about 50 characters, and even the greatest subject line on earth will be wasted if it gets cut off! Try to limit your subject lines to 40 characters (about 4 or 5 words) or less. And remember, the average first name is already about 8 characters long, so your 'message' needs to be no more than about 30-35 characters (including spaces).

4. Don't use CAPITALS!!

In addition to non-personalization, there are three sure signs that an e-mail is commercial or even spam...

1. A SUBJECT LINE THAT'S ALL CAPITAL LETTERS
2. A Subject Line With Capitalized First Letters
3. A Subject Line With Lots Of Exclamation Marks!!!!!!

Spammers 'love' capital letters and exclamation points. If you do the same, I can guarantee that (rightly or wrongly) people will assume your message is spam... As Donald Sutherland would have said in 'Kelly's Heroes', "You're giving out bad vibes, brother!" Not only do capital letters and exclamations give out 'bad vibes' by making subscribers feel that you're shouting at them, they also make the subject harder to read. So why do it? The more your subject line reads like personal e-mail from a friend, the more chance your message will be opened. In addition, exclamation marks and dollar signs increase the chances of your mail being flagged as spam by the filters. And, for sure, they are going to set off warning bells in the minds of the recipients.

5. The four sure-fire attention grabbers

There are four ways in which you can make your subject line grab your reader's attention...

1. Make the reader curious
2. Create a sense of urgency
3. Share some news or make an announcement
4. Clearly demonstrate a benefit to the reader

Make the reader curious

You can write subject lines that arouse the readers curiosity, but the first paragraph of your email MUST make it clear what the connection is between the subject and the body text. Otherwise your reader will feel cheated and will not respond to your mail the way you want him or her to do. DON'T CHEAT! Don't be tempted, for example to write "Congratulations, you've just won first prize", then write an email about joining your downline in some program or other. That's a spammer's trick, and people are wise to it. The easiest way to make a reader curious is to suggest that they are missing out on something important...
[name], this one's my favourite
[name], are you making this common mistake?
[name], did you miss out before?
[name], rattle my cage and see what happens
[name], here's my response

It's important when using this technique to leave something to the imagination by posing a question (real or imaginary) that the reader simply can't answer.

Create a sense of urgency

You'd better believe this.... URGENCY is the best way to get people to react spontaneously. And you can create urgency in your subject lines either by limiting time or quantity.

[name], only 24 hours left
[name], it's now or never
[name], there are just 20 copies left
[name], I'm only releasing 10 copies
[name], only for the next ten people to read this email

Urgency is especially effective if you have already promoted a product, and decide to do a follow-up
[name], we have only two places left
[name], there are now only eight left
(But use this one sparingly, because you can easily overdo it.)

Share some news or make an announcement

People are intrigued by new things, and generally want to have something before anybody else.

[name], see it first
[name], a new program just launched
[name], important news just in
[name], here's a new income-generator
[name], be the first to see this

Clearly demonstrate a benefit to the reader

Please note the difference between a 'feature' and a 'benefit' "Our grass cutter is twice the size" is a feature "Our grass cutter will save you time" is a benefit "This car uses less gas" is a feature "This car saves you money" is a benefit A benefit is something very specific that is good for the reader... save money, save time, make their life easier, etc. The key when writing subject lines that emphasize benefits is to consider your product or service from your customers' point of view... How will they benefit from taking the time to read your e-mail? What will they learn? What will be their gain?

6. A list of winners

Here are some excellent, proven subject line 'starters':
Unlock...
Open...
How To...
Learn...
Discover...
Uncover...
...Exposed.
...Revealed.
...Explained.
What You...
Profit...
Save...
Make.
Secrets Of...
Top (No.) ...
Breaking News!...
Special Alert!...
Special Report!...
Our Latest Article!...
( No. ) ( Adjective ) Ways...
( No. ) ( Adjective ) Tips...
( No. ) ( Adjective ) Strategies...
( No. ) ( Adjective ) Techniques...
( No. ) ( Adjective ) Tactics...
( No. ) ( Adjective ) Secrets...
( No. ) ( Adjective ) Ideas...
( No. ) ( Adjective ) Benefits...
( No. ) ( Adjective ) Reasons...
( No. ) ( Adjective ) Questions...
( No. ) ( Adjective ) Steps...

You can generate headlines quickly and effectively by using adjectives from this list, and adding them to your product or service description.
announcing
astonishing
at last
exciting
exclusive
fantastic
fascinating
first
free
guaranteed
incredible
initial
improved
love
limited offer
powerful
phenomenal
revealing
revolutionary
special
successful
super
time-sensitive
unique
urgent
wonderful
you
breakthrough
introducing
new
how-to

And finally, a list of ready-made subject lines for you to swipe as you want. (Don't forget to make sure that they are appropriate to your message, though)

[name], did you know about this?
[name], do you know anything about this?
[name], what's my secret weapon?
[name], here's my secret weapon?
[name], a gift to help you [insert benefit]
[name], a hot tip to help you [insert benefit]
[name], can we make this work?
[name], can you help?
[name], I think you can help me
[name], question about project
[name], question about my last email
[name], something for you to think about
[name], have you got this yet?
[name], I need your help
[name], are you making this mistake?
[name], are you making the same mistake?
[name], have you made any of these critical mistakes?
[name], what your colleagues won't tell you
[name], the secret that only I will tell you
[name], this one is my favorite
[name], which one do you prefer?
[name], here's what I found
[name], here's what I discovered
[name], are you ready?
[name], are you missing out?
[name], are they stealing your business?
[name], are you losing business to them?
[name], how many customers will you lose today?
[name], pay less than your neighbors did
[name], pay less than your competitors did
[name], you've waited long enough
[name], here's your gift
[name], here's the gift I promised
[name], which do you like better?
[name], which do you prefer?
[name], a unique idea
[name], I created this for you
[name], some news about [insert description]
[name], I thought you would like to know
[name], be the first on your block
[name], be the first to get this
[name], the tool that will make or break your business
[name], have your competitors heard?
[name], don't miss out
[name], you don't want to miss this
[name], only a few left!
[name], your last chance to get this
[name], only 3 more days
[name], this offer is about to expire
[name], there's only [#] left
[name], there's only [#] days left
[name], I don't don't know how much longer I can offer this
[name], Version [#] has just been released
[name], here's a brand-new version
[name], are you current?
[name], this is the latest edition
[name], are you using the latest edition?
[name], is your [product description] outdated?
[name], did you miss out last time?
[name], before you forget

7. The advertorial

One key to getting your ad read is making the headline not look like a headline and the ad not look like an ad! Particularly effective for solo ezine ads is to write your ad as an "Advertorial" - an ad camouflaged as an editorial. The title of your advertorial should appear similar to the title of an article, book, news story, or press release. How many times have you started reading what you thought was an article or report that turned out to be an ad? Under the title of the advertorial is usually the authors name with their with their credentials. This makes it look even more like an editorial piece.
Published with permission from Graham Hamer Author of "Email secrets Unleashed"

Fred Raley
Fred@FredRaley.com
(703) 730 1079
Woodbridge, VA

p.s. Visit our Profit Blaster site at http://www.FredRaley.com/pb.htm

Maximize Your Profits using Ad Tracking

Have you ever wondered how professional marketers know which ads are working and making profits and which are not and are losing money for them?

They use what is known as "Ad Trackers".

"Ad Trackers" are simply tools that "track" your ads to see which ones are pulling the best and which ones you should stop paying for.

If you are NOT tracking your ads, how will you know which is doing best, bringing you business/sales/inquiries/etc. and which is NOT. The ads that are NOT working are losing you money and should be dropped. The ads that ARE working should be continued, rolled out, tweaked to pull better, etc.

But if you are NOT tracking your ads, you will never know the difference.

This is one of the hallmarks of a good advertiser; knowing which ads are pulling and putting more of those out and which ads are NOT pulling and deleting or changing those.

There are a number of ways to track your ads. Some are easier than others.

• Insert a small gif/jpeg file in your ads that will open when clicked on. (Hard for most folks to do as it requires technical expertise.)
• Make up a specific URL (Hard to do unless you have an automated tool)
• Hire someone to make up specific urls for all of your ads (Cost is too much for this option)
• Do it yourself online in about 5 seconds using an automated tool that also gives you lots of other marketing tools. (Highly recommended for the novice or expert in online marketing.)

The tracker we use is from TrafficWave and I STRONGLY recommend you do the same. Without an automated "Ad Tracker" you will never know which ads of yours are doing well and which are not.

Why not use the "Ad Tracker" that costs less, is easy to use and can be operated by a novice at technical things? Makes sense doesn't it? See TrafficWave and grab a free account there to experience how Ad Trackers can professionalize your marketing efforts.

One other thing, we not only give you a free month, but if you like the service, I'll pay for your second month out of my own pocket!

TrafficWave for all of your Ad Tracking needs.

Remember: You are LOSING money if you are not using an Ad Tracker AND you are wasting a lot of time which could be put to better use by USING a good Ad Tracker.

Get a FREE TrafficWave account right now and see!

Fred Raley
Woodbridge, VA
(703) 730 1079
Fred@FredRaley.com

Pros and Cons of List Builders

Are list builders worth your time?

List builders are put together with the idea that you can get a viral effect (people telling people) that will let you build a large list to email to with your offers and ideas.

In reality, few people can refer many others to the list builder so it really becomes a list of those YOU have referred to it.

That's not so bad but another thing is occuring that you have no control over; Those people in the list builder that came in before you are using YOUR prospects that YOU got into the list builder as their own list!

It's not criminal; that's the way that list builders work.

Is there a better way?

It is far better to get those opt-in's into your own list (instead of the list of the list builder!)

There are some distinct advantages to this idea of building your own list.

The good things about building your own list:

1. You control the list.
2. You own the list.
3. You control who can use your list.
4. You can use many sources to build your list instead of just one list builder.
5. You get to establish a relation with your list members without the distraction of others emailing to them.

So, when looking at a list building program, see if you are really getting any advantage over building your own list. There are a couple of list builders with distinct advantages:

List Joe is one such list builder. The unique thing about List Joe is that at the premium level, List Joe lets you email to an additional 5,000 prospects over and above your own list. Now that is some power! List Joe lets you send an email list this every three days. That's over 10,000 new exposures of your offer each week.

Talk about a good value!

I get from 5 to 20 new opt-in's off of every email I send out via List Joe. It is one of the best deals going for getting the word out about your offer.

When you have a system list List Joe, you can start testing your ads, subject lines, offers, 800# texts, etc. and find out how your changes are working within 3 days by mailing to over 5,000 prospects. This gets into ad tracking which is another subject in entirety about how to gauge the effectiveness of your advertisements.

Bottom line:

• Build your own list, not someone elses.
• Use List Joe to get the most exposure for your offer.
• Test your ads to gauge the effectiveness.

Need help? Just call or write!

Fred Raley
Woodbridge, VA
Fred@ABC-Success.Biz
(703) 730 1079
www.WhoIsFredRaley.ws has some great marketing tips for you that don't cost a cent!

p.s. Another way to increase your exposure and gauge the effectiveness is by using FFA pages. The best way to do this is by owning your own FFA page (easy, not hard.) See our favorite FFA page for details on how you can do it most cost effectively.

Getting New Prospects from Forum Posts

How to Write Killer Forum Post Titles!

Why is it that some Internet marketing forum posters seem to attract hundreds of replies to their posts, yet others receive 0 replies, no matter how hard they try?

The following is by no means a comprehensive guide, but applying these tips to your forum post titles will dramatically improve responses and views of your posts in the future.

The whole point of writing forum posts is to get replies and interact with others in the thread. In order to do that you have to get their attention and make it virtually impossible for them NOT to open the post to see what it’s all about.

You have to SELL them on the idea of opening that post, with the headline.

Here’s How:

1. Use emotional triggers

“Don’t make the same mistakes I made with [mistake here]!” will go a lot further than “I made a really stupid mistake.” and “This [whatever] tip could save your business” will get more readers and replies than “this is a cool tip.” Why? First of all, the first headline examples were all about the reader, not you. You’re writing the forum posts for them, not you. Secondly, the first examples trigger an emotion in the readers mind. Who wants to make the same mistakes the poster did? I sure don’t, so I’m going to open that post and read it so I can avoid making that same mistake. Wow, a tip that could save my business? Immediately I’m thinking that my business is in trouble and how painful that would be. Doesn’t matter if you’re biz is in trouble or not, the headline sparked that emotion in my mind, and what my mind thinks feels real. I want to know what that tip is… Now.

2. Ask a question

Ask intelligent questions and be specific. A forum post title that says “How do I make money online?” will be shunned like a disease by anyone already making a living online. The question is so broad it’s nearly impossible to answer with any real substance. A better approach would be to spend some time reading through other forum topics and educate yourself first, or at least find something you’re not clear on and ask a question specific to that topic. “How did you earn your first dollar online?” is still a little weak, but it’ll get people reading and talking in the thread.

3. Make a claim

Or rather, make a statement that you can backup with verifiable proof. “Here’s how I increased sales by 67% last year” will go a lot further towards getting your forum posts read than “Increasing sales.”

4. State the obvious

“Internet marketing is harder than they said it would be” is a fact that everyone knows or has experienced in some form or another. It’s an obvious statement that practically everyone will agree with and that post will get read because readers know how to respond, with their own anecdotes.

5. Be funny

“This is the funniest refund request I’ve ever had” makes a great internet marketing forum post title because the members of the forum have (or think they have) seen and heard it all, but maybe this one is different! Marketers will read it out of sheer curiosity more than anything and many will reply with their own funny refund stories. Makes a great thread and a great way to break up the monotony of sitting in front of the computer all day.

One last thing I’ll stress before you go out practicing your forum post titles is this: No matter how passionate, thought provoking or emotionally stimulating your titles are, what matters most is delivering on what those titles promise. You can have the best forum titles ever, but if the reader opens that post and is disappointed with the content in the post, you’ve added another nail to your coffin. Your credibility on that forum will quickly end up swirling in the virtual toilet and eventually no one will want to read your posts. Always deliver, or rather, over-deliver within the content and conversations in your forum posts.

Fred Raley
Fred@ABC-Success.Biz
Woodbridge, VA
(703) 730 1079

p.s. Visit our new forum at "Conquer Your Niche" and see what the buzz is about.

How To Prevent Customers From Leaving before Buying

You are leaving money on the table every time someone goes to your website!

How? Because you are not capturing their contact info while they are "hot" and interested in your offer.

Most business websites are not made for marketing. The promote the corporate building, the officers, the manufacturing facility and maybe even have an order page with products and a help section to find out where to get info about products.

But there is a very high probability that your prospect will leave the site without buying. Dozens of things can happen when you send someone to your website.

1. They can't find what they want.
2. They can't find out how to order.
3. You don't offer a payment method that they can use.
4. They can't find out how to get more info on a product.
5. They don't see the product benefit they were looking for.
6. They didn't like the president's tie.
7. Their little kid started screaming.
8. They lost their internet connection.
9. Their computer crashed when they hit "order."

or any of dozens more reasons.

Do you want to lose that prospect?

HECK NO!

What to do?

Capture the prospects info (firstname, email and maybe phone #) BEFORE you let them do anything else. Here are some examples:

CoffeeHouseLetter Reveals Marketing Industry Secrets

See how your business plan stacks up against ours.

Is your business a Level I, II, III or 12 in difficulty?

Let our FREE Marketing report explode YOUR business.

Here is the LAST SITE you need to promote to Explode YOUR business.

See how it is done?

Those sites capture your info, store it in a database and add it to an autoresponder about the reason they wanted information from you.

You can send them info now at any point on related subjects!

Does this work? See my "Followup or Die" article to find out why this critical success factor MUST be implemented in your marketing campaigns lest you lose sales left and right.

Fred Raley
Fred@ABC-Success.Biz
Woodbridge, VA
(703) 730 1079

How Not To Make A Living

We thought you might find this article useful.

The last time someone took a poll of Americans who were thinking about changing careers, 57% said they were looking for new and brighter opportunities elsewhere. We're guessing that number's probably higher now.

Statistics worth reading.

At age 50, 75% of the population has less than $5,000 in the bank for retirement.

At age 65,

• 45% of Americans depend on relatives,
• 30% depend on charities,
• 23% still are working (most can't afford to quit and work until they no longer are physically capable) and
• Only 2% are self-sustaining.

At the present time, it is impossible to support a family of two working full time at minimum wage!

For the first time in history, the current generation is averaging a lower standard of living then their parents! Automation is taking layoffs to record highs!

The Bureau of Labor Statistics says that out of 100 people that start working at the age of 25, by the age of 65...- 1 is wealthy- 4 have enough money to retire- 63 depend on Social Security or charity- 29 are deceased95% of people, age 65 and over cannot afford to retire and work until they die!!

And that's only IF they have jobs to be able to work.

What Happened to Safety and Security?

Why do we no longer put our trust and faith in "Big Business"? Even well-known Gateway has SLASHED it's employees to the minimum ...more than half their work force ended up out on the streets looking for a new source of income.

In J. Paul Getty's book "How To Get Rich", his first rule for success is,
"You must be in business for yourself. You will never get rich working for someone else."

We heard about one highly qualified engineer who ended up out on the street after giving 25 dedicated years to his job. His advice?
"Don't do what I did -- wasting 25 years building equity in someone else's business. Do yourself a favor and start building equity in yourself now!"

This partly explains why someone starts a new business at home in the United States every 10 seconds. In the past 14 years alone, the numbers of businesses at home have grown from 6 million to 32 million with no slow-down in sight. In fact, an estimated 8,493 new businesses from home open every day.

The United States is now driven by an information and service economy. Over the past decade, Fortune 500 companies have laid off 4.4 million workers while smaller companies steadily continue to reduce their work forces.

As companies continue to downsize and re-organize, many professionals will seek out and search for new ways to take control of their careers. Many of these individuals have forsworn traditional "nine to five" office jobs and are making their homes pay off in more ways than one.
For the entrepreneur, businesses at home have become the bridge between work-crazed big cities and easy-paced family-oriented small towns. Link Resources Corp. reports that market research shows more than 29 million people run either full-time or part-time businesses from their homes.

People used to believe that their livelihood depended on living in big cities near big corporations. That is no longer true, thanks to personal computers, increased phone services, fax machines, and the Internet, it is no longer necessary to live in close proximity to "Big Business". You can now operate that "Big Business" right from your home office.

In today's economy it simply makes good sense to have a secondary income brought into the home -- from the home, right?

For many people in our business, that secondary income has turned into very significant primary incomes ...in a lot less time than you might think.

How can this be? Our Business Plan goes into a great deal of detail on how this is possible for anyone, regardless of background or experience ...in fact shows you some real life examples.

This is your chance to meet some of us and find out how we can help you achieve what we have managed to achieve.

Don't stand in the way of what could be yours.

Get a copy of our Business Plan today and applying it to building equity for YOUR tomorrow - now.

You'll thank us for it.
Here's to YOUR success with our Business Plan,

Fred Raley
Woodbridge, VA
Fred@FredRaley.com
(703) 730 1079

"Must Read" EMail Marketing Tips from Michael

I'm embarrassed to say I've been upstaged on EMail Marketing Tips.

Michael Rasmussen has put together a virtual treasure trove of info in his FREE EMail Marketing tips.

Go over to http://www.FredRaley.com/ems.htm and grab your copy while he is still giving it away.

Have you ever been faced with the task of having to write an email promotion to your list, and then realized that you didn't know what to say or how to say it?

Michael Rasmussen's new video course "Email Promos Exposed" promises to solve that problem for you by walking you through the actual process of creating killer email promos step-by-step.

*********************************************************

If you're in a hurry, just go ahead visit this URL to get instant free access to these videos:
http://www.FredRaley.com/ems.htm
*********************************************************

I decided to see if Michael's videos live up to their promise by trying them out myself. Here's what I found:

*************Overall Quality*************
The first thing I noticed when I opened up the first video was the stunning production quality. He used Camtasia Studio for the production, which is now the industry standard for creating high-quality screen capture video products. The audio is near studio quality, and the graphics are very professional. These videos were made by someone who KNOWS what he's doing. Well done!

I also liked how Michael divided the videos up by section, and then again by sub-section. For example, one video is all about the subject line, and then there are different parts of that video that each cover a certain area of crafting a killer subject line.

Now let's move onto...

******************THE ACTUAL VIDEOS******************

Here's a brief summary of each video. Obviously it's impossible to list every single thing here, but I want you to get a feel for what each one covered, and how well it covered it.

*********************************************************
If you're in a hurry, just go ahead visit this URL to get
instant free access to these videos:
http://www.FredRaley.com/ems.htm
*********************************************************
VIDEO 1 - INTRODUCTION

This video served as an introduction to the whole course. You get to see a picture of Michael in his every day life, and he establishes his credibility right up front by talking about some of his massive successes online. He even provides proof of credibility by displaying two checks in the amount of $50,000 and $25,000 which prove that, when it comes to the subject of making money with email promos, he knows his stuff.

This is a good lesson for anyone to get. Whenever you're teaching people how to do something, it's good to establish your credibility up front, so that there's no doubt about whether or not you're qualified to talk about the subject.

Most product developers either skip or minimize this step.

VIDEO 2 - BEFORE YOU WRITE THE PROMO

This video talks about some things that no other marketer has bothered to mention. You'll learn things like:
* The mindset you need in order to write a killer promo.
* The different tools you need before you get started
* How to keep your emails laser-focused
* How to create an outline that practically writes the email for you.

This was a fantastic video, and did a good job of kicking things off.

VIDEO 3 - THE SUBJECT LINE

I liked this video, because it talked about one of MY biggest weaknesses when it comes to writing email promos... the subject line. The subject line is a confusing topic, because nobody's 100% sure what the best tactics are.

Michael breaks it down, and reveals:
* The biggest secret for writing a subject line that makes people insanely curious.
* Techniques for personalizing the subject line.
* Mistakes to avoid when using personalization.

I was surprised to find that I was making some of the mistakes that Michael mentioned in this video, but now I know better.

VIDEO 4 - THE OPENING

This is where a lot of people slack off when writing their emails. Michael talks about how important it is to create an opening that is conversational, and then reveals techniques and examples on how to do that.

He also reveals:
* How to get people to keep reading your email once they've opened it.
* How to make your opening interesting.
* Mistakes to avoid when creating your first few paragraphs.

VIDEO 5 - THE BODY COPY

This is one of the "meatiest" portions of the course, because it reveals techniques that are not widely discussed on the forums, blogs, and in most eBooks. He talks about the importance of keeping your body copy tight and relevant, and then reveals how you can do that. You'll also learn:
* How to write powerful bullets that make people curious and want to find out more.
* Simple formatting tricks for making your body copy easy to read.
* The secret of "bucket brigade copy" and how to use it in your email promos to force people to keep reading.

VIDEO 6 - THE CALL TO ACTION

This is where a lot of people wimp out in their email promos. They start out strong, but when it comes time to ask the reader to click the link and take action, they don't know what to say. Michael talks about some of his favorite techniques for making that happen, and also reveals:
* The "magic question" to ask yourself that will make your close much more powerful.
* The secret of the "unanswered question" and why handling this is a surefire way to get people to act right away.
* The structure of a powerful close.
* Mistakes people make when creating their close.

VIDEO 7 - CREATING AN EFFECTIVE P.S.

Some people say that the P.S. is one of the most important parts of the email, because it is often the one thing that gets people to click the link at the end. In this video, Michael talks about:
* Why you should including a P.S. at the end of your email.
* The 4 different kinds of P.S.'s you can use (this section was a real eye-opener for me).

VIDEO 8 - COMMON MISTAKES PEOPLE MAKE

I loved this video, because it showed me some mistakes that I was making that I wasn't even aware of. Unless you're a seasoned pro, you're probably guilty of some of the things that Michael talks about in this video as well, and that's why it's so valuable. I've shaved years off my learning curve, because now I can avoid some of the costly mistakes that I was bound to make in the learning process.

VIDEO 9 - HOW TO CREATE FOLLOW-UP EMAIL PROMOTIONS

This video alone is going to make me a lot of money. Why? Because I used to only send out one email promo for each affiliate promotion I was doing. Michael showed me in this video how important it is to send a follow-up promotion, and he showed me exactly how to do it. He covered things like:
* The psychology of follow-up email promo's.
* The 2 main types of follow-up promos that make the most money.
* How to overcome readers' objections in your follow up emails.
* The 2 most common mistakes people make when writing follow-ups and how to avoid them.

VIDEO 10 - HOW TO WRITE BACK END EMAIL PROMOTIONS

Every marketing guru out there says that the REAL money is on the back end. I'd have to agree with them, but the problem is... most people have no idea how to set up a back end system that makes money. This video will teach you how to set up an automated back end that's loaded with killer promos that make you lots of cash on autopilot. He reveals things like:
* The big difference between regular and back end email promos.
* How to prepare a back end promotion sequence.
* Common mistakes people make when creating back end email promos.

VIDEO 11 - CREATING AFFILIATE EMAIL PROMOTIONS

This could be the most important video of the entire package for a lot of people, because most people email their list to promote other people's products as an affiliate. Let's face it, if you only have 3 products, can you really afford to only email your list 3 times a year? They'll get bored hearing about the same old products over and over again. This video sheds some light on how to create killer affiliate promos. Michael reveals things like:
* The two main types of affiliate promos.
* What makes affiliate promos different than regular promos (and why ignoring this huge secret could cost you big money).
* Michael's favorite tactics for creating affiliate promos that no one else is doing.
* 3 different ways to add scarcity to your affiliate promos (this is the most important section of the video, so make sure you watch it over and over again).

************CONCLUSION************
As you can see, Email Promos Exposed really packs a lot of punch! Most of the courses out there offer only watered down, weak content. Not this one! These videos are going on my "A-list" for a long time.I've already watched them twice, and plan on reviewing them every couple months to make sure that I have the principals, techniques and tactics burned into my mind.

If email marketing is an important part of your business (and in my opinion, it's the most important part of ANY online business), then you owe it to yourself to check out Michael's exciting new videos, Email Promos Exposed.

Here's the URL where you can get instant free access to the videos right now.http://www.FredRaley.com/ems.htm

Your Partner in Success!

Fred Raley
(703) 730 1079
Woodbridge, VA
Fred@ABC-Success.Biz

p.s. Check out our other EMail Marketing Success Tips on this site.

How to Make Money with AutoResponders

Just go to http://www.FredRaley.com/how.htm and put in your name there for free access to this valuable report!

Fred Raley
Woodbridge, VA
Fred@ABC-Success.Biz
(703) 730 1079

Struggling to build your downline?

This will help...

I just stumbled across a guy from Michigan who effortlessly built a huge 11,000 person downline in his business without spending a dime on advertising. And the kicker is... his downline is responsible for bringing in over 95% of his entire team!

If you're struggling to build a downline in any program then it's critical that you discover his simple proven 3 step strategy that literally forces people to join you in ANY program - Guaranteed!

I never would have believed it myself but the simple system that James Grandstaff created for his downline is truly remarkable.

For a limited time you can gain access to his brand new prospecting system that builds your primary business and generates multiple income streams...

I'm not sure how long it will be free so get in while you can:
http://MyProspectingSecrets.com/r/success76

To Your Success,
Fred Raley

My Prospecting Secrets Revealed!

Let me start off by explaining the biggest benefit of providing your downline members with a viral prospecting system.

It boils down to this...

When you have a viral prospecting system in place for your team members, your downline has the potential to take on a life of its own and continue to grow effortlessly while you're focusing on more important things such as family and friends.

A gentleman I recently discovered managed to accomplish the difficult task of duplication while maintaining his full time job and family life.

He mentioned that ever since the beginning of his online ventures he was searching for a system that brought interested prospects in automatically.

He didn't have time to do the traditional recruiting methods because they required a lot of time and commitment.

What he wanted instead, was a huge downline that duplicated on auto-pilot from his part time efforts.

"But did such a solution exist?"

If it did, he said he couldn't find it...

So after many years of struggling to build a solid residual income through network marketing he decided it was time to take the bull by the horns (so to speak) and he created a 3 step marketing system that literally exploded his downline within a few months.

The part that amazed me the most was the fact that he didn't spend a dime on advertising. And his downline is now over 11,460 strong and growing monthly on auto-pilot.

Ultimately I learned that being a successful sponsor involves providing some type of system that helps people build their business, not sitting around wondering why your downline isn't doing anything.

I guess the quote from Zig Ziglar holds true:
"You can have everything in life you want, if you just help enough other people get what they want."
=====================================================
If you'd like to learn about James Grandstaff's brand new prospecting
system that builds YOUR primary business and generates multiple
income streams, go to http://MyProspectingSecrets.com/r/success76
=====================================================

How To Separate Yourself From Your Competition

Most business owners are afraid of competition in their marketplace.

But, when you know the secret I'm about to reveal, you'll be able to laugh in the face of your competition.

Truth is, you're going to eat 'em alive.

The most important business skill you can develop is how to write the kind of ad that will leave your competitors in the dust, wondering what in the heck happened.

Let me show you an example from one of my own projects.

I've reprinted some ads for you below.

Below is a small sampling of the classified ads are currently running on a website called wahm.com (which I've been advertising on for over a year).

I'm only showing you a few of the ads here. When you go to the wahm.com website there are actually 67 classified ads on the page, yet my ad sticks out like a sore thumb... because it's different than every other ad on the page.

See if you can tell which ad is mine.

= = =
A CANDLE LOVER'S DREAM BUSINESS FROM HOME. Hot new line of Natural Clean Burning Gourmet Soy/Veg Candles, Over 90 Irresistible Scents. 3 Fun Ways to earn; Retail, Fundraising, Team Building. Award Winning Team and Coaching, FREE INFO AND SCENT PACKET!
= = =
PERFECT OPPORTUNITY FOR MOMS WITH STRONG FAMILY VALUES, Unique Keepsake Products w/ Inspiring Ideas, GROUND FLOOR OPPORTUNITY WITH GREAT TRAINING
= = =
MOMS HELPING MOMS WORK FROM HOME- You CAN Have Financial Freedom, Time For Your Kids and LOVE What You Do. Flexible Home Business where you can work around your schedule without selling, parties or risk.
= = =
Idiot's Guide to Online Profits
STOP advertising your business
and
START making money with it.

Marketing Tips you have not seen
because the "Big Boys" keep this secret to themselves.
= = =
Distributors Needed. Make money with over 3,000 products. New products every month. Free dropship service, no minimum orders. Fully stocked websites available with no monthly hosting fees! Plus, color catalogs and brochures. Excellent Opportunity! Click here now!
= = =

You'll notice that all of the ads (except my own) in the example I just gave you are trying to convince the reader that their business is the best.

I'm the ONLY ad on the page that is offering the reader HELP in building THEIR business.

I'm the ONLY one who's actually offering to help the reader in their quest for a home business.

As a result, this little ad works incredibly well for me.

You'd think that after a year, some of the other advertisers would catch on to what I'm doing, but they don't.

And that's good news for me, because this little ad (which is only $25 a month) works like CRAZY.

So...

Realize that competition is a very good thing. It means that people are buying what you have to offer.

Then, look at what your competitors are doing, and do the complete opposite. You'll stick out in the crowd like a sore thumb, and your ad will work like crazy.

Again, having your own autoresponder on your own domain is the best way to stay clean of spam problems and blacklisted ISPs. See Parabots for our recommendation. These guys will even set it up on your domain for you in short order. See webhost for our recommended webhost. Most for less and super responsive and reliable!

Don't know how to make a web page? Use one of the simple and no cost Blog softwares that are available. For long term use, WordPress is best. No one looking over your shoulder and you own your own content. For temporary use, Blogspot is available. I use both but use WordPress for my permanent blog at http://www.SuccessApps.com

Fred Raley
Fred@ABC-Success.Biz
Woodbridge, VA
(703) 730 1079

Are You Spamming - Part II - Check Your Work

Spam is a bigger and bigger problem nowadays. Recently Ralph Wilson, Paul Myers, and other Net marketing gurus have written about the problems that spam is causing honest, hard working Net marketers.

Actually, while spam is the fundamental root of our problems, the anti-spam measures that large ISPs and important free e-mail hosts (like Hotmail and Yahoo! Mail) undertake are what hurts legitimate Net marketers.

Much like tuna nets catch dolphins by mistake, their spam filters catch us. So the SiteSell SpamCheck Tool is a quick way for honest marketers to make sure that their e-mails are less likely to be considered spam by ISPs, by Yahoo! Mail and Hotmail (which tosses you into their Junk folders) and even by individual filters set up by an ever-growing number of recipients around the world.

-----

Here's how it works...

STEP 1: Copy-and-paste your subject, but start your subject with the word "TEST" (without the quotes, in UPPER CASE) so that we know this is a test e-mail. (If the subject does NOT start with TEST, we'll assume it's REAL spam and delete it).

Here's a sample subject...

TESTFlower-Lovers Ezine #007: Peonies for the Yukon

STEP 2: Copy-and-paste the rest of your e-zine and simply send it, exactly the way you would send it to your recipient, to... spamcheck-AutoeSuccess@sitesell.net

-OR-

Simply visit this URL and use the online form to spamcheck your e-mail...
http://spamcheck.sitesell.com/AutoeSuccess.html

-----

You'll get a report back (in seconds, perhaps a few minutes if volume is heavy) telling you how good or bad your e-mail is, from a spam-detector's point of view. You will receive a full, free report of all corrections that you should make to your zine, in order to stay out of the junk folders. It does NOT, of course, actually comment on WHAT you write -- first, it's not that smart. And second, the actual content is YOUR business! ;-)

Again, having your own autoresponder on your own domain is the best way to stay clean of spam problems and blacklisted ISPs. See Parabots for our recommendation. These guys will even set it up on your domain for you in short order. See webhost for our recommended webhost. Most for less and super responsive and reliable!

Don't know how to make a web page? Use one of the simple and no cost Blog softwares that are available. For long term use, WordPress is best. No one looking over your shoulder and you own your own content. For temporary use, Blogspot is available. I use both but use WordPress for my permanent blog at http://www.SuccessApps.com

Fred Raley
Fred@ABC-Success.Biz
Woodbridge, VA
(703) 730 1079

How a Simple Change to Your Website will Force Your Profits up Even if You Don't Sell Any of Your Stuff

EMail marketing is a great way to bring in more profits.

As you build your email list, you will be driving people to your website to introduce them to your products and services, right?

So why not make some profits from those folks even if they DON'T buy your products or services right off the bat?

It is easy if you know how. And, no, I'm not going to sell you an Adsense book. One mistake with Adsense and you are banned for life. I should know. Also, read what Dan has to say about why you will make more with "Better Text Ads" than you will with Adsense.

"How I Turned My Complete And Utter Failure With Adsense Into A FREE System You Can Use To Earn As Much As $57,600 Or More Per Year In Affiliate Sales Commissions"

Put Away Your Credit Card. There's Nothing To Buy Here. If You'll Allow Me, Though, I'm Going To Show You How I'm Turning Text Ad Failure Into Text Ad Fortunes, And How You Can Too--FOR FREE--With BetterTextAds.com ... My Alternative To Adsense.

From: Dan Moran

Hi! My name is Dan Moran. I'm the creator, owner and operator of BetterTextAds.com™.This site is the result of failure...my total failure to make any significant income from Adsense. Now, I have to admit right up front that Adsense was not the problem...I was. You see, most of my money online has come from affiliate commissions. In fact, promoting Clickbank products as an affiliate has been the biggest single source of my online income. Clickbank just makes things so simple for me...they track referrals...they handle refunds...they compute earnings...and, of course, they cut my checks! But I'm one of those guys who worries about having too many eggs in one basket.

So, I tried my hand at the Adsense game. As it turns out, though, I just don't have the patience for it. Endlessly chasing high paying keywords with content rich sites just wasn't fun for me. And trying to drive enough traffic to these sites to make them pay was way too much like work.And then I started thinking...wouldn't it be nice to piggy-back on other people's web site traffic, to leverage the efforts of a team of Adsense publishers to multiply my ad impressions and increase my clicks? Great concept.

Unfortunately, Google doesn't support a multi-level team arrangement and actually has some pretty strict rules about how web site publishers can and can't use Adsense.

But then I thought, if I had my own text ad network, I could run it any way I wanted...couldn't I? Of course! That was it! All I needed was my own ad network and then I could recruit members to display my text ads for me!

Well, starting an ad network is fine and dandy...IF you have a boatload of advertisers waiting to pay you to show their ads. But, I didn't happen to have that boatload of advertisers in my back pocket...or did I?

Clickbank: A Boatload Of Advertisers All In One Place!

Have you ever had one of those moments where you just had to slap your forehead and shout, "DUH!"...no? Maybe it's just me then. Anyway, as I was thinking about how to get advertisers for my ad network (you know, the one I didn't have yet), it suddenly dawned on me that I already knew where to find thousands of advertisers selling many thousands of information products. Right there on my favorite website, Clickbank.com!

And the rest, as they say, is history. I did what I'm most comfortable doing--I created software. I created software to scan the Clickbank marketplace for updates. I created more software to import and update the names, descriptions and hoplink codes for the most profitable Clickbank products. And, I created software and a website to manage and serve up targeted Clickbank text ads for registered members. The result is BetterTextAds.com. And you can see it working right on this web page. The ad blocks on this page were generated live by the BetterTextAds.com system.

Go ahead. Try clicking a link or two. Did you see what I just did there? I told you to click on an ad. Try doing that with Adsense and see how long it takes Google to cancel your account!

Google's Adsense ads are Pay-Per-Click. That means advertisers are charged whenever someone clicks their ads, whether that person is genuinely interested in the ad or not. So, Google does not allow web publishers to ask or entice visitors to click Adsense ads. All a publisher can do is put the Adsense ads on his site and hope for the best.With BetterTextAds.com, though, I can draw as much attention to the ads as I want. I can do this because I don't get paid when you click on these ads and the advertisers are not charged when you click on these ads. No money changes hands until and unless you actually buy a product after clicking on a link. That makes these Pay-Per-Sale or Pay-For-Performance ads, and that's a fundamental difference between BetterTextAds.com and other text ad networks.

A Text Ad Network...Only Better!

There are other important differences between BetterTextAds.com and ordinary text ad services. BetterTextAds.com is also a system that allows you to recruit a team of Clickbank affiliates who will display your affiliate text ads on their sites. They, in turn, can recruit their own team of affiliates who will display their ads. The system allows you to leverage the traffic of your recruits and their recruits down to 4 levels! This is the real power of BetterTextAds.com. It gives you the ability build and manage a group of marketers, your Affiliate Marketing Team, and use their collective website traffic to your advantage.

There's an old adage out there that it's better to get $1 each from the efforts of 100 people than to get $100 from the efforts of only one person. That may be true, but only as long as it doesn't cost you any more to manage the 100 people than it does the 1 person.

With BetterTextAds.com, managing your Affiliate Marketing Team is automatic. When you bring in new recruits, the system takes over and places them on your team. The number of members you have on your team at each level is tracked. The ad impressions that team members display for you on their websites are tracked. The clicks those ads generate are tracked. In short, you'll have all the information you need to manage your affiliate marketing efforts effectively.

The system will handle any number of recruits at any level in your team. But, just to give you a better idea of how this all works, let's take a simple example. If you and all your team members each bring only 3 new recruits into the system, then you would have 120 members in your 4 level Affiliate Marketing Team. And if we assume that each of your team members had traffic to their websites of about 100 page views per month, you'll have over 144,000 affiliate ad impressions in one year. But you're not going to stop at 3 recruits, are you?

Let's do some math. If 3 direct recruits equates to 120 team members and 144,000 ad impressions in a year, then 30 recruits would mean 1200 team members and 1,440,000 ad impressions. 300 would mean 12,000 team members and 14,400,000 ad impressions. Are you starting to see the power of this?

Now, lets take the example one step further. Let's assume that the the average commission for products featured in the BetterTextAds.com network is $20 (It's actually a little higher, but we'll go with $20 for now). Let's also assume a conservative click through rate (CTR) for your ads of 1/2 of one percent and a conservative sales conversion rate of 4%.

If these assumptions hold, then your potential earnings would be $57,600 for the year.

What could you do with that kind of extra income?
-- Pay off some credit cards.
-- Buy a new car.
-- Put a down payment on a new home.

It's up to you. The point is, with this kind of extra income every year, you would have more choices than you do now.

Of course, I can't guarantee you will do this well. These estimates are based on assumptions about how much website traffic your Affiliate Marketing Team members will generate in a year as well as assumptions about the CTR and sales conversion rates of your ads. (Read my full Earnings Disclaimer.)

But I think you'd have to agree that the assumptions for this sample are conservative. For instance, it would be reasonable to expect that your team members will do better than recruiting only three new members in a year. It also would be reasonable to expect the CTR for your ads to be higher, given that your ads will be targeted based on the content of your team members' websites. And, finally, it would be reasonable to expect a high sales conversion rate since, again, the ads are targeted and only the highest converting, highest paying products in the Clickbank Marketplace make it into the BetterTextAds.com network.

Affiliate Commissions As Easy As 1-2-3...4!

You are only 4 steps away from building a profitable affiliate marketing business and a long-term income stream that will continue to pay you month after month, year after year, for as long as you remain a member.

Step 1: Sign up as an affiliate with Clickbank. It's free to join. Just visit Clickbank's new member signup page at http://clickbank.com/signup/, fill in the form, and you're ready to start earning commissions. (If you're already signed up as a Clickbank affiliate, skip to step 2.)

Step 2: Sign up as a member of BetterTextAds.com. Membership is FREE and signing up is a breeze. Just fill in the form below to get started.

Step 3: Place one or more BetterTextAds.com ad blocks on your website. After you signup, log in to your BetterTextAds.com account and use the Create Ad Blocks page to generate your ad block code. Paste the code into your website page(s) or your blog template and then you're ready for Step 4.

Step 4: Start building your Affiliate Marketing Team. Go to the Promotional Tools page of the BetterTextAds.com membership area and get your personal referral URL. Use any of the approved advertising methods listed on the Promotional Tools page to promote your referral URL. Then sit back and watch as your team begins to grow.

Once you start getting members onto your team, your Clickbank affiliate ID will appear in the BetterTextAds.com ad blocks they display on their web sites. The more team members you have, the more ad impressions you'll get. The more ad impressions you get, the more clickthroughs you'll get. And the more clickthroughs you get, THE MORE COMMISSIONS YOU'LL EARN!

Are You Ready To Join Me?I could easily go on for hours about how great I think my system is. But nothing speaks louder than results.Try my system. Start building your Affiliate Marketing Team today.

Again, having your own autoresponder on your own domain is the best way to stay clean of spam problems and blacklisted ISPs. See Parabots for our recommendation. These guys will even set it up on your domain for you in short order. See webhost for our recommended webhost. Most for less and super responsive and reliable!

Don't know how to make a web page? Use one of the simple and no cost Blog software that are available. For long term use, WordPress is best. No one looking over your shoulder and you own your own content. For temporary use, Blogspot is available. I use both but use WordPress for my permanent blog at http://www.SuccessApps.com

Fred Raley
Fred@ABC-Success.Biz
Woodbridge, VA
(703) 730 1079

Are you a Spammer?

Spam uses up bandwidth. It clogs mail boxes. And people don't want to receive it. Internet Service Providers (ISPs) have become aggressive in filtering emails.

As a professional business person marketing online, it's a given that you don't Spam your customers. But, are you wondering why your emails get filtered out, since you are sending them to a legitimate opt-in list? You may have even ended up on a blacklist through no fault of your own, even though you were attempting to follow the rules for responsible email marketing.

The problem could be Spam filters. With the increase in Spam has come ever more powerful spam filters that try to guard against unsolicited emails. These email "watch dogs" are used by most ISP's as well as their customers. While this software does block out Spam, it can also block legitimate emails as well.

Understanding how Spam filters work can help prevent non-delivery problems and keep you from being labeled a 'spammer' unfairly.

Increasingly Sophisticated Filters Mean Less Emails Get Through

Many ISPs can automatically block emails that come from certain addresses (those on a "blacklist" of known spammers), and they will also filter out emails that contain certain trigger zwords in the subject line that have been frequently linked to Spam messages.

Even if your email gets past your customer's ISP, it may also have to get past the spam filter on your customer's email box. With increasingly sophisticated email programs, people can tell their mailboxes to automatically delete messages that have trigger words in the subject lines, or that come from the "wrong addresses".

How Spam filters work

Normally, email filters examine the words in the email "subject line". This is the header that you see when an email shows up in your email box. A good subject line can encourage people to actually click on and open an email (more on this in lesson seven), but you need to exercise care when creating your subject headings to prevent filtering.

More sophisticated anti-spam methods used by ISPs use a "point system" that identifies trigger phrases commonly used by Spam. If an email goes over the "points" it is filtered out and is never delivered to a customer.

Some of the more commonly used phrases that ISPs and mail clients filter out include:

Free!

50% off!

Click Here

Call now!

Subscribe

Earn $

Discount!

Eliminate Debt

Double your income

You're a Winner!

Reverses Aging

"Hidden"

Information you requested

"Stop" or "Stops"

Lose Weight

Multi level Marketing

Million Dollars

Opportunity

Compare

Removes

Collect

Amazing

Cash Bonus

Promise You

Credit

Loans

Satisfaction Guaranteed

Serious Cash

Search Engine Listings

The following problematic phrases can trigger some spam filters, or start adding "Spam points" to emails sent out, and should be avoided. These include:

Act Now!

All New

All Natural

Avoid Bankruptcy

As Seen On…

Buy Direct

Casino

Cash

Consolidate Your Debt

Special Promotion

Easy Terms

Get Paid

Guarantee, Guaranteed

Great offer

Give it away, Giving it away

Join millions

Meet Singles

MLM

No cost, No fees

Offer

One time

Online pharmacy

Online marketing

Order Now

Please Read

Don't Delete

Save up to

Time limited

Unsecured debt or credit

Vacation

Viagra

Visit our web site

While Supplies last

Why pay more?

Winner

Work at home

You've been selected

Using quotation marks, dollar signs and exclamation points in subject lines will frequently trigger mail filters, as well as using all capital letters (shouting). You should also never put a toll-free number in the subject line, since that will also cause your email to be labeled Spam. And never use a large font size.

The above lists aren't meant to be comprehensive, and only identify some of the more common words and phrases that trigger Spam filters. How to check? Send an email to yourself and some select friends with Spam filters first, before sending it out to your customers, and see if it makes it through. Or, go out and buy one of the better software programs that will highlight words that could be identified as Spam. If you depend on email marketing to bring traffic to your web site, it is well worth the investment.

Getting off of Blacklists

Even the most legitimate mailings may cause some customers to cry "Spam". They may forget signing up for your newsletter, or have selective memory about signing up to receive email
promotions in return for downloading that great free software at your web site.

In these cases, it can help to keep careful records of your opt-ins. If you get blacklisted by an ISP (or even yours, if you are accused of spamming!), show them your records: “on January 15, 2002, a customer using the email address memyselfandI@anyISP.com signed up for my newsletter from the IP address (give IP address)”. This lets the ISP know that you are responsible, and that someone from that ISP DID sign up to receive emails from you. In most cases, the "blacklisting" will be dropped.

By paying careful attention to subject lines and avoiding typical spam words and phrases that trigger email spam filters, your emails have a better chance of reaching your customers.

Again, having your own autoresponder on your own domain is the best way to stay clean of spam problems and blacklisted ISPs. See Parabots for our recommendation. These guys will even set it up on your domain for you in short order. See webhost for our recommended webhost. Most for less and super responsive and reliable!

Fred Raley
Fred@ABC-Success.Biz
Woodbridge, VA
(703) 730 1079

Are Your Emails LEGAL?

They better be!

Congress has taken an interest in making sure that email marketers CAN send legitimate emails IF they follow the rules.

What are the rules? They are outlined in the “Can Spam” act (funny name for anti-spam legislation, isn’t it?) which can be (and should be) reviewed in numerous places on the net such as http://www.spamlaws.com/federal/108s877.shtml

I do suggest you read and understand the entire thing if you are planning to market using email.

Here are some highlights that are most often abused and will get you shutdown, banned and or prosecuted.

Falsify Headers
What does this mean? It means if you put fake info in your email header to make it look like it came from somewhere or someone that it DID NOT come from, that is falsifying headers. If you know what this means, don’t do it. If you don’t know what this means, you probably can’t do it anyway.

Opt-Out instructions
Marketing emails must contain instructions on how to STOP getting your emails. This is known as “Opt-ing Out”. It is usually via a weblink at the end of the email, or instructions to send an email to a specific address (i.e. ‘To stop receiving our messages, send an email to OptOut@MyISP.com (don’t send to that address… it’s fake.)

Inclusion of a valid physical postal address
The “Can Spam” law (I just love that name) says you HAVE to put a valid physical postal address in your marketing email to make it legit. Pretty clear isn’t it?
In general, if a person sends a “remove” request to opt out, you have up to 10 days to do so. NEVER wait that long. Do it immediately or program your weblink in your email to do it immediately.

Again, read the text of the law at http://www.spamlaws.com/federal/108s877.shtml to get the full info.

Basically, exhibit good etiquette, be honest, and follow the rules the rules and you will be fine. I send out thousands of emails a month from my personal autoresponder and have not received a spam complaint ever.

Again, having your own autoresponder on your own domain is the best way to stay clean of spam problems and blacklisted ISPs. See Parabots for our recommendation. These guys will even set it up on your domain for you in short order. See webhost for our recommended webhost. Most for less and super responsive and reliable!

Fred Raley
Fred@ABC-Success.Biz
Woodbridge, VA
(703) 730 1079

Be Less Annoying

Tips for writing e-mail that actually gets read.
Steve Bass - From MSN!

I've come to the conclusion that everyone needs to take a test before being able to use e-mail. No, I'm serious. You have to take an e-mail test. If you pass, you get an e-mail license. Proudly hang it on the wall. Screw up--send lots of messages with blank subject lines, say--and your license is pulled. You go on probation and attend mandatory remedial e-mail training.

Why am I being so hardnosed? I have a laundry list of ways people drive me wild with e-mail. I wrote about a few in "Get Relief From Annoying E-Mail," my July "Hassle-Free PC" column.
I ran out of room in the print column, so here are some more--and how to stop being obnoxious with your e-mail.

To Whom Am I Speaking?
Sometimes I have absolutely no idea who's sending me an e-mail, and this is a problem. I mean, I'll say something to another guy that I wouldn't dream of uttering to a lady my mother's age. [Sorry, Mom.]

Don't share
If you and your live-in (spouse, significant other, whatever) use the same e-mail address, stop it. Extra e-mail addresses are free and consolidating e-mails into one mailbox is confusing the dickens out of me because I never know who I'm writing to.

Use a sig line
Make life easier for me: Add a signature line with your name and e-mail address using the hot-linked mailto:steve_bass@pcworld.com format. It's easier to reply just to you if your e-mail was sent to many people; it's also great for when I forward your e-mail--the new recipient doesn't have to cut and paste your address.

Use your real name
Don't get me wrong, I love your beerbelly49832@yourisp.com. The problem is, I haven't a clue who you are. Be a champ and add your real name in the signature line. And a favor? Don't use initials.

Do I Need to Read This Right Now?
Look, I'm a very busy man (or so I tell my wife and editor), and I get tons of e-mail every day. I need to do e-mail triage--you know, scanning the inbox for the hottest messages and reading them first. But honestly, I can't do this with most e-mail I get. So here's what I recommend:
The subject is…Tell me, clearly and briefly, what your message is about in the subject line. I delete all messages with vague subjects--Hi, Hello, or worse, an empty subject line (oh, do I hate that!). And make sure you don't trigger my spam filter by using all capital letters, exclamation points, and words you typically see in junk e-mail, like "free," "spam," "mortgage," or "Viagra."

Exec summary
Give me a one- or a two-sentence overview at the start of your e-mail. "I have a complicated issue," you might start out, "involving a Dell, memory cards, and SP2. If you have time to help, I've provided details below.'

Save time
Use [NM] or [EOM] (they stand for "no message" or "end of message") in the subject line as a shorthand way of responding with a simple "thank you" or an acknowledgement. This helps reduce the number of e-mails I need to open; many of the people at PC World use the trick and it's increased everyone's productivity.

Once I actually open an e-mail, I need to get the point quickly so I can reply to the sender if necessary, then move on to the next one. But lots of the missives I get are, how to say it?, a mess.

Use paragraphs
Obvious, right? Nope. I get e-mails with one long paragraph the length of the Gettysburg Address. Break it up into three or four smaller ones. By the way, my limit is three or four paragraphs; after that I start dozing. And send a test message to a buddy to make sure your e-mail program isn't removing paragraph returns.

By the numbers
If you have more than one question or point, number them. It makes replying a whole lot easier if I can refer to the numbers.

Subject shorthand
When you reply or forward an e-mail, it's helpful if you stick one or two descriptive words in front of the original subject so the recipient has an idea of what's in store. For instance, I use tags such as "Update," "Confirmation," or "Really Dumb."

Miscellaneous Gripes
Think I'm done kvetching? Nope, no such luck.

Attachment don'ts
Don't attach anything executable--period. If on the off chance I've asked you to send a program, stick it into a zipped file.

Keep it private
Don't reply to a mailing list with "great idea" or "I agree." Reply privately instead. Select a small part of the original message for context's sake.

Stay plain, Jane
Avoid fancy formatting, gaudy colors, and flowery backgrounds. Two reasons: first, what's cool on your monitor looks like hell on mine; and second, that extra coding increases the download time for folks with slower connections.

Dear [InsertName]
Private note to PR flacks: If you can't use mail merge properly, don't.

Again, thanks to Steve Bass from MSN for this great article!

Fred Raley
Fred@ABC-Success.Biz
Woodbridge, VA
(703) 730 1079