Direct Mail - Getting You Envelope

by: Robert Wilkinson

If you use direct mail it's in your best interest to get as much of it opened and read as possible. You may have spent a small fortune on the copywriting and the expensively printed brochure, but if you don't ensure that as many packs are opened and read as possible, then both copy and brochure are wasted.

There are two main schools of thought on how to avoid being binned. The first is to use disguise, and the second to use persuasion.

Using disguise is mainly a business to business approach but it works for business to consumer mailings too. Business to business promotional mailings are marked out in that they don't appear to have been handled individually. This can be indicated by an envelope pre-printed with a postage mark, and use of a window or address labels to show an address.

Try one or more of the following to give the envelope a more individual look.

Use stamps. They have to have been put on by hand, so it must be individual. There's no more obvious an indicator than a pre-printed stamp impression. When a preprinted impression is used in conjunction with a window envelope it practically screams advertising so don't do it.

Hand write the address on the envelope. This is probably only viable for higher value items but will certainly get more attention this way. It doesn't have to be copperplate, it just needs to look as though it's been handled individually.

Use an unusual material for the envelope, say vellum or a textured paper. In tests conducted by a paper merchant, this alone increased responses significantly. The additional cost for the special paper was more than compensated for by the additional revenue generated by the mailing.

Again, do anything to make your mailing appear more individual and personal to the recipient. Probably the most important element is the use of stamps. This on it's own can be enough to get you under the recipient's radar.

Secondly, use persuasive tactics. This is completely the opposite from disguise and is used mainly for business to consumer, but again it works for business to business too. In this instance we mark it out specifically as commercial by using advertising images, copy and headlines on the outside of the envelope itself. In this instance it doesn't matter if you use a printed postal impression.

Unlike the previous method which uses curiosity to get your envelope opened, we need to give the recipient a good reason to open the envelope. This can take a variety of forms, but as a couple of examples you can state a benefit, "Increase sales by 15%", or alternatively provide an incentive, "Reply by the end of the month and get 2 for the price of 1".

Be very clear and very specific about what the contents are going to achieve and remember you are only trying to get the envelope opened and read. Avoid anything vague. Don't expect to appeal to everyone using this method. You don't have that much room on the envelope, and you can't be all things to all people.

Hopefully you will achieve a strong enough response in a small percentage of recipients that they open, and read the contents. Your persuasive copy will follow on logically from the envelope copy, and keep your prospect interested.

There is a lot of advise against this in business to business direct mail, and there is probably an element of truth in this. If you are mailing to an executive whose mail is screened then it's likely good advice. However there are plenty of owner/managers out there that still open their own mail, if the offer or benefit is clear enough and of interest, it will get opened. You may well consign your mailing piece to the bin for the 99.5% of your prospects by doing this, but it wasn't about them was it?

In summary it's pretty simple. Don't be run of the mill. Step away from the norm and make sure your envelope is overtly commercial with a clear benefit or incentive or alternatively make it look it personal. If you do this you are halfway to getting it read and that's more than half the battle.

Network Vs. Affiliate Marketing

by: Andreas Sundstrom

Running a traditional brick and mortar kind of business with an online presence, is obviously one very good way to make at least part of your living online. But for the purposes of this article we are going to assume that you do not have your own business. So I am going to discuss two of the biggest online money makers right now: online business opportunities and affiliate marketing.

Network marketing

The typical online business opportunity is commonly built around some sort of network marketing concept, inheriting the basic qualities of the offline business model that has been available for many decades - the basic idea being that you recruit two or more people, who in their turn recruit two and in this way your efforts will (at least in theory) be greatly leveraged.

The main difference doing this online is that, utilizing the power of the Internet, you as a network marketer can literally reach people all over the planet.

The problem with the network marketing, or "mlm", concept is that it sounds so good on paper - way too good in fact. Most people who joins up with a company of this type tend to get a dose of Mr. Reality rather soon.

They discover that recruiting new people, which is what all mlm is all about - even if they try to tell you differently - is not at all a simple process. There has been plenty of fraudulent businesses in this niche, and people tend to stay on their toes as soon as they hear the words mlm or network marketing.

To further complicate things this business model is also based on you paying a set monthly fee - wether you make any money or not, which means that many people who start this kind of business actually end up loosing money.

It is definitely possible to make a good living in network marketing, but it is definitely not for everybody. "Getting in on the ground floor" is allegedly not always as good as it seems.

Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is similar to network marketing, in the sense that you will be promoting a product produced by another company or person. This can obviously make life very simple for you, as the merchant will usually take care of all shipping and customer support issues. Amazon.com is probably one of the most well known (an respected) companies utilizing the power of affiliate partnerships.

As an affiliate, your task is simply to refer new clients to the merchant and when these people go ahead and buy something, you get credited with a certain percentage of the sale.

Contrary to network marketing it is generally free to act as an affiliate marketer. Although there are certain companies that have sort of a hybrid structure between network and affiliate marketing - requiring you to pay a start-up and/or monthly fee to market their products. Most affiliate programs are completely free to join though, so I'd personally stay away from those using their affiliate programs as an income generator in it's own right, or "affiliate sharks" as one marketer aptly named them.

Affiliate programs are thus a great way in which almost anyone can start to make money online, without having to invest a lot of money, if indeed any at all.

There is however certain strategies and marketing methods you need to be knowledgeable of, if you are to make anything but peanuts with your affiliate marketing.

Choosing the right affiliate program and promoting it to the right people in the right way is an art form in it's own right. And the people who are really good at this, generally referred to as "super affiliates", make a very good living doing nothing else than selling other people's products.

If you are looking to make an additional income from the Internet, or eventually even replace your current income altogether, affiliate marketing is a great way to get started. To achieve the success you desire, you should study and learn the same techniques super affiliates use on a day to day basis.

How To Take The First Steps With Autoresponders

by: Ian Simpson

One of the most effective forms of low-cost Internet marketing is using email to reach a targeted audience. Whilst email marketing has undergone changes over the years, in particular, the outlawing of spam email, it still has great appeal and is one of the most widely-used internet marketing techniques. It's quite simply the best way to keep in touch with your customers on a regular basis on autopilot. Providing you respect the spam laws and use email properly, you will have a trouble free email marketing business.

Email marketing is more commonly associated with the use of an autoresponder service which allows you to import your email messages into the autoresponder and send them out to your customers at a fixed date and time - you could have a series of messages sent over a period of weeks, months or even years, if you wanted. The exciting thing is that once the autoresponder has been set up, that part of your business will run hands free, allowing you to concentrate on other important things.

The costs associated with an autoresponder vary considerably from free up to $100 a month. Try to avoid free autoresponders where possible, although they are free they come at a price! The price being the restrictions on usage and the fact that they will nearly always carry an advert of some sort on your message which can distract your recipient from the real reason why they have received the message. Also, it isn't necessary to pay a silly price for an autoresponder, big companies may want to pay top price because they can afford to but as an individual, you do not need to. Excellent, cost effective autoresponder services can be obtained from aweber.com or getresponse.com. These are web based programs so they will work for you 24/7.

You could of course, use a desktop based autoresponder such as Mailloop. This type of program is a software application that is installed on your computer and it allows you to manage your email campaigns from your desktop. You just have to be aware that you will need to leave your computer running all the time or else you will not be able to receive or send emails automatically. But it's a great way to have a series of autoresponders for a one time payment and no recurring fees.

So, having decided on using autoresponders for your email business, what do you do with one? Well, building up a customer database should be a priority so initially you will want to create a form for your website that allows potential subscribers to insert their details and when they agree to subscribe, they are automatically enrolled onto an email course that you will have loaded into the autoresponder. The course can as long as you want it to be and sent automatically over a period of time - this is where the automation of your email business will come into its own. It is essential that any information that you send to your subscribers is of value and instructive. It's no good sending rubbish, you will lose your subscriber quicker than you got him! Quality email courses that you could use can be found in the Turbomembership.com.

If you offered a 14-day email course on internet marketing for example, then you could provide links to various marketing ebooks or resources. In each email would be a link to a different ebook. Of course each link would have your unique affiliate code. The unique Turbomembership.com affiliate program provides quality marketing ebooks and software scripts that you can re-sell at 95% commission.

This is just one of the many ways that you can use autoresponders in your email marketing business. Finding and using the right autoresponder service, setting up your autoresponder and loading it with quality information is just the tip of the iceburg where marketing is concerned. But it's a good place to start and gain the necessary experience for future marketing projects.

The Grump Factor

by: Laurie Brown

You are sitting at your desk, reading your email and open the latest missive from your boss. Once again the bonehead has come up with a new direction for your company. You clear your throat and ask the person next to you “Have you seen what the idiot has sent us now?.” In the cafeteria you sit with your co-workers grossing about how stupid this company is. But this doesn’t just happen today. Everyday you find yourself at odds with the management. And while you have always been a “good soldier” and done exactly what was asked of you, you can’t help but let your feelings be known.

Or perhaps you are the more silent type. Sighing, rolling your eyes, and simply showing through your body language that you are greatly put upon.

You might think that if you are really good at your job, and you do everything that has been asked of you that you will remain, in the eyes of your employer, a valuable member of the team.

However, in these times of cutbacks, more and more employers are considering the “grump factor.” Simply put, the grump factor is a measure of how difficult it is to deal with an employee. How grumpy you are.

Recently a Fortune 500 company had to make a 20% cut in their workforce. The management chose the people that were going to be laid off. Every single employee was a hard worker, in fact some off them were the best at what they did. Each employee tried to figure out why THEY were chosen? What was the reason that the more incompetent employees were left standing while they were let go? Was it that they earned more money? Was it a personal vendetta against them? Was it sexism or ageism? Each employee failed to look at where the blame lay. Which was at their own feet. In a discussion with the management they stated that they used the “grump factor.” Employees that had a bad attitude were considered expendable.

Obviously when it comes time to downsize many factors are considered. But more and more employers want to work with people who are easy to deal with.(use mr rogers here) Employees who love what they do, and show others that they love it. I am not talking about a saccharin sweet phony attitude, I mean a sincere joy.

When Barbara Walters is asked by young people “What do I have to do to get ahead?”

She tells them “Don’t complain, don’t whine. Just make yourself so good that they cannot let you go. And don’t be afraid to get the coffee if they ask you to get the coffee.”

Not sure if you’re being perceived as a grump, take this simple test.

Do you find yourself very easily identifying problems with your company and/or co workers?

Do you share that information with others? (including family, friends , co-workers)

Do you discount possible solutions as unworkable?

Is your criticism a validation of your over all perspective?

Do you often hear others with similar complaints?

Do you lend a willing ear to their complaints?

Do you sigh, roll your eyes or otherwise display your negative feelings using body language or tone of voice?

Are your creating less because of your displeasure?

Are you late to work or meetings?

Do you resent helping others finish their work?

Are you waiting for a change to happen?

Has anyone pointed out your negative behavior?

Do you have “good reasons” to be unhappy at work?

This is a family. You spend more time here than you do at home. Low maintenance easy

1. I like to have people who are low maintenance easy to get along with each other

2. All residents have gone through med school

3. all have high test scores

4. all have good letters from their hospitals

How to overcome being a grump

Begin with a simple act of gratitude. No matter what your religious or secular background you need to find a daily way to express your gratitude for what you have. Start a “gratitude journal”

Power of Learning = Earning!

by: Damon Smith

Everyone in online marketing or affiliate earning for a income have to research all over the internet to get the information they need to succeed.

I have seen people spend hours,days,weeks, months & even years just to come out making little or no income at all. As a publisher online for HaileysComet Weekly I have met some of the most powerful people that have made thousands even millions of dollars with the time they have been online.

Some have done it in as little as a few months and then retired, Then you have those that work very hard every day no matter how much they make to help others to do the same. Remember when the doublers programs hit the internet and people made hundreds even thousands over night? Do you remember what happen within two months of them hitting the internet, People that was dealing with StormPay was stuck holding a empty bag because they went under and all kinds of trouble broke out.

The only true programs that make money are ones that last, There are very few of them, One that has made it to the top because of the people behind the program is Success University, Not because they have specials all the time but because there are REAL people to talk with an to learn from. I have met with people that joined the so called PAS program and paid out $3,900!

and most of them did not get anything from it an do you know why? Because there was no one to teach them how to market the program to make a profit an ended up getting burnt!

Look at this link, http://www.damonday.net

If you take the time to read it you will not only see that this group of master marketers are online to help you make a living online but also to teach you how to talk with others in a way to make them buy from you and learn to work together as a team.

Success University is just what the name stands for, They have been online for quite sometime, My own companys that I own depend on the things that I learn online.. I would only suggest something that I know myself to work to my own list of people that I work with instead of something that is gone the next day.

My own list of people in my newsletter trust me because they all know over the past 9 years that when I have something to tell them it is only the truth and not something that will brake their bank accounts. I have been called "The Howard Stern" of publishing and my newsletter is in most of the biggest Co-Ops and directories and also forums. The reason for my success is because of people like Damon Day (It is funny we both have the same first names)

But a "FLY BY NIGHT" company Success University is not, it is backed by some of the biggest companys there are and it is not just for people that are into affiliate marketing but also for people that are just starting out online and dont want to loose alot of money. I will tell you from the start that it takes money to make it, But this is one company that can take your funds and turn it into something to be proud of. Right now they are running a $2 14 day trial offer, and the monthly cost is less then a night on the town so dont miss out on something that will give you everything you need to earn online.

So take 5 minutes of your time and just look, It will suprise you to see what some people will do to help others instead of just thinking of themself and what they can get out of people that dont know any better.

Example: http://www.damonday.net

If you talk with Damon tell him that I sent you to him so that he will know that after everything we have been through I still believe there are good people online!

To your Success!

Damon Smith

The Most Powerful Tool A Marketer Can Have

by: P.V. Reymond

In the Internet Marketing there are many tools that you can use in order to build your business or increase your income, you can find lot of software, books, videos, but you have to know how to use them.

Before you begin to use them you need to have clear many things, but there is a tool maybe you don't know well, and it is the most powerful tool that we all have, it is the mind.

Nothing can compete with your mind then you have to use it well. With your mind you'll be able to control everything. Did you know that Yoga experts can stop the beats of the heart or to have a surgery without anesthesia? Maybe someone doesn't believe it but it is true and in Internet Marketing is the same, If you are using your mind in the right way you'll get good results and you'll have a high percent to be successful.

In order to achieve your goals you need to be concentrated and have a clear vision of all the way you'll have to travel. You have to create the conditions for a good concentration removing all marginal distractions possible and ignoring others.

It's important to prepare a long term plan and divide it into levels and each level into a step by step process. Once you get level one you go to level two and so on. In all this system your mind plays a fundamental role because there is not software able to build your system, you are the only one that can build it, because you know what you want and where you want to go and this is the point, your mind is your guide it controls the whole process and it's stronger than any other tool you can have.

The essential thing is to maintain an attitude of mental activity, and to avoid anything that will reduce this and make you passive. Thinking and applying systematically will help you to grow, you'll discover the power of your mind. Train your mind.

Don't be afraid to make a mistake. Remember nobody learns from the mistakes of the others, you have to try and believe in you. Such fears should be put at rest. You only have to think, think and think and in this way you'll learn how to act and how to do everything right.

It's obvious that you'll have to face some problems traveling for your road, then your mind will come to help you and you'll find the solution in a short period of time. A powerful mind accomplishes results in the shortest time and with least waste motion.

In order to be successful in Internet Marketing you have to focus your niche and to pay close attention to it. Ask yourself, what am I looking for? Keep it in the background of your mind and search for the answer. Knowing everything about you and about what you want, will help you to develop your business.

Keep your mind free, keep a sharp lookout, at every point, to see that you build into the foundation only those materials and that workmanship which will support a masterly structure.

Everyone has difficulty in the concentration of attention, workers in business and industry, students and even professors, complain of the same difficulty. Attention seems in some way to be at the very core of mental activity.Therefore paying attention to your niche and working only in this direction is crucial.

Using your mind as a tool is the most effective factor to be successful.

This is a "Shareware" Article
(what's that? read on...)

This article is shareware. Give this article away for free on your site, or include it as part of any paid package as long as the entire article is leftintact including this notice.

This is a "Shareware" Article
(what's that? read on...)

This article is shareware. Give this article away for free on your site, or include it as part of any paid package as long as the entire article is left intact including this notice.

Copyright © 2006 PV Reymond.

Why you need Ecommerce Website Design

By: Groshan Fabiola

If you sell products online, an online credit card payment processing system is essential for your business. Even if your product is unique, you will miss many sales if you don't process credit cards online. Nowadays, buyers don't want to print off a form and mail you a cheque. They want your product and they want it now.
An effective ecommerce website design can increase your online business substantially. However, there is a lot more to it than just taking orders. You will need to set up a shopping cart on your website. Besides a shopping cart, you will also need an internet-ready merchant account.
To get a merchant account, you can either go to your bank or to a third party payment processor. The third party credit card processor handles payments by credit card and sends payment to the business owner, less their processing fees. Some popular third party credit card payment processors are Paypal, ClickBank and 2Checkout.

An effective ecommerce website must answer the following customer’s questions:
* Does the website look professional and attractive?
* Is the shopping process easy?
* Is it optimized for search engines?
* Is it easy for buyers to find products easily?
* Does it include an option to search products?
* Does it build trust in the company?
* Can they checkout easily?

Online buyers need to be able to find your products easily and trust you to deliver the goods. Your ecommerce website design should instill confidence and entice shoppers to buy your products. Include benefits of the products to persuade shoppers to buy.

Does your ecommerce website design encourage repeat customers? Return shoppers are the key to your success. Online store owners who have a positive shopping experience will get repeat customers.

Create an ecommerce website design that maximizes online sales. This means ensuring every aspect of your customers' online shopping experience is satisfactory. Make your ecommerce website easy to navigate and informative enough to enable buyers to make decisions quickly and buy your products.

Article Source: http://www.superfeature.com