Low Cost E-Marketing!
Jim Daniels takes us through the most cost effective way to market using email, highlighting the pitfalls of using Untargeted email and looking at producing an ezine/newsletter to be mass emailed to your customers.
We
have a book corner of hard copy books offering a selection of titles on
Internet Marketing from the categories we cover, check out our book list
and categories HERE. The marketing books link to
the side will also bring you to the main page of our marketing bookshop!
Browse around, enjoy and I hope you find something of value to help you
on the road to a successful Internet Business.
We
also offer a fine selection of E-books on various
aspects of Internet Marketing that you can download directly to your hardrive.
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By Jim Daniels ********************************* Like many small business owners, I work with a small marketing budget. Okay, truth be told, I hate to spend money on advertising. Especially if I can get better exposure at a very low cost, sometimes even FREE! During the past three years online, I've learned some great ways to do just that. Today I'd like to share them with you. Don't worry, I'm not going to tell you to spend days and days at free classified sites or newsgroups. The methods I'll be sharing with you are much more powerful. So how does the cost-conscious marketer get the best free and low-cost exposure? Simple. By utilizing various forms of the best free marketing tool ever invented... Email! There are many ways to utilize email marketing. For the most part, email marketing can be broken down into two distinct categories... Targeted and Untargeted. First I'll touch on the untargeted, just to show you why it is a waste of time. UNTARGETED EMAIL MARKETING Untargeted email marketing on the internet usually takes on the form of "Unsolicited Bulk Email". Whether you are doing it yourself or hiring one of the thousands of email blasting companies online, it makes no difference. Bulk email is NOT a smart way to market. Let me explain exactly why... "Spamming", or sending mass email to "unqualified" email addresses is considered bad "netiquette". If you send unsolicited email to addresses that do not want commercial email, not only do you risk the reputation of your business, you can get into more trouble than you would expect. What kind of trouble? Well, since many ISP's do not allow this activity, they will discontinue your account as soon as the inevitable complaints start to trickle in. If you want better results without the risk, consider the following alternatives... TARGETED EMAIL MARKTING Targeted email marketing works. Truly targeted email means getting your email to recipients that HAVE approved of it. Not only do your get better results, you won't have to worry about ISP cancellation and more importantly, the reputation of your business. Here are the best targeted email marketing methods I've used. (Listed from most expensive to least expensive.)
"Opt In" email list rental Did you know that you can actually rent email lists of people who have approved email about certain topics. (Just about any topic imaginable!) This method is not the cheapest form of targeted email marketing, but it works! On average, you'll have to spend about ten to fifteen cents per address. The companies that rent the addresses even do the mailing for you. You just sit back and wait for the orders! When I released my book, "Insider Internet Marketing", I used this method and sold a few thousand dollars worth of books in a two day span. The company I used is called Postmasterdirect. Here are three more companies that offer direct "opt-in" email marketing... Bulletmail - http://www.bulletmail.com Htmail - http://www.htmail.com/customer.html Targ-It - http://www.targ-it.com Ezine advertising I'm a big fan of ezine advertising and regularly utilize this low budget technique. I'm not just saying that to drum up advertisers for my own newsletter, actually I have a waiting list of about a month just to get an ad in here. Why? Quite simply, email advertising works! Take a look at the advertising section of your favorite email ezine. The reason there are so many ads there is because the advertisers get results. Not only do you reach your target audience, you reach them by the thousands. Of all the online marketing methods available, ezine advertising could be the most effective. Many larger companies are just starting to realize this and are entering into this exciting new advertising medium. Compared with the high costs of web site banner advertising, ezine advertising is a bargain. Ezine publishing One step better than "advertising" in ezines, is actually publishing your own. If you are not already publishing your own e-newsletter, I highly recommend you do so. It is much easier than you might imagine. Your customers and prospects will constantly be "in touch" and your ezine can keep them abreast of new products and services as you make them available. You can also generate income offering classified or sponsorship advertising if you wish. Unlike traditional newsletters, there are no printing or postage costs. Since your own cost is zero, you can offer free subscriptions, thus insuring a steady flow of new prospects. To get started publishing your own ezine, you do not need to pay for list management. You can manage and deliver your ezine yourself with a good email program like Qualcomm's Eudora or Pegasus Mail by David Harrris. These are the best email programs available on the internet and they can be downloaded for free at the following URL's Once you have your email program installed, practice mailing to a few people at once by using the BCC (blind carbon copy) feature. It's important to use the BCC field when mailing to a list. This insures that everyone on the list does not see other email addresses on the list. No one wants their email address publicized all over the net. After you've perfected your
emailing skills, all you need is some subscribers. That's easy, simply
post a message announcing your newsletter to the "NewList Announcement
List".
http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/scout/new-list/format.html Email discussion group participation. An email discussion group
is delivered via email like an email newsletter. But a discussion list
differs from an email newsletter in
Discussion lists also allow you to ask for help from others with similar interests. What's more, you can assist people in need while your sig file (the footer you include at the end of every email message you send) invites readers to your site. Discussion group marketing works because the posts are delivered directly TO a targeted audience. Once again, push marketing at it's finest! In addition to posting to discussion groups you should consider advertising if the group you join offers it. No matter what you are marketing online, participating in discussion lists makes sense. Not only will you learn some valuable information, it's is a great way to soft-sell some of your wares. To find some discussion groups on your particular area of interest, visit http://www.e-groups.com. While you're there you can even start a group of your own! Now that you are armed with the facts about email marketing, go out and start your email marketing campaign today! And remember, whatever email marketing method you choose, be sure that everything single email you send out includes your URL and a brief description of exactly how YOU can be of service to anyone who may be reading that email! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Article by Jim Daniels
of JDD Publishing. Jim's site has
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******************** Our library of FREE E-BOOKs allows you to download tons of reading material covering all areas of marketing on the Net. ******************** INTERNET EMAIL!
Are you maximising the power of email? This book gives you the run-down on how make full use of email for effective promotion. Learn more HERE
Marlon Sanders has some of the greatest advice for marketing
your products on the Internet.
MAKE YOUR SITE SELL!!
"MYSS! Delivers What
You Must Know to Win on the Web!"
Serious about becoming an affiliate or want to set up
an affiliate partnership for your business? Hear the advice Declan Dunn
has to offer first. HERE
Rick Beneteau has written the best
book available today on how ezines can be so effective in your marketing
strategy.
CHECK OUT THIS!!
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If you have a business and want to set it up for affiliates to be able to promote your goods or services, check out this programme HERE.
*********************
One of the Secrets to successful
Internet Marketing is using opt-in mailing lists
Use a legitimate mailing list, opt-in
lists or classified ads
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If would like to submit an article related to the topics covered by this site you are very welcome to do so. Please keep it to about 1000 words and submit it HERE or send it by email to me below.
Mary Mullins, Moytura Graphic
Design,
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