Get More Clients Online

Unsubscribing from email lists

I just recently went through a big email purge, taking myself off of many lists that aren't really helping me with anything or those that I simply have no time to read.  I'm discovering that the majority of the lists offer a pretty quick way to unsubscribe.  You simply hit the unsubscribe link in the broadcast, and you're either immediately unsubscribed, or have to choose the list(s) from you you want to unsub and you're done.  Pretty easy, overall, just like I make it for people on my lists.

However, even in 2010 I'm discovering 2 things:

1.  Large companies, retail stores and department stores in particular, make it VERY difficult to get off of their lists.  I won't name names, but going through this unsubcribing process with them doesn't endear them to me at all.  In fact, it really makes me not want to do any future business with them.  Once I finally figured out how to get off of the list, I got a message that the unsubscription request will take 7-10 business days to process.  Really????  In this day of automation, when even a micro biz owner like me can offer unsubscription automation, a huge corporate entity is unable to do this instantly?  I think not.  Or, if that is the case, they REALLY need to rethink their email marketing policies.

2.  Some of these same large companies require you to dig for the email address you used to subscribe to their list in order for you to enter it into a box to get off of their list.  I realize that their goal must be to make  it as difficult as possible to remove yourself from their list in order to retain list numbers.  However, how much customer goodwill is being sabotaged in this process?  And sometimes you have to enter the email address twice for confirmation purposes.  Again, really???  Whoever heard of anyone stealthily unsubscribing people from a list??  Doesn't it usually work in the opposite way?

OK, I'll hop off of my soapbox now.  Too bad that they don't subscribe to my general business philosophy of making it as easy as possible for your customers/prospects to choose to do business with you.  If we all operated with this philosophy, the world would be a better place. <g>

Newsletter Makeover

New Year, new newsletter look, right? Right before the holidays I read some high praise from Ken Foster of Shared Vision Network about John Neyman of Leader Excel Solutions, who was putting together Ken's ezine. I got in touch with John about his service, and today's newsletter is the result. I loved the updated, streamlined look, and hope you do, too!

I had a particular template in mind, so I sent John a link to my current ezine template, along with an idea of what I was seeking for the new template. In just a few days his team had returned my new template, and with just a few tweaks, it was complete! John is very easy to work with and his team gets it right the first time out, which is incredibly valuable to time-stressed entrepreneurs!

For $97/month, John's team will design your ezine template and format your HTML newsletter. You can read more about John's service here.

Getting subscribers to my ezine

Q:  I recently advertised my ezine as a part of a radio show I was on and didn't get a single opt-in. Should I have done something differently? And now that I have a sales page for my newsletter, which can I do with it?

Susanna Opper
Shawenon.com

Hi Susanna--

A:  Here are a couple of recommendations I have for you:

1.  Subscribing to an ezine doesn't get the response it once did.  Now, you have to give something away (report, audio, ebook) to entice someone to sign up for your ezine.

Here are a couple of articles on how to cretae that giveaway:

Grow Your List with an Effective Client-Capturing Device

5 Secrets to Moving the Free Line with Your Client Capturing Device

10 Most Effective Client Attraction Device Giveaways

2.  Your sales page (squeeze page) needs to have its own URL that's easy to say and to remember, especially if it's being promoted on a radio show.  You can see my ezine squeeze page here:  http;//www.TurbochargeYourOnlineMarketing.com.

Here's an article I've written about creating an ezine squeeze page:

How to Triple Your Ezine Opt-ins with a Squeeze Page

3.  And, once you have your ezine sales page and your client attraction device created, use the squeeze page URL whenever you speak or when you have an opportunity to drive traffic to your site, rather than using your website URL.  I regularly submit all articles I write to various article directories, and the URL I give in my bio (resource box) is the one for my ezine squeeze page, as seen here:

Internet Marketing Automation Coach Donna Gunter helps independent service professionals create prosperous online businesses that make more profit in less time by teaching them how to automate their businesses, leverage their expertise, and get found online.  Would you like to learn the specific Internet marketing strategies that get results? Discover how to increase your visibility and get found online by claiming your FREE gift, TurboCharge Your Online Marketing Toolkit, at ==> http://www.TurbochargeYourOnlineMarketing.com

Bonus tip:  For more help in creating and implementing these strategies, names of the resources and tools I use to implement these strategies, and answers to your questions, become a member at OnlineBizU.com.

Got an Internet Marketing question?  Ask it here: AskDonnaGunter.com.

Ezine Marketing: How to Triple Your Ezine Opt-ins With a Squeeze Page

For years I've resisted the urge to create a squeeze page for my email newsletter. A squeeze page is a one-page site, or a landing page on a site, that has one call to action: convince the visitor to enter her name and email address to join your list and/or receive your giveaway. On a traditional squeeze page, the visitor has only one option -- to part with her name and email address to opt into your list. This is how the squeeze page term was coined, as the visitor is "squeezed" for her contact information to permit her to continue into the site.

I've most often seen this strategy used as the home page of a site, and the use of that strategy in that way made me hesitant to adopt it. Why? Because a squeeze page home page provides little content for search engine spiders to index and may block the indexing of the remainder of your site. You hurt your chances of using SEO to rank high in the search engines. And, I think that requiring contact info to enter your web site will turn repeat visitors away.

In the last year or so I've seen more of what I term a "wussie squeeze page," in which all of the concepts of a squeeze page are in place, but the site owner has placed a bypass link underneath the opt-in box that invites the visitor to enter the site without being forced to opt into a list.

I've recently done something similar with my ezine by placing a hidden squeeze page on my site where the top navigation links of the site are still visible but the page isn't listed and can't be accessed via the site navigation menu. So, while the invitation to bypass the opt-in box isn't quite as obvious to the visitor, a method of bypassing the opt-in box is still available to visitors. If they choose to bypass this page, I have two backup plans to capture a visitor's contact info: a subscription box on every page of my site, as well as an opt-in hover ad that pops up about 45 seconds after landing on my site.

Here are the 10 essential components you need to create an effective squeeze page for your ezine:

1. Domain Name. Pick a compelling domain name that accurately describes the result of opting into your list or the nature of the list to which the visitor is opting into. You'll want to forward this domain to a hidden page on your site that is not accessible via your navigation menu. Don't mask the domain when you forward it (i.e. hide the internal URL to which the domain is forwarded -- your domain registrar usually offers this as an option). If you use this domain in your resource box when you syndicate your articles, you want to reap the rewards of strong inbound links from high-traffic article directories, and that won't happen if you mask the domain name of your squeeze page.

2. Client Attraction Device. The most effective way to entice a visitor to opt into your list is by giving something away. Typically this giveaway, or what I call a Client Attraction Device, is in an electronic download format and helps solve a major issue faced by your target market. Many savvy online business owners put several electronic downloads together into a kit (audio, ebook, and checklist, for example) for their giveaway, as the expectations have increased as to what visitors expect when exchanging their contact info for free information.

3. Graphic of Giveaway. The adage of "a picture is worth a thousand words" rings quite true in the Internet marketing world. Have a graphic representation created of your giveaway, as that increases the perceived value of what you're offering.

4. Value of Giveaway. Placing a monetary value on your giveaway is another strategy to enhance the importance of this free item in the eyes of your visitors. Don't be outrageous in your pricing -- determine what you might actually charge for your giveaway if you were selling it as a product on your site.

5. Compelling Headline. A headline that grabs your reader's attention will go a long way in convincing them to hang out long enough to finish reading the content on your squeeze page. Appealing to some emotion of the visitor is the most effective way to construct a compelling headline, like fear of loss, greed, vanity, lust, pride, envy, laziness...you get the idea.

6. Captivating Copy. It's no longer sufficient to simply invite a visitor to opt into a list. Most visitors have become too savvy for that. In order to convince them to opt into your list, you must answer the "WIIFM" question, or "What's In It For Me?" This means that you need to take a page out of the copy writing playbook and essentially create a short sales letter on your squeeze page. Outline the benefits they'll receive if they opt into your list for the giveaway.

7. Enhance with Audio and Video. It never hurts to appeal to all information intake styles of your visitors. Record a quick audio or video that convinces your visitors that your giveaway is something that they cannot live without. Verbally instruct them how to opt into your list, as well.

8. Testimonials. Reading (or hearing) glowing reviews of how others liked the giveaway will often serve as the deciding factor to get a visitor to take action. Request written, audio, or video testimonials from others who've received your Client Attraction Device or from those who've purchased other products and services from you. Testimonials go a long way in convincing visitors that opting into your list is worth their time and energy.

9. Opt-in Box. You need an email marketing service to help you create an opt-in box to capture your visitor's name and primary email address. If you plan on doing direct mail marketing in the future, you may also request their mailing address and phone number as optional fields. You'll be surprised at how many visitors will complete the entire form with all of their contact info, even if the name and email address are the only two required items.

10. Informed opt-in. Let visitors know that they will also be receiving a complimentary subscription to your ezine when they opt into your list. Don't hide this fact from your visitor. Give them a bit of info about your ezine, like how often you publish it. You may want to create a graphic image of your ezine to add to this page, as well.

Want to see my ezine squeeze page? Follow the link in the resource box below to see how I've formatted my page.

A squeeze page for your ezine is an effective way to triple the opt-in rate to your email marketing list. Follow these 10 steps to skyrocket the size of your list today!

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this blurb with it:  Online Business Coach Donna Gunter helps baby boomers create profitable online retirement businesses by demystifying the steps needed to successfully market a  baby boomer business online. Would you like to learn the specific Internet marketing strategies that get results? Discover how to increase your visibility and get found online by claiming your FREE gift, TurboCharge Your Online Marketing Toolkit, at == > TurbochargeYourOnlineMarketing.com

Email Marketing Tips: 5 Best Strategies to Develop a Responsive Email List

I see the well-known Internet marketing gurus do this all the time -- they begin to try and sell to me when I first opt into their list. This has worked quite well for them over the years, but I think the tide is turning and people are generally becoming more marketing-savvy. Your list members don't mind being sold to, provided that they have a relationship with you and have completed the like, know and trust journey (or are at least on the path of this journey) of getting to know you before they decide to buy something from you.

Whether you have a 500-person list or a 5000-person list, the rate at which they respond to your offers ties directly in with how well they know, like and trust you and see you as the expert providing answers to the problems keeping them awake at night.

Here are the 5 strategies you can employ to develop a responsive email list.

1. Get personal. Discovering the inner workings of people's lives makes reality television shows popular. In the same vein, your readers want to know more about you as a person. Don't be afraid to share what's going on in your life, be that good, bad, or ugly. I receive the greatest number of comments to my ezine and blog when I post articles about very happy or very sad occasions in my life. I was overwhelmed with the responses of sympathy, care and concern I received from around the globe to an article I wrote for my ezine when my mom passed away. As a matter of fact, some folks still check in on me occasionally to see how I'm doing.

2. Talk about your business in first person. Many marketing books and training courses tell you that you need to appear to be a large company to encourage others to do business with you. For many of us, this means referring to ourselves and our companies in third person or by our company name, even though we're really a one-person shop. In reality, people want to do business with other people, not some nameless and faceless corporate entity.

I dread calling my ISP for tech support because invariably I get a nameless, faceless drone who acts as though I'm a bother and that I'm interrupting his productive goofing off during work time. All he wants to do is make me jump through the hoops outlined by his script rather than really listening to what my problem is. Instead, when I need technical assistance, I call a friend who has a tech support business and pay him to solve my problems (instead of using the free tech support provided by my ISP) because I know that my friend will get my problem fixed -- the first time.

3. Show up as the business owner. Part of the process of having your list get to know you is sharing images and audio of yourself. You can do that by using your headshot in your blog or ezine header or by posting an audio or video intro on your web site. Make sure the images that you share are recent and are reflective of how you look today. I was a guest speaker a conference several years ago and had many of the participants tell me with some amount of surprise that I actually looked like my photo in the program guide. I've had the experience of going to someone's workshop and thinking, "Wow, that headshot on his web site must've been taken 10 (or more) years ago! Man, has he aged/gained weight/fill in the blank here...." Be accurate in the images you share online -- that's very important in the relationship-building process.

4. Contact consistently. One of the questions that I'm asked all the time is about the best day of the week to send out ezines or email broadcasts. Usually I can recite the results of a recent survey that some marketing company has conducted and rattle off the stats that support certain days for B2B (business-to-business) broadcasts and other days for B2C (business-to-consumer) broadcasts. Ultimately, for the most part, the day of the week that you send a broadcast doesn't matter. What's more important is training your list to come to expect your ezine to arrive every Thursday morning, for example. Tell your list when you'll be in contact with them, and do what you say you're going to do. It is really that simple.

5. Contact frequently. Most of my clients make the big mistake of not emailing their list often enough. Many are concerned that too many emails will cause list members to unsubscribe. You need to develop a thick skin in this business because reality dictates the following: You will lose subscribers with every email you send. Perhaps you're no longer relevant to them or they're overwhelmed with email or they never really had an interest in what you offer in the first place. Who knows the reason? You need to get used to it. Send them away happily knowing that they would probably have never purchased from you anyway, and their departure makes room for a more perfect list member to join your list through one of your many list-building strategies. (You are practicing good list-building, aren't you?)

For best results, you need to email your list weekly. Any less and it takes a much longer time to build a relationship with your list because they don't hear from you as often. If you're frustrated with not getting the results you want from your list, touch base with them more often.

Email marketing works well when you have a well-established relationship with your contact list. Follow these 5 strategies to strengthen the responsiveness of your list today.

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this blurb with it:  Online Business Coach Donna Gunter helps baby boomers create profitable online retirement businesses by demystifying the steps needed to successfully market a  baby boomer business online. Would you like to learn the specific Internet marketing strategies that get results? Discover how to increase your visibility and get found online by claiming your FREE gift, TurboCharge Your Online Marketing Toolkit, at == > http://www.OnlineBizU.com

Free email marketing service

Q:  I am looking for a free e-zine site that contains automatic subscription sign ups,counts click throughs and can be set up to look like a website. I subscribed to Yahoo Groups but thet don't have the ability to build out to look like a web site or to add features that would collect newsletter subscribers. Do I have to pay a contact site?

Rev.Dr.B.Goldstien

A:  Hi Rev Goldstien--

I'm not aware of a service that has all the features that you mention that is free of charge.

Here are a couple of options for you:

1.  Email Marketing Service:  Subscribe to an email marketing service like GetMoreClientsCart.com or GetMoreClientsAutoresponder.com.  The first of these is a full-fledged shopping cart, which includes the ability to send out newsletters and has the ability to create a subscription form, which you can add into your site.

The second of these is an email marketing service only and also offers the ability to create a subscription form, which you can add to your site.

2.  Create a blogsite.  You can create a blogsite (blog/website hybrid) by using either the open-source version of Wordpress.org, or by purchasing a subscription to Typepad.  While neither of these programs offer the option of automatic subscription signups, counting of clickthroughs, etc., you can get some of that functionality by integrating free services like Feedburner or Feedblitz to handle your blog feed subscriptions.  In this way you can "publish" an email newsletter as a blog post and anyone subscribed to your feed will receive the issue.

Wordpress.org is free of charge because it's open source software, but you need some technical know-how to install it and customize it, and as with all open source software, there's no tech support for it, except what you must find yourself by searching through user forums.  You'll also need to buy a website hosting account to host it.

You can set up a Typepad blog for as little as $4.95/month. Hosting and tech support are both included with your account.

If you'd like more info about how to set up a blog or email marketing service to help you get the word out about your business, consider a membership to OnlineBizU.com.

Got an Internet Marketing question?  Ask it here: AskDonnaGunter.com.

Ezine for Wedding Planners

Q: I'm starting a new business and I'm not exactly sure if I can use an ezine.  It is a wedding planning business.

Cathy

A:  Hi Cathy--

An ezine is a great marketing tool. regardless of your business.  It helps you create a list, which the the goldmine for your business, and gives you an interested list of prospects to whom you can market.

Here are a couple of tips you'll need to know to successfully start an ezine:

1.  Make sure your email marketing software requires a double opt-in.  You'll want your prospects to confirm that they want to be added to your list.  Running a list with a single opt-in is a disaster waiting to happen -- all is takes is one perturbed list member to report you to your webhost, domain registrar, ISP, or email marketing service as a spammer, and you might see your entire web presence disappear overnight.

2.  Reach out weekly.  The best results from using an ezine as a marketing tool are obtained when you broadcast weekly.  You need to reach out and touch your prospects regularly so that they don't forget about you and you are top of mind when they need to solve the problem for which your business offers a solution.

3.  Be authentic.  The best thing someone can say about your ezine is that reading it is just like talking to you in person.  Be real as you write your ezine, and don't forget to share some personal tidbits about yourself.  New list members are traveling the like, know, and trust funnel before they become ready to buy what you're selling.

4.  Don't forget to sell.  You're not publishing an ezine because you have nothing better to do..:).  You're trying to convert prospects into paying customers. Make an offer in each ezine, whether it's for an info product you have for sale or for a complimentary consultation about your service.  Be sure your list members know that you're in business.

Here's an article on my blog that also might find helpful: Ezine Marketing: 3 Essential Components Required to Make More Sales From Your Email Newsletter.

As a member of OnlineBizU.com, you can access email newsletter templates as well as other ezine-related checklists and articles.  Find out what you're missing here.

Got an Internet Marketing question?  Ask it here: AskDonnaGunter.com.

Blog or newsletter?

Q:  A blog versus a newsletter? Which should I start?
Bob Deneen

A:  Hi Bob--

I actually still prefer both, although many people have given up on email newsletters.  Print newsletters, however, have risen in popularity. especially subscription-based ones.

The answer to your question depends on your target market.  Which do they prefer?  Personally, I know that I read newsletters before blogs, even though I've got 150+ blogs marked to follow in my blog reader.  Realistically, unless it shows up in front of my face via email, I usually don't read it.  So, I guess that makes me old school..LOL  However, asking your list of contacts is probably the only way to get real direction here.

The downsides to an ezine are that your open rate is probably going to hover around 30% (only 30 percent of your list will open any given email) and you must use an email marketing company with a proven high rate of deliverability.  I use www.GetMoreClientsAutoresponder.com.  The upside is that if the email gets through, there's a greater likelihood of it being read, especially if it has a compelling subject line that's personalized.

The downside to a blog is that if subscribers don't check their RSS readers, they may never see your posts.  The upside to a blog is that the search engines love them and will index posts much more rapidly than tradtional web pages.  So, if you optimize your post properly for keywords, there's a greater chance of finding new subscribers.

Whichever one you decide to start with, remember that you can repurpose one to the other.  Shorter blog posts can become more in-depth newsletter articles,   And, sections of your newsletter can be posted on your blog.

For more in-depth info on how to create both an email newsletter and a blog as well as access the 60-minute teleclass I held on repurposing your content, try a membership to OnlineBizU.com.

Got an Internet Marketing question?  Ask it here: AskDonnaGunter.com.

5 Secrets to Moving the Free Line With Your Client-Capturing Device

Want to listen to this article instead?

Once upon a time, in the dark ages of Internet marketing (only about 10 years ago in Internet years), all an online business owner had to do was stick an email opt-in form on her site and request visitors to join her list.  Simple, wasn't it?

Then, the legion of sp*mmers began to grow and started to make marketing by email more difficult.  So, then to encourage someone to opt into your list, you had to give something away, typically a very short assessment, checklist or special report.

As more and more online business owners implemented this strategy, website visitors started to become more skeptical.  The giveaway then had to be more substantial, like a free ebook or transcript or recording, to get a visitor to part with his contact information.

And, today, the free bar is raised yet again. Ongoing difficulties with sp*mmers and email marketing has caused online business owners to almost give away the store, it seems at times, to interest visitors in parting with their name and email address.  If you've been in business awhile, you probably have some valuable content that you can easily add to enhance your giveaway.  If you're newer in business, the first pieces of content you create should be used as your fr*ee giveway rather than creating them in hopes of selling them.  Remember, your primary call to action on your website or blog should always be to grow your list and a great giveaway does just that.

How can you be more competitive in a landscape full of marketers with fr*ee client-capturing devices?  Here are 5 secrets to moving the free line with your website giveaway:

1.  Be Content Rich.  If your giveaway isn't chock full of useful content that helps solve some immediate problems of your target market, you shouldn't waste your time.  Sure, your client-capturing device needs to have info in it about you and your products/services and an upsell to purchase from you.  However, if your giveaway is nothing but an extended infomercial about how wonderful you are and why the reader should buy from you, you won't create a trustworthy relationship with your reader. Visitors conduct Internet searches because they're seeking fr*ee info to help them solve their problems.  If they get valuable and credible content from you that they can immediately begin to use, they are much more likely to pay attention to what else you have to say and begin to like and trust you, which, of course, leads to their eventual purchase from you.

2.  Multiple Offerings.  A lone ebook, recording, or checklist is no longer enough.  Now, multiple offerings in your free giveaway are necessary to lure the visitors onto your list.  Creating some type of kit or package that includes three or so items, like a free ebook or report, an audio file, a video, etc. all focused on a similar topic is now what is required as an effective client-capturing device.  Your graphical representation of this giveaway needs to reflect that you are offering multiple items in the giveaway, as well.

3.  Monetary Value.  Because you're including valuable content in your giveaway, you need to determine the monetary value of this content.  Determine a reasonable price in line with your other offerings, and don't do what so many other marketers do by creating ridiculously inflated prices for their fr*ee information.  Place a value on each piece of info that you provide in your client-capturing device, and then a total price on the entire giveaway.

4. Sales Page Required.  Just like a fee-based product, the free giveaway also now needs its on sales page to let the visitor know why the giveaway is useful and wonderful and how their lives will change (or problems will be solved) by requesting the giveaway.  I don't think it has to follow the long sales letter format (the one that seems to go on forever and ever) but follows a shorter, more succinct sales page that clearly outlines the benefits and features of your offering to the visitor.

5. Audio and Video Help.  Almost everyone to whom I've spoken agrees that their opt-in rates have increased when they add audio to the giveaway sales page, and have skyrocketed when video is added.  Typically all the audio or video does is welcome the visitor to the page, run through why the visitor would want to get the giveaway, and then walk the visitor through the process of requesting the information.  The audio and video component is simply a smart marketing strategy because it lets the visitor know that they're dealing with a real, live, human being and if they can now see you in video, it hastens their feeling of connection to you.

Email marketing continues to be a viable marketing strategy.  However, in order to convince savvy Internet searchers that they should do business with you, you need to up the ante and create more offerings and greater content in your website giveaway.  Follow these 5 secrets to enhance your offerings and watch your list grow!

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this blurb with it:  Internet Marketing Strategist and Boomer Biz Coach Donna Gunter helps baby boomers create profitable online retirement businesses that they love by demystifying and simplifying the tools and strategies needed to market and grow their businesses online. To claim your FR*EE gift, TurboCharge Your Online Marketing Toolkit, visit her site at OnlineBizU.com. Ask Donna an Internet Marketing question at  AskDonnaGunter.com.

Finding reliable email newsletter providers

Q:  Which companies are the most reliable email-newsletter providers out there? (those used by daily email-newsletter publishers thrillist.com and dailycandy.com?)
Santiago Vega
Masculine-Identity.com

A:  Hi Santiago--

I've found a couple of email newsletter providers.  Some I've used personally, others come highly recommended.

I current use aWeber for both my ezine and my autresponders and absolutely love this service.  ConstantContact.com is also very reliable, as is EzineDirector, which I used to use,  I stopped using that service because it didn't offer an autoresponder feature, although I understand it now offers something along those lines, but I don't have much info on that new offering. 

I've heard very positive reviews of VerticalResponse.com and iContact.com although I've never used either.  Kickstart Cart is also an option if you want a full-featured shopping cart system that also includes ezine and autoresponder capability. 

Unfortunately, I've never heard of the sites you mention, so I can't respond to the email marketing service that they use.

Got an Internet Marketing question?  Ask it here: AskDonnaGunter.com.