Sunny Suggs!

We live in a virtually high-tech world but we still seem to be plagued with many old-fashioned problems when it comes to communication. Take email for example; how do you convince the recipient to open the message (or envelope in regular mail)?

The answer would be – use a good subject line. This helps your messages avoid getting deleted without ever being opened.

The reader has to see at a glance what the message is all about, and a subject line allows this ability. He can then determine if the message is worth opening. These are 3 methods for writing an effective subject line:

1.  Say something useful

Never leave a subject line blank. People have no time to be bothered and there’s always the threat from email viruses. Subject lines give them an idea of what the message is concerning.

Typing “Hi”, “Hello” or “Greetings” is just as bad. Those are good for your friends or family, but it means nothing in the professional sense.

2.  Be Specific

People receive tons of email. You topic needs to be specific if you want it to get through the muddle and actually get read. The best chance to catch attention is through a very detailed subject line.

Here are good examples, instead of typing “Question,” try, “Question about ABC event.”  Instead of typing “Proposal” try, “Proposal for event on 12/14.”

3.  Be Creative

Specific subject lines are most suitable on people who are expecting you message, or people who know you. A little creativity will help you on those people you do not know.

So, what sort of information will convince the recipient to open and read your message? Based on the recipient, the exact content will diverge.

Let’s see a few examples that display an assortment of goals:

•    To identify yourself, try “Local Meeting Planner.”
•    To tell how you met the person, try “Chamber Networking Dinner.”
•    To explain why you’re contacting him/her, try “MPI Fundraiser.”
•    To exploit a common bond with recipient, try “Fellow MIT grad.”
•    To distinguish yourself from others, try “Japanese Speaking Realtor.”

One more thing to watch out for when writing your subject line is length. Be advised that most recipients can only view 25-35 characters of a subject line. So you have to develop a skill in making short, detailed and creative subject lines.

Some simple tips would be to use phrases instead of complete sentences. Abbreviations that are easily understood by recipients are also acceptable

When I open my mailbox, there’re always the usual bills, bank statements, bogus million dollar offers, etc. but every so often, in the middle of that junk an envelope seems to just jump out. Sometimes it’s from my favorite restaurant saying “thanks for being a loyal customer, next time you come by, your dessert is on the house.”

Well you are probably like me – you certainly can’t resist an offer that is so pertinent to you. There are millions like us out there too and we check our email more often than our actual mailboxes.

Forget about Spam. Those are the bogus offers. This is direct email marketing at its best, reaching the right customers with the appropriate offers.

Now let’s see that coupon from the restaurant again. Envision the results from their perspective; if you come in the restaurant with their coupon, then their marketing efforts were successful.

On the other hand, think of the cost in terms of time and money that the management went through just to get that coupon into your hands. The printing, envelopes and postage and the hired help were surely expensive and time consuming.

Here’s where direct email marketing stands out. The emails are all pre-designed and the backend is ready-made for you so you can do everything yourself. There’s absolutely no postage, no stuffing or expensive printing costs. All it takes is a few minutes of clicking a few buttons on your computer.

As a result of the sudden popularity of direct email marketing among a growing number of small businesses, several email marketing programs are now designed for non-technical persons. This means anyone can be an expert in these programs in a short time.

Another advantage provided by direct email marketing programs is access to the most advanced functions. Again, assume the role of the restaurant proprietor. You’ve earlier asked your customers to fill up a customer satisfaction survey which includes their email addresses. A few days after, you sent them a Free Dessert email coupon with a “forward to a friend” link. This enables them to email the Free Dessert coupon to their friends.

Did you know that you can see exactly who opened the messages and when they did it? You can also find out who forwarded their coupons to their friends. All you have to do is go into the Reports and Stats section of your direct email marketing program.

That’s not where it stops. You can offer extra incentives to that group of readers who forwarded their coupons to their friends.

Direct email marketing amplifies the power of information, at relatively no cost. So next time you get a coupon from your favorite restaurant, think about how much better things would be if he had used direct email marketing instead of traditional mail.

One of the best means to maintain return customers is to keep them on a consumer mailing list by reminding them about your company and what it stands for.

It’s important to always ask a customer if they want to be added to the list before they check out. To simplify things, have a box on your website that the consumer can check if they want to be on your consumer mailing list. Make it short. Too much blanks to fill out usually turns a person off.

Too many mailings will be annoying to customers. Monthly messages are sufficient to keep you fresh in their minds as the likely source to approach when they need a product that you have in your lineup. Your newsletters and promotions are a great way to include consumer incentives and the fact that these customers might use them for future reference are a definite plus.

Send out mailing list as efficiently as possible. There are programs designed to accomplish the task of sending out correspondence that will save you a lot of time.

Keep your mailing lists to a proper limit and certify that they are related to the affairs of your company. Maintaining a practical list will keep your customers focused on the information you want them to have.

Consumer mailings are one of the most crucial tools that you can use in your internet business. Taking action to increase your list’s efficiency will advance your company’s growth potential and bring in more business by keeping you in the front ranks of your customers mind.

Business growth largely depends on information technology. Today’s rapid paced environment has caused an ever increasing number of people to discover the convenience and emerging necessity of the Internet, which has enabled millions of people’s names and addresses from around the world to connect. A number of opportunities to advance “below the line” marketing strategies has been enabled as a result.

In the 1990’s, innovative marketers employed “bulk mail marketing” – sending out of advertisements and infomercials to email users. This is what we currently call SPAM mail, or unsolicited email. This went on unrestricted although today, measures are being taken to stop “spammers”.

Many US states and countries worldwide have enacted anti-spamming laws to protect the internet public against unsolicited mail. To reduce the risk of breaking these laws, the sender must have a clean list of targeted email addresses. This also guarantees the success of bulk email marketing strategies.

Extraction of targeted email addresses from URL’s and email service providers is possible through some commercially available software. This makes generating a handy addressee list a straightforward task.

Another viable option is a ready-made list which is usually offered from email services, agencies that conduct surveys, and other online vendors.

Email address lists should contain only those that indicate willingness to receive your email. Marketers cannot risk offending potential customers by sending magazines and newsletters these people are not interested in.

Have you ever thought about the possibility of missing out on business opportunities or losing important correspondence because of your spam filter? Chances are, yes you are.

All unknown or unexpected messages, which unfortunately include inquiries from prospective customers, are flagged down by spam filters and detoured to your spam box and you’d never find out unless you checked. Great opportunities can be missed if those inquiries do not who up in your inbox.

No for some easy steps to receive leads, protect your email and avoid financial and technical regrets:

1. If you use automated email filtering, make a habit of checking your spam box regularly. If you use Microsoft Outlook and AOL, adjust your security levels settings accordingly.

2. Have your webmaster set up a response form to your website, which alerts you automatically when your server recognizes an email.

3. If delivery is controlled at the ISP level, it’s best to update your “safe” and “blocked” sender lists repeatedly.

4. Use two different email accounts to separate your personal correspondence from you business messages.

5. Avoid being subjected to viruses and Adware attack by staying away from free software and clicking on unsolicited advertisements.

If you’re looking to dramatically increase the number of new leads and customers you generate each month with your emails, concentrate your email campaign with copyrighting techniques.

Usually described as a play on words where the most persuasive campaigns win, copywriting is a tool used to tempt a viewer/reader by making the product or service being promoted, desirable and beneficial.

The best way to communicate to someone that you are essentially attempting to sell a point, is through the use of the language of copywriting in your emails.

The way to do it is to maintain a proper balance between the benefits and features of your offerings in your email marketing ads. Try out these tips in your next email marketing campaign:

1. Check out some leading magazine article headlines and adapt yours accordingly into a power packed headline.

2. Again, lookup some top samples in the news of great ideas of a lead opening and grab your readers the same way they do.

3. Stay away from hype and present credible information at all times. Limit the heart of your main message to a maximum of three benefits which your product or service offers and use testimonials to backup your claims whenever possible.

4. Use the “second person” when stating your proposition since the focal point is more on the customer (“you” instead of “he” or “she”). Talk about things they can understand or relate to.

5. Since everyone likes to save money, try to be one of them. Emphasize the customer benefits.

6. Write your selling points from a customer’s point of view that and always consider their needs. Multiple selling points in bullet form should work better.

7. In order for the customer to make an intelligent decision, provide all the information they require on the product or service. A comprehensive description of both offerings should help them to decide correctly.

8. Give the customer detailed, step by step instructions.

9. Keep yourself apart from the opposition by stating why your product is superior. Be distinctly unique.

If you want to be successful in the online marketing industry, you need a method of instantly responding to customer inquiries and a way to follow up with those who have shown attraction to your business. This is where the autoresponder comes in. This system allows you to make instantaneous, fully automated responses to emails. Compose the messages you want to send and the autoresponder takes care of the rest.

A highly competitive industry like internet marketing demands that you keep your company, products and services always in mind of those who visit your site. Your autoresponder constantly maintains contact with your customers, significantly improving web site traffic and sales. Autoresponders permits you to avoid the fate of many online businesses – failure due to lack of fast follow-up contacts with potential customers and inability to remain visible to interested parties.

In order to save time and money, try an autoresponder for your initial email responses. Your customers will appreciate the quick response they get from their inquiries. Being able to send out messages automatically and as often as you wish, offers you a huge advantage in maintaining customer contact and awareness.

For today’s businesses to reach their customers and grow, Email marketing is an easy, effective and cost effective method.

Sending out email newsletters keeps your business in sight and mind of your growing network. Newsletters develop interest in your company while simultaneously demonstrating your expertise and depth – those two important assets that a small business owner should possess.

Starting out need not be a complicated process. First, try to find out what makes your audience tick. What do they often ask about regarding your business? Try to address those queries professionally. It is highly probable that for each customer with a question, there are several others with the same one.

Be observant. One remarkable advantage of email marketing is that everything is trackable. Reporting results will tell you the sort of articles that interests your readers, so take note of their preference. Email works vice versa meaning you can even learn more about what they like through their feedback emailed to you.

Be your customer’s expert. Help them out by giving them free advice, something they could use in their need.

Categorize your contact database and get consent to add contacts to your mailing list. You may then start collecting new contacts with their “go ahead”. Always tell people of your intention to add them to your mailing list and inform them that they can unsubscribe anytime they wish.

A good email marketing service would be able to provide list management sevices (opt-in, unsubscribe, etc.) newsletter templates, mailing delivery and reporting functions, so it won’t be hard to find one that would fit your business. Having and using the right service is inexpensive, user-friendly and guarantees that you look highly professional when you send out your newsletter.

Once you get the hang of it, your newsletters will practically write themselves. A profitable investment does not have to be a full time job.

What used to be impossible is now increasingly becoming popular among highly successful internet marketers. Nowadays, the ability to send-out all the information that potential customers have requested could be achieved without checking your email. What gives us this capability is called an Autoresponder.

The tedious and time consuming process of opening and answering e-mails is now a thing of the past. An autoresponder is a system that permits you to spend your extra time on other facets of your business by automatically responding to emails sent by existing or potential customers. The responses are received by these people almost immediately.

Whether handling inquiries regarding products and services or welcoming new customers and thanking them for visiting your website, the versatility of autoresponders makes them a very effective tool for every type of business.

One of the many advantages of using this system is autoresponders give you notification each time a response is sent out which then permits you to track the progress of the ad campaign you are conducting. Tracking information also includes the e-mail addresses of potential customers so you can send them updated information.

There are different kinds of autoresponders and choosing the right one should be an important, initial step. Statistics maintain that it usually takes around 7 emails to conclude a sale. In several cases, customers have requested for specific information and autoresponders should allow unlimited space for the text for this purpose. Nevertheless, the more effective ads are short, direct and to the point.

There are free autoresponders available online from several sources, but paid autoresponder services may be the wiser choice because they can give you a greater range of facilities. Autoresponders are one of the more important internet marketing tools that should not cost too much in terms of value for money.

An autoresponder works 24/7 – it increases traffic and adds to your business strategy even while you sleep. It’s a system that lightens your workload tremendously while improving the marketing and promotions aspect of the business.

Your internet standing and business profitability will grow and expand as long as the autoresponder system you select answers all your requirements.

If you’re a marketer who has web hosting which has unlimited autoresponders, absolutely free of extra charge, then you’d probably think the idea of paying for those same services is insane.

Well, call me crazy but I did just that – I made the switch to paying a monthly fee for unlimited autoresponders a short time ago. You think I’m throwing away my money? Have I really gone mad?

I don’t think so. This may be one the wisest decisions I’ve ever made. Here are some reasons why you might want to go the same course:

1.    Sequential Autoresponders – Each autoresponder can only send one response, notwithstanding the unlimited autoresponders that several webhosts are offering. An increase in sales can result from starting good business relationships with paid autoresponder services.

2.    Tracking Capabilities – Paid autoresponder services can track customer response which is very important to running effective advertising campaigns. Your webhost’s autoresponders does not have this built-in capability.

3.    Deliverability – Using your web host’s mailing list program in sending newsletters means a big percentage of your subscribers are not receiving them. Paid autoresponder services offer a huge improvement in your bottom line by dramatically increasing newsletter delivery.

4.    Legal Protection – You are legally protected when you avail of paid autoresponder services. False accusations of spamming (sending unsolicited commercial e-mail) cannot touch you when everything you send out is hosted on the autoresponder service’s servers.

There are other alternatives other than paid autoresponder services, which allow you to run unlimited, sequential autoresponders from your websites. You could consider buying an autoresponder program / script, but this requires technical proficiency from the user to achieve the desired results. These programs are also quite pricey and have drawbacks that may outweigh the advantages. For one, you would not be legally protected since you will be hosting your own autoresponders.

Increasing your business profits through paid autersponder services is clearly more hassle-free and beneficial than other autoresponder systems.