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Tremblant In Canada - February 28th, 2009

Tremblant is based in Canada and has over 90 runs servicing millions of skiers each year. With 13 state-of-the-art ski lifts and a selection of choices for both snowboarders and skiers Tremblant attained its reputation through daring, varied runs catering for a selection of abilities and preferences. With its longest run being 6km long, you cannot help but picture Tremblant as the skiing capital of Canada.

Tremblant has also recently had 18 acres of quality, freestyle snowboarding playground custom built. With jumps, rails, ramps and half-pipes those who are familiar with this should be sure to check it out should the visit. With 94 slaloms, the Tremblant management team have been sure to cater for all levels with 31 intermediate slopes, 17 slopes for novices and mountains worth of expert, countered terrain.

Standing 870 metres tall, and with snowboarding and skiing facilities on all four faces, it is no wonder the 628 acre facility is considered the home to Skiing in the area. The facility allows for natural snow between November and April however this does not set anyone back for the other months of the year. The revolutionary Avalanche system actually turns water into snow in an instant.

So how does the system work? In Tremblant there are 885 guns, that spray a cooling gassy chemical onto the snow and the coverage is able to not only turn water into snow in minutes, but also maintain organic snow forever. The amazing system ensures that the temperature is just right: not turning the snow to ice. The revolutionary system is also used to alter the temperature of snow for big events, however its main advantage is 365 day snow, for the people of Tremblant.

The Tremblant Lift system can carry over 27,000 snowboarders and skiers per hour, whilst the Gondola and quads also aid the in the massive effort of lifting millions of people up the mountain each day.

For those of you who get hungry there are also great accessible eateries available at the top of the 870 metre mountain. Whilst most holiday makers will experience the Tremblant as experienced skiers, there are also many options available to the beginners and intermediates choosing to visit Tremblant. With over 40 beginner slopes and over 50 multi-lingual skiing instructors you really have to visit Tremblant to understand its sheer scale. Learning to ski in Tremblant is not only a great idea because of the experience of the instructors, but also because your choices are not restricted at all.

During my first visit to Tremblant I was a keen skier but I had never had the opportunity to snowboard before. During my time in Tremblant I was taught how to snowboard in one day, and by the end of the vacation I was able to attempt challenging runs on the intermediate circuits. Although my experience in skiing was helpful, I felt a lot of this came down to the dexterity of the instructors.

The accommodation in Tremblant is amazing, with 6 hotels all with excellent service and offering amazing luxury to their guests. In a hotel, where you see amazing views onto the massive mountain, you also see firework displays that they put on for the tourists each evening. In case that puts you off, I was assured the fireworks do not make any noise, apart from at the weekends. The amazing Tremblant skiing resort has never hosted a large event, and is firmly known for its ability to cater for tourists, however that has not stopped it, in its quest to host the 2009 open. Having placed a bid, we can all wait and see if Tremblant is successful.

Ski Press Weekly voted Tremlant the best skiing facility for tourists in North America and this is hardly a surprise. With accessible pricing, a massive selection of runs and a lift that can carry over 25,000 people an hour it is hardly surprising.

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Posted under Vacation

Google Earth updates maps of Mars

(Credit: Dong Ngo)
There is now a lot more about Mars to view in Google Earth than there was just a month ago.
Google announced Friday a major update to show more details of Mars both in its history and the present day. Originally the 3D maps of Mars were available with the release of Google Earth [...]

Email Etiquette: How To Send Emails People Will Read

Email Etiquette: How To Send Emails People Will Read

4 Effective Ways To Use Autoresponders To Increase Your Sales - June 24th, 2009

An autoresponder is a very powerful tool for any online business. Basically, an autoresponder is used to ease your tasks. Automation is critical when running an online business. Hence you won’t need to do the tiring and boring manual tasks if you automate your business.

An autoresponder simply sends backs a precomposed message to the recipient who requested information from it by sending an email to this autoresponder address.

But autoresponders can be used for far more advanced tasks to increase your sales for instance.

1. Use your autoresponder to publish an ezine

A nice function available in most autoresponders nowadays is the broadcast feature.

Every person who requests more information from your autoresponder eg to subscribe is automatically added to your autoresponder database. Hence you will be able to use the broadcast feature to publish your ezine and your subscribers in your database will receive your newsletter automatically.

This is a low cost way to create mailing lists that your visitors can subscribe to including your own ezine that you can use to effectively market your products.

Concentrate on making your ezine a source of valuable information for your subscribers and you’ll be able to create an ezine that your subscribers look forward to reading and that increases your sales.

2. Use your autoresponder to deliver an email course

A very simple but yet powerful method of increasing your sales is to create an email course that contains valuable information.

For eg if you are creating an email course about Internet marketing, you can write an article that lists 7 Internet marketing methods.

Method 1 - Search Engines

Method 2 - Ezine Advertising

Method 3 - Joint ventures

Method 4 - Opt In Email

Method 5 - Affiliate Programs

Method 6 - Article Writing

Method 7 - Link Partnerships

Then put every marketing method in your autoresponder on a 7-day cycle. Hence every person who requests this course will receive each lesson for a period of 7 days.

In each method, try to find products, be it affiliate products or your own products that are related to this marketing technique and include a link.

For example if you own an ebook on how to write articles to promote your business, you can include a link to that product in method 6.

3. Use your autoresponder to provide a report

Reports can be articles that you can easily deliver via an autoresponder. If you have an article called 7 Powerful Internet Marketing Tactics To Promote Your Online Business, you can easily use it as a report.

Include the links to the products to complement each method.

4. Use your autoresponder to promote your articles

Autoresponders are very effective ways to promote your articles along with your website.

You can make your articles on your site or in the emails that you send to ezine editors to consider your recent article for publication available by autoresponder. You can say something like.

All my other articles available for reprint at articles@autorespondername.com

Make your articles available by autoresponder along with your publishing guidelines. If you’ve written lots of articles, make a master list of your articles available by autoresponder that lists all of your articles along with their autoresponder addresses.

This can provide you with a terrific way to get your articles published on a regular basis by ezine publishers and webmasters who enjoy your writing.

Autoresponders should form part of your Internet business. Without them, your business will suffer.

Consider an autoresponder as your own 24hr marketing machine.

This article can be freely published on a website as long as it’s not modified in any way including the author bylines, plus the hyperlink must be made active just like below.

Jean Lam is the webmaster of Email Autoresponder which provides autoresponder review, article and courses to boost your marketing efforts.

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Posted under email

Are You Making These Email Mistakes? - June 24th, 2009

Every day, I receive at least 300 emails. I will usually sort them out by checking and deleting every subject line that looks like junk mail.

After sorting through the emails, I am finally able to sit down and reply to those I have received from my customers, friends, and family.

J-unk email usually starts out with:

Ma^ke $10,000 in 48 hours

E-arn $5,000 in 3 days

S(uper) su.per V-ia…

60% of the emails that I receive are coming from spammers… and sometimes it is very difficult for me to distinguish between emails from my clients and those from spammers.

Worse still, I sometimes delete email from people who would like to Joint-Venture with me, as I am unable to recognize where the email has come from.

This creates a lot of frustration for people who would like to approach me personally. Many friends of mine are experiencing the same situation.

If your email starts with the subject line:

Read this, Believe Me, Debt Con-solidation,

Joint-Venture Proposal, Urgent Messages, etc.

Guess what?

I wont even read it, as I personally believe that it has come from someone who would like to send me a virus, or who would like to s-pam me with unsolicited email.

Worse, as a Block button starts to become available, I may easily block your address so that I no longer receive emails from you.

=> Here is the reason behind the story above…

This is NOT a story that I have made up by myself. This is what most Internet Marketers do all the time.

People have a habit of opening emails that they receive from their friends, family, clients, and ‘warm strangers’.

They tend to filter out every email that looks like a spamming message, so why on earth would you want your emails deleted by those marketers who may work with you in the future.

=> Henry, What should I do to create a legitimate email?

Here are sure ways to get your email read:

1. Put the recipients name in the subject line.

I usually receive emails with subject line like this:

Joint-Venture Proposal

Let’s work together

Most of the emails with these two subject lines above, will definitely go into the spam inbox, because I didn’t recognize who you are, and what your intention is. I am concerned that you may be trying to spread a virus into my computer.

=> What should I do, Henry?

Put my first name on it…

Henry, please review my JV Proposal…

Henry, let’s work together…

These are the messages that I will definitely take a look at, as I feel that you know me personally.

Even though I can’t recall who you are, I assume that I must have met you in the past…. or maybe I have some problem with my memory. :-)

2. Include your name in the From field.

I notice that some webmasters still use the word Webmaster in the From field. This makes it very difficult for me to distinguish between you and other webmasters, who email me all the time.

I may or may not open your email. At present I have at least 50 people in my mailbox who use Webmaster in the from field.

I may forget who you are, which makes it awkward if I need to contact you.

If you are one of many people who have sent me your Joint-Venture proposal, I may have already forgotten who you are.

Please put your Full Name in the From field.

3. Tell me how you found me

As I mentioned in 1 above, I may have a problem with my memory! That being so, you need to refresh my mind as to how you found me, before I click my mouse to delete your email.

For example:

Hi Henry, this is Michael Wong, the guy you chatted with in JV Seminar.

Or

Hi Henry, this is Michael Wong, I found your website from the search term Free Internet Marketing on MSN.com

It’s as simple as that if you want to make me listen to you further.

4. Tell me who you are and what your intention is

As soon as you tell me where you found me, you simply tell me who you are…. so you keep me alert all the time.

Remember though, you only have 10 seconds to convince me who you are or I will most likely delete your email.

So…. Here is the example:

I am a webmaster of www.domainwithheld.com, an internet clothing company. I would like to find out if we can work together.

Or

I am a subscriber of your E-GoldNetter Marketing Newsletter. I would like to find out if we can work together.

This way, I will respect you, and will definitely reply to you with the next click….

5. Don’t use bold or color when sending email.

The last things that I dislike about email messages are those sent in colors or font that really annoy my eyes.

Many marketers are working in front of their computer for 10 - 12 hours a day. Sometimes, it is very difficult to distinguish between red and green and if you use bold or even big fonts when sending a letter to marketers, they will feel that this letter is not sincere and will delete it.

Worse still, regardless of how great your writing skill is, they will quickly conclude that it is as an amateur email message.

It means that even though your letter will not go to a spam folder, it will be put in the trash folder.

Be sure you use just a regular font, with a nice neat format when writing email messages, especially when you’re sending this letter to marketers who are receiving upwards of 50 - 100 emails per day.

Closing Note: I understand that this may all sound a little harsh, however, my intention, in this article, is to inform you how all well-known marketers sort their email every day.

Copyright 2004 Henry Gold

About The Author

Henry is recognized as one of the most successful Work-At-Home expert. Visit: http://www.freebiesgroup.com for free articles on Internet Marketing, Free E-book, software, animation, and more. Too busy to visit? Subscribe to his Free weekly E-goldnetter Marketing: mailto:internetgoldenkey-15470@autocontactor.com

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Posted under email

How To Get People To Constantly Open Your e-Mail Promotions Or Your Newsletter - June 24th, 2009

In this article I’m going to talk strictly from a subscriber’s point of view. If you’re marketing online, what would you do to find out how people think so you can target your e-mail promotions or a newsletter better?

Well, here’s your opportunity.

Even though I’m running my own newsletter or a bulletin (what I call it) and have my own subscribers, I’m also subscribing to a number of newsletters myself. TSM Bulletin is located at http://tsmbulletin.ogdteam.com.

Today, I’m going to reveal why I open some newsletter e-mails or e-mail promotions more than the others. And also, why I always look forward to only a few of them. Yes, only a few.

The reason I’m subscribing to newsletters, ezines or what ever you want to call them, is because that’s the only way to learn from a marketer and find out what they’re up to, without having to buy all of their products. Clever, I must say.

Why are you subscribing to newsletters? To learn or …..???

But somehow, some of them have convinced me to buy some of their products even though I wasn’t planning on doing so. But how did they do it?

Let’s begin the journey.

At this very moment as I’m typing this article, I looked into the inbox and the bulk folder in 3 of my domain name e-mails that I receive the newsletters in. I had a total of 2037 unread e-mails.

WOW! I didn’t even know I had that many.

How do I know that these are all newsletters? Because I delete all spam and I open the personal e-mails immediately.

And the newsletters?

When I get a chance, if at all. That’s because I receive quite a few e-mails in one day and I don’t have any more time than anyone else. Only 24 hours in a day.

I’m subscribing to the top name guru’s newsletters, ezines, many marketers and names that I haven’t even heard of. It doesn’t really matter who is sending the e-mail, it’s a same story.

One may ask, why am I subscribed to so many of them?

Well, you never know what you may learn from any one of them.

OK! Here we go! The time for the confession.

When I subscribe to a new list, I get the usual welcome e-mail. That’s standard. But then, I wait for the first, second and possibly third e-mail from the marketer.

By then, I pretty much know the nature of his or her e-mails. Whether the e-mails are direct broadcasts or pre-scheduled e-mails from their autoresponders, it really doesn’t matter.

In my daily course of scanning my e-mail accounts, there are e-mails that I open immediately and there are e-mails that I just transfer to folders to open at a later date, if ever.

The e-mails that I already know contain a pure sales pitch or a promotion of some kind with included affiliate link, end up getting deleted or transferred to folders and maybe never opened.

I pretty much know which marketers send me these types of e-mails all the time.

Maybe not all of the subscribers act this way, but there are e-mails that I actually open, read and then transfer to folders.

And those are e-mails that contain a free content. Content such as articles, movie files, newsletters that deliver a free content instead of a pure sales pitch and such. Again, I pretty much know what marketers send me these types of e-mails.

Let’s be brutally honest.

What do surfers do when they search the ‘net? Do they search the Internet with their credit cards ready to buy or do they search for a free content?

When you open your e-mail, do you have your credit card ready to buy whatever promotions you might get hit by, or … why do you open your e-mails?

As marketers, we always want to sell, sell, sell. As surfers, people want to read without having to spend their hard earned money.

Let’s apply the same strategy again. Why do I open the personal e-mails immediately - e-mails from customers, business associates, friends, purchase receipts and such?

Or better yet, why do YOU open the e-mails sent to you from a friend or someone you know?

Because you know for sure that it doesn’t contain any sales pitch or a promotion.

And what about the e-mail promotions? What do those e-mails contain?

I don’t know about you but after about the 3rd e-mail following the sign-up to someone’s list, I pretty much ignore all the follow-up e-mails from marketers that I know for sure their e-mails deliver nothing but promotions. What’s your take on that?

However, as I said earlier, I almost always open the e-mails from marketers that send me a free content. Did I just say, Almost Always? What’s that all about?

There are quite a few e-mails, newsletters, ezines and such that provide a free content in forms of articles, reports, tips and so on. So then, which ones would be the ones that I always look forward to?

In other words, which ones are the e-mails (non personal e-mails) that I always open no matter what?

Have you ever thought about this? Which e-mails do you open and read most of the time and which e-mails go straight to the trash can?

Well, I currently have only 4. Only 4 e-mails that I actually can’t wait until the next issue. How about that?

By the way, I’m subscribed to quite a *few hundred* lists that I receive e-mails from. Yet, there are only 4 that I can’t wait until the next issue. I open and read those 4 even if I’m dead tired or busy over my head.

To make one thing clear, I’m talking about a free subscription. I’m not referring to the paid subscription to a newsletter. That comes with special benefits. I’m talking about an everyday marketing or a distribution list that we might end up on.

So, what’ so special about these 4?

The content they provide is articles, movie files or other forms that they write or create from their experience. They write what they actually do. At least for the most part.

They’re not providing articles that have been picked up from ezine directories, even though I enjoy reading those articles too as I spend countless hours browsing through those directories.

But these 4 marketers are unselfishly sharing what they actually do. And that comes with a free newsletter. Can’t beat that!

When I open their e-mails, I know that I will learn something that will benefit me. And I will not just learn how to …. whatever …. but I will learn from their … let me repeat that … from THEIR personal experience.

So the e-mails that deliver a free content from the sender’s personal experience will get my immediate attention. The e-mails that deliver a free content that will teach me something, but not necessarily from the sender’s personal experience, are being saved for the most part.

The pure promotion e-mails, well …. I do go through them …. sometimes …. when I’m looking for ideas …. but for the most part …. I’ve developed a tendency to ignore them. Shocking but true. Again, what’s your take on that?

On the other hand, the marketers who deliver the e-mails with a free content from their personal experience, innocently insert a promotion or two within their newsletter. After one, two, three or so e-mails, I would go:

Hhhmmm! I wonder what is he or she going to teach me with the book that they’re selling? I mean, I’m learning quite a lot already but there’s gotta be more in these books that they’re selling or recommending.

So, there goes my credit card. :-)

Don’t get me wrong. I invest all the time in products that will teach me something that I lack. But I’ve spontaneously bought a lot of products that I didn’t really need. And that was all due to the generosity of the marketer that was unselfishly teaching me already, something from his or her personal experience.

Put this to a test. Find out for yourself. Share your experience with the people, whether good or bad, and see the response. But if you’ve been spamming them with countless promotions already, it may take a little longer until they see *the new you.*

I’m carefully watching my hit count for each issue of my bulletin. This article was part of my third one. But my first one had a 57% response. My second one had a whopping 72% response. I can’t wait until I see the numbers for this issue.

TSM Bulletin is located at http://tsmbulletin.ogdteam.com.

Steve Dimeck is a publisher and author of several ebooks. To receive more quality articles such as the one you’ve just read, subscribe free to my [TSM] Bulletin and receive one of my ebooks for free. [TSM] Details:==> http://tsmbulletin.ogdteam.com/

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Posted under email

Viral Marketing with Your Signature File - June 24th, 2009

Computer viruses are usually a bad thing. They can compromise your security, delete necessary files, and give your PC trouble. Viruses reak havoc quickly often because they are forwarded via email and eventually reach thousands of computers.

But what if you could harness this contagiousness - in a good way?

You can! Add a signature file to your emails. A signature file is quick and easy to make, but the potential to reach many eyes is great.

How to set up a signature file:

I use Microsoft Outlook, but most email programs have a similar signature feature. Under the Tools menu, choose Options then Mail Format. At the bottom of the Mail Format menu, there ‘Signature’ button. When you click on the button, you are provided a text box to create your signature, then click on the ‘New’ button, and you will be guided to creating you signature file.

Keep your signature limited to only a couple of lines. Otherwise, it will scream advertisement and people will automatically ignore it. Remember, subtle is the key.

Start out with your name and website address, then add a tagline or your latest sale or giveaway. There must be a reason for the recipient to click through to learn more about your business.

Here’s a sample:

—————————————

Megan Corwin

Online Marketing Coach

Become a member of the http://www.wahwoman.com community and list your business free.

—————————————

Have your signature file populated on every email you generate. You never know when someone will forward your email on to a friend or colleague, so make sure it is there.

Go ahead and spread your good germs!

About The Author

Megan Corwin has combined her marketing and web site development skills with her love of Internet surfing to become an online marketing coach. With over eight year’s experience developing software and marketing for a software company, she enjoys sharing her talents with small business professionals to help them enhance their online presence.

Become a member at http://www.wahwoman.com, the fastest growing community for online marketing information for the work at home woman.

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Posted under email

Promote Your Web Business With Every Email You Send! - June 24th, 2009

Website owners are always on the lookout for new ways to promote their business. What if I told you could advertise your business every time you send an email and it wouldn’t cost you a dime?

When you meet someone you might give him or her one of your business cards. Now the recipient has all your contact information, learns a little about your business and this allows you to expose your brand. With an eBusinessCard you can still give them one of your cards, electronically, using Microsoft Outlook! All you have to do is create your card in HTML to resemble your printed card. Then save it to your Outlook signature folder so you can send an electronic version. The big advantage to an electronic card is it has live links that can take the viewer to the exact page on your website with the information they need. See the sample here http://www.junglia.com/email-stationary/horiz.asp.

Open your favorite HTML editor and design and build your card. Or if you currently use a printed card just copy it. If you lack design and/or HTML skills you can use the handy form below to painlessly create your own card. If you create your own card remember to use absolute paths (full http path) for all your links and images. In order for this to work with all email clients you will need to place any images you use on a server and create an absolute link to the image. If the email recipients don’t have HTML enabled in their mail client Outlook automatically creates and sends a text version, which can be read with any program.

Detailed instructions for uploading and using your card are listed here http://www.junglia.com/email-stationary/horiz.asp in step 7.

This is a simple and inexpensive way to promote your business. Everyone you correspond with will know that you are a professional.

About The Author

Dan Karwoski has been teaching website design to college students since 1997 and has created quality work for MSNBC, Microsoft, Amazon, Atom Films and many others. Interested students can learn the basics of web design by registering at http://www.learn2design.net. Please email questions to info@learn2design.net.

dan@learn2design.net

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Posted under email

Confessions Of An Info Junkie - June 24th, 2009

I love the Internet! Information about any topic that piques my curiosity is just a few clicks away. Ezines on almost any topic are available to all.

Yes, I have to admit it — I Am An Info Junkie. It has become an addiction. I subscribe to dozens of ezines and my browser’s bookmark list is huge.

Today, I fired thirteen ezine publishers.

It was hard. I didn’t want to let go of those threads to information sources, but they all made the same mistake.

Maybe you were one of the thirteen.

Maybe it wasn’t just a mistake. It is more like a cardinal sin on just plain ignorance.

Your ezine/newsletter didn’t contain any news.

There was not a sentence of content in it. You and the other twelve publishers have not provided a lick of content for weeks or even months. I have been hoping that "maybe the next issue will be the one?"

That next issue that contained the content I was hungry for never came. Yes, your ezine was always there right on time. Yes, I even received your bonus editions.

You flooded my RSS reader and my email box with ads.

I realize that we are all in the business of trying to make a buck or two and I can accept a couple of ads if I get my info fix. Ads support your ability to provide content and we info junkies of the world can tolerate that.

Your cardinal sin was to send ads to me without content.

That, my friend, is spam. That is why I clicked on the "unsubscribe me" link and fired you.

Anyone who has been in the Internet Marketing business for more than five minutes has memorized this mantra:

THE MONEY IS IN THE LIST

(I could go off on a tangent about ebook authors who hired copywriters to provide wonderful sales copy for horrible ebooks that I have bought, but that is a rant for a different day.)

Back to this rant.

If you want the privilege of feeding ads to my RSS reader or dropping them in my email box, please have the decency to feed my addiction ? I get real cranky if you make me go into withdrawal.

Wrap your ad in some decent content!

Consider this ? if you have no list, you’ll have no money.

Do you wonder why your ezine has such a low response?

Is it even being read?

Here’s another info junkie confession ?

A lot of us are lazy! (I know ? that is an earth- shattering fact you never thought of ? LOL)

It is much easier to click on "delete" than it is to search the fine print for the unsubscribe instructions. Lots of us have those cool email clients like Thunderbird that let us click a "Junk" icon and never be bothered by your spammy ads again.

It is sad.

A world full of info junkies that like to buy good stuff from the ‘net and a world full of Internet marketers that want to sell stuff ? it looks like a match made in heaven.

You blew it. You and twelve of your colleagues.

You lost your focus. You forgot that the info junkies of the world provide your Internet income. We are your customers. Without us, where would you be?

Just give us our fix. Put some content in your ezines and we’ll stay on your list buying more than we can rationally afford forever.

@2005, John Gilger

John Gilger is a professional copywriter and technical writer that has been paid to indulge his writing habit for more years than he cares to admit. More info is available at John Gilger, Freelance Wordsmith

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Posted under email

How Autoresponders Boost Sales By Up To 400% - June 24th, 2009

Imagine going to bed and waking up in the morning to find that you made sales while you slept - all because of your autoresponder!

What exactly is an autoresponder? An autoresponder is an automated email program that responds to an incoming email with a message written by you. The message can be written once and loaded in the autoresponder and forgotten about. It’s as easy as that.

Some Uses for Autoresponders

1. Use autoresponders as an immediate acknowledgement to those who send you information. Let the recipient know that you have received their message and when to expect a reply.

2. Create a FAQ document to answer commonly asked questions about your product or service. Use the familiar question and answer format.

3. Collect names and email addresses by using a capture form. This allows you to build a list and as marketers keep saying, lists lead to repeat sales.

4. Make all your articles and newsletters available via autoresponder.

5. Offer free reports or e-courses to show your expertise to your customers. This is a great way to capture prospects’ name and email address for future follow-up.

6. If you publish an e-book, put the different chapters or excerpts in your autoresponder.

7. Archive issues of past ezines and put some of the best ones in an autoresponder and let your prospects access them.

Before you send out information via an autoresponder you should always check the content for spam triggers that may prevent your messages being delivered. To have a free check on your emails/messages go to: http://www.merchant-account-service.com/stop_spam_mail.html

If you are not using an autoresponder already you may be losing up to 400% of potential sales. Research shows that autoresponders increase your exposure to your prospects and this increased contact with them leads to higher sales.

Remember if you’re not using an autoresponder and gaining these sales, your competitors will!

(c) John Lynch

To get a Free autoresponder and a Free email marketing course go to: http://www.merchant-account-service.com/free_autoresponder.html

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Posted under email

Plain Jane Email Equals Flat Results - June 24th, 2009

Years ago, when email was just emerging as the incredible marketing tool it is today, everything was done in plain text. Since not everyone uses the same email program, and not all of them are compatible with the others, messages often ended up looking like nothing but jumbled pieces of nonsense. Besides that, they were boring.

Thus, Internet marketers were forced to find a way to spiff up their email messages to make them grab attention. Luckily, HTML was there to provide a solution.

Studies show that marketing emails sent in HTML format get much better response rates and far fewer unsubscribes than those sent in plain text. The reasons for this are many, but perhaps the biggest reason can be summed up this way: HTML messages look cooler!

The great thing about HTML is that all your recipients will be able to see it. The problem is that you can’t always predict just how it will look. Users with older or outdated email programs will likely see the message as text, and some will even see all that ugly HTML coding. Those using newer versions of Outlook or Outlook Express, Eudora, or Netscape Communicator will likely see the HTML as it was intended… at least partially.

The only way to ensure that your HTML messages are seen the way you designed them is to format the text/plain and HTML materials separately from one another, and have the appropriate version of the message displayed for the recipient. This way, those who have HTML enabled email programs (which most people do these days) can see your message exactly how you planned. Similarly, even those whose email programs do not allow for HTML will be able to read your message loud and clear.

As you know, email is one of the most effective marketing tools available today, but just like anything else, it must be done correctly. A jumbled, unreadable message will only turn would-be customers away, which not only hurts your bottom line, but can damage your credibility. In this day and age, you must ensure that your marketing message is accessible to everyone.

You may be surprised to find out that of all the bulk email management programs available, very few allow you to format text and HTML separately, thus making your message universal. One program in particular, called Broadc@st, not only offers this cutting-edge capability, but also provides several list management and marketing tools. For more information on Broadc@st HTML, and how you can download a free, fully-functional 10-day trial, see link below.

About The Author

Karen Fegarty is a professional marketer working with both MailWorkZ and ezTrackZ. Check out the ezTrackZ ad tracker product at http://www.eztrackz.com. and MailWorkZ’s flagship email marketing tool., Broadc@st at http://www.mailworkz.com

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Choose The Right Business For You In Less Than 15 Minutes - June 24th, 2009

3 Characteristics Of The Right Business Model

  • The business must service a large market.

    Niche markets are also very profitable but require specialist products and customer service. Target niche markets when you are more confident in your business abilities.

  • The business must adapt and change with the market.

    Be aware faddish businesses can be very difficult to operate because of the rapid rate at which market perceptions change.

  • Initial start-up capital requirements must be minimal

    Many new business owners work to tight budgets and have limited resources to start-up. Ideal business models should therefore have low start-up costs.

What Business Fits These Characteristics?

A (home based), direct response marketing business, dealing in Information has all these characteristics and offers unparalleled flexibility for the serious Wealth Creator.

Direct response marketing is all about the targeting of a specific market by use of mail shots.

Mail shots can be sent by post as happens in mail order or by e-mail as happens in the online Internet world.

Let’s get specific and see how direct response marketing fulfils the characteristics of The Right Business

Large Market

Direct Response is a multi billion dollar industry and growing.

The US leads the world in direct response marketing, principally due to the geographical spread of the country, and the almost universal acceptance of direct response marketing as a valid means of buying and selling products.

The UK is a very sophisticated direct marketers environment, where many US trends manifest themselves as a result of the close cultural, economic and political ties between the two countries.

5 Reasons Why The Business Should Deal With Information.

  • People like Information. They seek it everywhere. On the TV, on radio, at the cinema, in newspapers, in books and reports and increasingly on the Internet.

  • The need for Information seems insatiable - the more a person knows about a particular subject, the more they want to know. It is also true that the less someone knows about something which is of some interest to them the more they will seek out information to expand their knowledge.

  • Advances in technology in computing and desktop publishing means it is now unbelievably easy and cost effective to engage in Information provision businesses.

  • People will pay money for access to good, useful sources of information. They have little time to do the required research themselves and will pay someone else to distil the information they require into useable forms.

  • There are numerous Information product types and it is more than likely you will find one or more of the following financially rewarding. E-zines, audio tapes, video tapes, CD-ROM, DVD, Live tele-conferences, workshops and Seminars.

Adaptable Business

A direct marketing business working with Information affords you the opportunity to change with your market as quickly as it takes to produce a new Information product.

This can literally range from a few hours for new, short shelf life information products to a few days or weeks for longer lasting Information items.

In some cases the changes you need to make to your products to stay ahead of changing market trends may be as simple as title changes and a few amended paragraphs in the content.

Low Start-Up Capital Requirements

Many of your good ideas go by the wayside for one simple reason. It costs too much to successfully float the idea, and then to sustain it through the early years as it becomes established.

An Online direct response information product business can be started for less than $300 per annum in the USA or ?200 per annum in the UK.

At the very minimum, you will require

  • A domain and website on a professional hosting platform

  • An Autoresponder Service to send out e-mail communications to your prospects and customers

  • You will also require some means for accepting payment for your Information Product.

One of the truly remarkable things about this business is that these requirements can be achieved for the low capital outlay described above.

Conclusion

Information marketing is not the only ideal business model, and I am sure you can think of others that fit the characteristics noted at the beginning. However, Information marketing via direct response offers you the perfect Business setup to ensure a positive start-up and a healthy business model.

About The Author

Charles Kangethe of http://www.simplyeasier.com is a leading new wave Netpreneur and a published author from England. The Simply Easier brand name is your guarantee of high value, quality Marketing Products, Services and Resources.

Charles has been involved in direct response marketing since 1982. He now lives in Suffolk County and spends his time working on new Online Marketing campaigns, with particular focus on helping new netpreneurs.

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Why Does Your Business Need An Autoresponder? - June 24th, 2009

Suppose you have a website with 500 visitors a day, and one in fifty of them requests information. That’s ten e-mails you’re going to have to send manually for the next few days or weeks. And tomorrow you get another ten, and the next day another ten… can you imagine how complicated managing this process could be?

Each visitor to your site who requests more information is a hot lead for your home business. Don’t ignore these people. Don’t let these prospects fade away because you don’t have time to personally contact them. Persistently go after the sale. These potential clients will likely be buying from somewhere. It should be from your site. Frankly, if you don’t follow-up, you will be losing sales.

Do you know this list ? :

  • 2% of sales are made on the 1st contact

  • 3% of sales are made on the 2nd contact

  • 5% of sales are made on the 3rd contact

  • 10% of sales are made on the 4th contact

  • 80% of sales are made on the 5th-12th contact

Before your future customers buy from you, you must address all their concerns and demonstrate the value you offer. You must make it easy to buy from your site and provide your potential customers with the assurance they need. You need to show them how to use your product and you must prove that they will be getting all the features they need to do the job.

That means that you must send multiple follow-up messages to your leads of yesterday, and to your today’s leads, and to the leads of tomorrow and …

Do you think you can handle that manually, without losing control? Maybe you think you can, because you still have a small number of visitors to your website. But you want your home business to grow, do you?

Sure, you do! So take my advice:

If you don’t set up your home business to run itself from the start, you will have big problems later. You will struggle to manually do chores that your computer should be handling for itself, and your home business will never really grow!

Why? Because, you will be so busy handling your daily chores, that you don’t have time for the most important thing : Your Marketing!

Alex Simpson, the creator of Explosive List Building, ( http://www.my-autoresponder-secrets.com/listbuilding.html ) said this as follows: Your business lives or dies by how well you make consistent targeted efforts at selling more and more stuff, to more and more persons, more often!

And tell me, how can you concentrate on your marketing, when you are full time busy with your daily concerns, that can easily be done by a computer. And more, what is the fun of doing all those things manually?

Do you want some samples of every day tasks for your Autoresponder?

  • Handle the routine FAQ

  • Provide free Special Reports

  • Send detailed product information

  • Send a series of lessons on how to use your product

  • Establish and build rapport

  • Encourage prospects to become purchasers

  • Email a series of discount coupons

  • Tracking the response of different ads you run

  • Encourage purchasers to buy additional products

  • Send thank-you letters

  • Send information on shipping, payment, warranty

  • Ask your buyers for testimonials

  • Follow up with Joint Venture Partners

  • Sell back end products

  • Subscription tool for your newsletter

  • List handler for your newsletter

Please sit down for ten minutes with a piece of paper, and write down how YOU can use an Autoresponder for YOUR business, and the list will be much, much longer.

So do yourself a favor, and start automating what ever you can! If you’re not using autoresponders, you better start as soon as possible! You want to work at home? Do it Smart directly from the Start!

About The Author

Albert Hoogendoorn is the publisher of Autoresponder Ezine, a free bi-weekly email newsletter about Autoresponders and email marketing. Signup and get four valuable bonusses.

http://www.my-autoresponder-secrets.com

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A Cool Email Communication Tip - June 24th, 2009

If I sent you an email that said: "The Big Bear is being replaced by Giant Eagle." you probably would have no idea what I was talking about. First you would try to figure out what "Big Bear" and "Giant Eagle" meant. You would surmise that these must be important names because they are capitalized ? but you still don’t have enough information to go on.

At this point you have only 3 possible choices:

  • Delete the email and forget about it;

  • Reply to my email and ask me to what I am referring to; or

  • Take a guess.

    Most people do not like to appear they misunderstood something, so the majority of people faced with this or a similar situation will try to guess at the meaning. If you live in California, you may think "Big Bear" is referring to Big Bear Lake. If you live in Arizona on an Indian Reservation, you may think "Big Bear" is an Indian name and refers to an actual person. And if by some chance another person with an Indian name of "Giant Eagle" existed ? my email could be totally misunderstood and cause my Indian friend to tell others about how a man named Big Bear is near death and will be replaced by a man named Giant Eagle. (Sound too far-fetched? Misunderstandings that turn into catastrophes like this happen every single day.)

    But if you lived in Columbus, Ohio ? you would automatically understand that "Big Bear" and "Giant Eagle" are two grocery store chains. So in my original email I should have really said: "The Big Bear grocery store is being replaced by the Giant Eagle grocery store." By simply adding the words "grocery store" for clarity ? I could send my email to anyone in the world and they would probably understand what it meant without question.

    The point of this article is that YOU need to think about the person receiving your email before you click the SEND button. Just because you understand what your email means, doesn’t mean the person receiving your email will know what you mean. I get emails from people (including attorneys) every day with messages like: "I contacted you about 9 months ago. Do you remember me?" There is no name, no phone number and no other information but I am supposed to remember some unknown person that I spoke to 9 months ago. Come on folks! I don’t know of anyone on the planet earth who could do this.

    Or perhaps you are one of those people like me. You always make sure you write clear and concise emails. You also review them before clicking the SEND button and you consider yourself to be pretty good with your email communication. But one day you get an email like "The Big Bear is being replaced by Giant Eagle." Which one of the three choices listed above would you choose to do in order to handle this email? Would you choose to "guess" at the meaning like everyone else? If so, you need to think about a very simple solution ? and that is to simply click the "REPLY" button and say: "Please clarify your statements so that I may sufficiently handle your request."

    Yes ? it’s sad that the Big Bear grocery stores were replaced by the grocery store chain, Giant Eagle. For one thing, the Big Bear stores had the best deli food in the city and prepared excellent trays for many corporate functions in and around Columbus. But the real question here is: "Did you learn anything to improve your email communication skills by reading this article?" I hope so. I also hope to receive more email messages in the near future that are clear and concise so that I can accurately respond to them.

    About The Author

    Victoria Ring has authored 35 books and 850 articles to help others start and expand their businesses. Other books and products developed by Victoria Ring, including additional copyright free articles are available at http://www.victoriaringconsulting.com or sign-up for Victoria’s new training class, How to Make More Money as a Notary Signing Agent at http://www.50statenotary.com/classes/course01/index.html

    bkparalegal@hotmail.com

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