Digital Profit Success

Facebook and email marketing

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FB

Facebook has 1 over billion users and over 600 million active daily users. And it also has the broadest age-range diversity, and all this means that you can get in front of a giant that caters to the needs to every business, every marketer, no matter what niche they are in.

Because it has such an active users base, and such diverse demographics, any serious business MUST be on Facebook.

This is why all businesses need to have a Facebook fan page. And the good news is that with the Facebook Fan page and its additional promotion tabs, you can combine Facebook and email marketing together to reach people and, most importantly, engage them!

This is great news for you in two ways: it adds value to your social media efforts and it also helps you build your email list efficiently.

There are numerous ways that a marketer or a business can increase their social presence on Facebook and engage their fans, hence creating brand awareness and building brand trust, while at the same time making sure they are building their email subscriber list.

However, out of the many methods available, only a handful are truly worth your time, effort, and the money you invest.

After all, even if you do need to spend money in order to make money (which is generally true), you know that the key is to have a great return on investment (ROI) and this means that you could effectively be getting subscribers for free! If you are spending $1 to gain a subscriber and your average ROI per subscriber is $1 you are building your list for free; in this case the key to building a list quickly is to spend more!

Next time we’ll look at how you can use Facebook promotions to engage your audience and how you can use those types of promotions to increase your email list.

How to use articles and free reports to build your list

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Well, this is the the final post in this list building series. I  hope you have enjoyed these posts and learned a lot about building and maintaining your first email list. In this post you will learn how to use articles and free reports to build your list.

Getting new customers for your business should be your number one priority. It is every bit as important as providing a high quality product or service and this should go hand in hand with providing the best customer service you can, because happy customers are repeat customers.

Email marketing is a very low cost strategy that is proven to be very effective when used properly. Your email list gives you the chance to communicate information about your business, products and services to your subscribers on a regular basis. It can also be used to market new products and ideas and to provide excellent customer service.

As stated in a previous post, once your website visitors subscribe to your list they basically have given their consent for you to send them information, promotional materials and also to follow up with them after they make a purchase. It is essential when using email marketing that you present your promotional items in a way that grabs the attention of your subscribers and keeps them wanting more.

One of the best ways to do this is to provide fun, entertaining and high quality informational articles. Well written articles packed with useful information will help you to build your list and keep your subscribers on your list for longer.

Many entrepreneurs already understand the importance of using articles to increase traffic, attract new customers and for search engine optimization. Well written articles will not only provide the information people are looking for, but it will also help them find you.

Whenever you write and post an article online, whether that be on your website or blog, or submitting it to an article directory such as Ezinearticles.com, it will be indexed by the search engines. Then when people go online to search for information related to the topic of your article you will have a much better chance of being found and thus attracting their attention.

The real magic of using articles in this way is to use them to provide a link back to your optin form via the signature block. Use this for every article you publish or submit online. The signature box is simply a short note at the end of your article that may include some basic information about you (the author), your business and a link back to your website/blog where they can find more information.

A tried and tested way of improving the results you receive from every article you publish is to offer readers a free report containing more information on the topic to anyone who clicks the link and subscribes to your email list.

If you have ever subscribed to an email list in exchange for a free report or short course then you have seen this technique in action and you know first-hand that it works!

When you start building your first email list it’s important to remain focused on your main objectives. There is a lot to learn and the process may take some time, so do your research, learn everything you can and you will have no problem getting the results you desire.

Now go out there and build your list. You won’t regret it…

Keep your subscribers engaged and coming back for more

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In this lesson let’s discuss how to keep your subscribers interested, engaged and coming back for more.

When your business provides a great product or service that satisfies customers, it increases the chance that they will end up becoming a repeat customer and buy from you again. And they may also recommend you to other people and that could generate more business for you and your site.

This alone can drive more traffic to your site, where you can persuade them to subscribe to your list. Then you can send them a series of emails including newsletters, site updates, special offers etc.

The benefit of using email as your marketing platform is that you can reduce the high costs of other types of advertising. After all, email is cheap (or even free if self hosted) and if you can manage to make your own promotional advertisements, you can also save money there too.

If your list is full of interested subscribers you can be pretty sure that your emails are being received, viewed and read by your subscribers and not simply being deleted, because they have signed up to your list and consented to receive it.

This is a great way to keep reminding them about your business, products and services as well as any promotions and special offers you may have. There is also the possibility that they may be forwarded to their friends or colleagues who may in turn become potential customers for your business.

And don’t worry too much about unsubscribes; they happen and are a part of any business. Just make sure that your subscribers are satisfied with the information you provide and this will keep them interested in receiving your email.

Here are few tips to keep your list interested and engaged:

  • Make it easy to opt-in. Provide easy instructions for them to follow and don’t ask for too much information up front; an email address is fine. Make sure you reinforce all of the benefits that they will get out of their subscription.
  • Make your emails interesting and entertaining. Find out what people are interested in, and this way you can send them information that you know they will be excited to receive. This means that they will look forward to your emails. For example, if you are selling dance wear, let them know what is new and trending in the dance world.
  • If you want to build a profitable mailing list, you need to offer something to your subscribers that they really want. Quality content is very important. Be sure that the information you’re sending your readers provides value and helps them.
  • Write informative and engaging content. If your subscribers enjoy reading your email, they will be much more likely to click on your links to find out more. This results in more traffic to your website and ultimately more sales for your business.
  • If you’re not a great writer, don’t worry as there are many professional and experienced writers that can be hired for a small fee. They will know what they’re doing and they can create content for you but it is important that you communicate well and tell them exactly what you want.

In the final post we will be discussing how to use articles and free reports to build your list.

Quick tips to build your opt-in list the right way

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It’s time for the third post in the list building tutorial. Today we are going to go over some quick tips that you can use to build your optin list the right way.

As we have discussed before, an optin list is one the best, most effective ways that you can build your business and increase your profits. It can mean the difference between just staying in business and having a successful and profitable business.

As you now know, an optin list basically is just a list or a database of names and email addresses of people who have visited or made a purchase through your website. This “golden” list will allow you to send updates, emails or promotions to those who are subscribed.

Building a list can definitely work to your benefit. It helps you stay in contact and build a good relationship with your subscribers, which can lead to more sales for your business.

Here are some quick tips you can use to build your optin list:

– You should put a ‘subscribe link’ or ‘subscribe box’ on your web site. It is advisable to put it on all your pages. Then make sure that it is strategically positioned, meaning it has to be easily located by the visitors. The upper right hand corner of the page would be a good position.

– Promote your website and promote it even more to make give it more exposure and to get more subscribers.

– Come up with contests or give away freebies and goodies that will require visitors to give out their email address to be able to join.

– Give out information, articles and updates to your subscribers with your links in it. Make sure the information is timely and relevant to your business.

– Offer free courses to your visitors. This will help build your list and maintain a good relationship with your subscribers.

– Do some networking. Join some forums or groups and build relationships with the people there. Social media sites like Facebook, Google+ and LinkedIn make this so easy and it’s a good way to add more contacts to your list.

Don’t send bulk email to people who haven’t subscribed to your list. This is spam! Always get permission from people before you add them to your list, or you could ruin your reputation.

Don’t flood your subscribers with information that doesn’t pertain to the reason they subscribed to your list. They will only get annoyed and unsubscribe. You worked hard to get them on your list, so treat them right and keep them there.

As your list grows, make sure that you maintain it well. Keep in contact with your subscribers. Send them updates. Give out special offers, helpful tips and little gifts to let them know you appreciate them.

There are many benefits of having a large list of subscribers. They can keep you in business, help you grow and you will definitely enjoy the profits when they come in.

That’s it for today’s post. In the next post, we will be talking about how to keep your subscribers interested, engaged and coming back for more.

Building and managing your new list

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In this second post on list building, we are going to talk more about building and managing your new list.

Building and managing an optin list provides the list owner direct access to potential customers. As we discussed in the last post, building and managing an optin list includes making it possible for website visitors to fill out an online form in order to sign up to receive email updates from you. These emails can contain updates, information, or news related to your latest products and services.

As you should know, building and managing an optin list is very important. Your list can be used in many ways. It’s a proven marketing technique, that many businesses use to keep customers, subscribers and website visitors updated and engaged in your business.

Gathering email addresses for your optin list can be done in several ways, using many different types of services, scripts and software. For today, we are going to talk mainly about using an autoresponder script or service.

An autoresponder script allows a subscriber to fill in a form and send it in to a specific address. The information is then processed and included in a database file. After that, the list owner can send a personalized reply to the subscriber to thank them for joining their list.

There are several types of autoresponder’s available. They are divided into three main types: remotely hosted, locally hosted, and desktop hosted.

For many list owners, locally and desktop-hosted are far preferred over remotely hosted. Although remote hosted are a very good option in some cases, locally and desktop hosted autoresponder’s will allow you complete control because you are running the program on your own site.

If you have a domain name, you can use as many autoresponder’s as you like, all of which will match your domain name. When you use a remotely hosted program, you won’t be able to use your domain name with the autoresponder, unless you pay for a premium service. Instead, you’ll receive an address from the provider that resembles their link. This can be great for some, although many prefer to have their own domain name listed in the autoresponder.

If you use your own domain name with your autoresponder, you can normally keep it secret that you are using an autoresponder. When you send out emails using your autoresponder, it will display your website email, making it very hard to detect an autoresponder.

If you use a remotely hosted autoresponder, those you send messages to will notice that you are using an autoresponder. If you are just starting out and happen to be on a tight budget and have the technical skills required, a remotely hosted autoresponder may very well be the best solution. You can use it until you get more money and get back on track, although you shouldn’t use it long term. Remotely hosted programs can get expensive very quickly; as the monthly charges will add it quick each month you use the program.

You can find remotely hosted autoresponder’s all over the Internet; all you have to do is search on Google, Bing or Yahoo. Aweber and GetResponse are very popular among marketers.

Although locally hosted autoresponder’s may be preferred by many, they do have their disadvantages. Some types will limit how many domains you can install them on. If the vendor doesn’t provide free installation, you could have a problem installing the script, as most require some degree of technical experience. Although you have complete control over the program, locally hosted programs don’t have as many features as remotely hosted programs. Also, deliverability may be less than compared to a remotely hosted solution.

Desktop-hosted autoresponder’s are good, although they have disadvantages. Some types will limit how many copies you can install on different computers. To get the most from them, you’ll need a computer that is always connected to the Internet. You’ll also need some experience to set them up, and they aren’t recommended for those who have large mailing lists. As with local hosting, deliverability may be less than compared to a remotely hosted solution.

Although there are 3 main types of autoresponder’s the type you choose should depend on your website and your needs. What’s the best idea for you may be completely different to someone else. When you make your final decision, you should always decide on what you need for your company, then pick the solution that works best for you.

Remember, building and managing an optin list is one of the best and most effective ways to increase profits for your business, so it’s important you do it the right way.

That’s it for today’s post. In your next post, we will be talking about building a relationship with your news subscribers.

Some important do’s and don’t of list building

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In today’s post, we are going to go over some of the important do’s and don’t of list building, so that you can get started building your own profitable list right away.

One of the most powerful tools in online marketing is an email list. An optin list is simply a database of people’s names and email addresses. Usually this information is collected from them via a web form, which gives the list owner permission to send subscribers periodic emails on specific topics that interest them.

The best part of this powerful tool is that it gives the list owner the ability to communicate and build a relationship with people who are interested in their business, products, or services. When it comes to effective list building there are a few do’s and don’ts that you should know before you start your own optin mailing list.

First lets go over some of the things you should do:

– Always inform people that they can subscribe or unsubscribe at any time. Be sure to let them know that their information is safe and that you will never rent, sell or share their email address with anyone.

– Make sure that let your subscribers know what you will be sending them. It is important that you ask people permission to send them promotional email when they subscribe to your mailing list so that you can reduce your risk of being accused of sending SPAM.

– Be clear about how people can benefit from subscribing and how often will you contact them. Let them know exactly what they will be receiving.

– If you can, contact any new subscriber as soon as you can. Welcome them with notes and tell them what to expect. A good autoresponder service will help you do this automatically.

– Make it easy to subscribe by having a highly visible optin form or link on the main pages of your website. Signing up should take as little time as possible and don’t ask for too much information right away. A name and email address is all you need to get started.

– After someone subscribes then you should collect more data. For instance, you may want to know their company name, industry, or location. You can do this by including a survey in your emails to gauge interests. It’s important to understand where people are coming from so you can make adjustments in your communications or promotions.

– When you write an email, put yourself in the reader’s shoes and ask, “Why shouldn’t I hit the delete key right now?” Your readers didn’t subscribe because they want to hear a sales pitch. They have a reason for wanting information from you. It could be to save time, money, or effort, or improve productivity and success. Your emails must be compelling enough to convince people to sign up, valuable enough to keep them wanting more, and useful enough to pass along.

Next, are the things you shouldn’t do:

– Add everyone who has ever emailed you to your list. Always ask permission first.

– Purchase bulk email lists that you are not 100% sure that are optin. Always have evidence to prove the legitimacy of the email addresses.

– Never abuse the trust of your subscribers. This is a sure way to ruin your reputation, business and your chance of success. When you abuse your subscribers and bombard them with unwanted email, they will ignore your messages, unsubscribe or even worse report you as a spammer.

– Don’t offer fantastic incentives for subscribing. Although this may seem like a great idea, you will end up getting subscribers that only want the reward, not to learn valuable information about what your business, products and services can do for them. Instead, use incentives that are useful such as a free report, seminar, or more information about your products & services.

– Don’t bombard your subscribers with too many emails. How many are too many? This will depend on your message. During the subscription process, let people know what they are getting before they join.

– Don’t be reluctant to address the needs of your subscribers. Keep your information focused. It is important to give them what they want. This will keep them on your list and wanting more. If you’re information drifts off topic or is too generic you will lose subscribers as fast as you get them.

– Don’t spend too much money acquiring email addresses. An optin list is a valuable asset and that means there is an investment on your part to build and maintain it. But, budget reasonably and in advance, find the most cost effective ways for reaching your target audience and know exactly how much it will cost to acquire each new subscriber. Keep in mind potential revenue, and lifetime value of each customer, and chose accordingly.

That’s it for today’s post. In the next post, we will be talking more about building and managing your new list.

Top Branding Mistakes That Are Hurting Your Business!

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Creating a consistent brand for an online business is a highly effective way to get more customers and clients, to increase awareness of your organization and to generally propel yourself to new heights. Having a strong brand will create many more opportunities for you and will mean that every aspect of your business helps to strengthen every other aspect.
But creating a brand isn’t easy and that’s why there are so few sites on the net that have that strong presence and identity that they need. This is the complete opposite offline where I am sure you can reel off dozens of brands off the top of your head! Here are some of the most common mistakes that companies and individuals will make when creating their brand…

Lack of Congruency
Your visual consistency – in terms of the way your brand looks across various channels and the way you have positioned yourself in your industry and the values you put out MUST be congruent.

Lack of consistency
This is closely linked to congruency.The point of a consistent brand is that it should represent a certain degree of quality and a certain predictability in terms of what users get. People should know that something with your logo on it will be something that they enjoy. So if your website is talking about puppy dogs one week and programming the next, you’re going to lose people. Likewise, if you put out a brilliant product one month and the next thing you release is garbage, people won’t be able to trust you in future. Stay consistent and stay true to your vision.

Poor Visual appeal
Aesthetics are an important aspect of your branding and if you don’t have a strong logo and strong visuals through your advertising and web design, then your brand isn’t going to be memorable to your customers and users. If your logo is a grainy JPG that looks like something you made in college, then it might be time to hire a professional or at least have a rethink.

Missed Opportunities
Every business card, social media account, invoice and email is a chance to strengthen your brand. Make sure you include your logo everywhere and don’t miss an opportunity to show it off.

Lack of Self Awareness
When creating your branding, you are creating the way that people are going to see you. To do this effectively though, you need to be objective and realistic. If you’re a one-man-band tinkering in your free time, then don’t try and brand yourself as a global corporate enterprise. It will ring false and your brand will fail as a result.

4 Tips to Boost your Email Marketing Strategy

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Email marketing is a constantly developing process reflecting the change in wants, needs, and actions of the population. Many marketers have been guilty of abusing the email inboxes of potential customers and clients as email marketing evolved: they constantly sent emails to all potential customers, thus invading the privacy of their consumer base.

More and more emails end up going straight to the spam folder due increasingly aggressive filters from the internet service providers and email platform such as Gmail so it has become more difficult to get your emails seen, let alone read! Luckily the evolution of email and society has led to a recent resurgence in email marketing. Companies can now communicate with their consumers through a variety of different email platforms.

Any business or entrepreneur can benefit from a good email marketing strategy and the 4 tips below will help you to tweak your approach to email marketing thus giving you the boost you need to make your email campaigns more successful.

 

Be concise

Try to keep your emails short and to the point as many consumers do not want to read long emails. Each email should address one topic only and be laser focused on that topic alone; don’t waffle – just stick to the point and get your message across as quickly as possible. Those who manage to get their point across quickly will keep the attention of their consumers and will increase engagement and thus open rates for any future emails.

 

Don’t email too often

Do you suffer from inbox overload? I certainly do as there are many marketers who insist on emailing every single day and sometimes even multiple times per day. And do you know what happens to them? If you’re like me I quickly hit the unsubscribe link! Communicate sparingly and if somebody hears from you less often, they are more likely to open your emails and pay attention to what you have to say when you do communicate with them.

 

Give Your Audience a Reason to Read

Your audience needs to have a compelling reason to read what you have to say. To that end, ALL your emails should be beneficial to the reader, whether that is in the form of information, a sale, or an offer that you think will benefit THEM, not you! Don’t become one of these spammy marketers who just send out emails like “My friend just released this great course/product on X,Y,Z so go check it out…. There is no benefit here for the reader and has me quickly clicking the unsubscribe link!

 

Know your Target Market

You need to work to know who you are talking to so that you can talk to them at their level, using their verbiage. The more you know about the person you are speaking to the easier it will be for you to connect with them. Connections are critical, especially when trying to introduce a call to action or increase their interest through an email strategy.

 

When coming up with an email marketing strategy, think about the whole process and not just 1 or 2 parts in isolation. How will you address your readers and what benefits will they get from reading your emails? If you can speak directly to your audience and give them a compelling reason to read and listen to you, your email campaign will be successful. So really take the time to get to know your audience to make your email marketing strategy as powerful and successful as possible.