How To Launch an Ezine Which Builds Your Credibility and Makes

Transcription

How To Launch an Ezine
Which Builds Your
Credibility and Makes
You Money
By
Sandra Martini
The Automatic Business Coach™ & Mentor
Dedicated to my ezine readers.
Thank you for all the incredible feedback over the years!
Copyright © 2008 by Sandra P. Martini
All rights reserved. No part of this e-book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form
or by any means, electronically or mechanically, including photocopying, recording,
retrieval system, without prior written permission from the author, except for the
inclusion of quotes.
Requests for permission to make copies of any part of this e-book can be made to:
Sandra Martini
330 Bedford St., #897
Lakeville, MA 02347
Phone: 508.946.0676
www.SandraMartini.com
©2008 Sandra P. Martini, All Rights Reserved.
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Table of Contents
Introduction .......................................................................................................... 3
SECTION 1: What’s the Purpose? ....................................................................... 4
SECTION 2: Choose Your Ezine Type ................................................................ 8
SECTION 3: Work Through The Details ............................................................ 16
SECTION 4: What’s Your Giveaway? ................................................................ 25
SECTION 5: If I Build It, Will They Come? ......................................................... 30
SECTION 6: It’s Not a Sprint .............................................................................. 37
APPENDIX A: Sample HTML Ezine ................................................................... 38
APPENDIX B: Sample Text Ezine...................................................................... 44
APPENDIX C: ISSN Application......................................................................... 48
APPENDIX D: Pre-send Checklist – HTML Ezine .............................................. 49
APPENDIX E: Pre-send Checklist – Text Ezine ................................................. 50
APPENDIX F: Building A Great List, Not a BIG List ........................................... 51
About Sandra Martini ......................................................................................... 53
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Introduction
Dear Fellow Entrepreneur,
CONGRATULATIONS on investing in yourself and your business by purchasing
this “Step-by-Step…Transform Your Business” Module on How To Launch an
Ezine Which Builds Your Credibility and Makes You Money!
Ezines, or email newsletters, are one of the most valuable ways to quickly build
your credibility and get more clients. By consistently publishing an ezine which
includes informative content and minimal promotion, clients will come to know,
like and trust you and the services you provide.
I quickly built a 6-figure business by committing to publishing an ezine each and
every week. . .and you can too!
A caveat – rather than provide you with 300 pages of information you may/may
not use, but which will most certainly overwhelm you, this Module gives you
enough information to get started with your own online newsletter. You’ll
undoubtedly make your own adjustments as you develop your own style.
My ezine is one of the most powerful business building and marketing tools I use
and this Module will show you how to have your own which gets noticed and
builds your business.
So, let’s get started!
Dedicated To Your Extraordinary Success,
Sandra P. Martini
June 2008
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SECTION 1: What’s the Purpose?
Ezines, or email newsletters, have the potential to build you immense credibility
with your “list”.
A “list” is the group of people, companies, business owners which receive your
email newsletter – they’re also known as “subscribers”.
In any business, you want to build a relationship with your prospects and clients
such that they know, like and learn to trust you.
Hierarchy of Connection
There is what I call a “Hierarchy of Connection” – the higher the level of your
connection, the more credibility you have and the more likely prospects are to
turn into clients and refer others to you – think of this as the “know, like and trust”
factor you hear so much about.
Each experience of you creates a different level of connection as described
below:
1. NO Name Recognition -- People have never heard of you/have no idea
who you are.
2. Vague Recollection -- People hear your name and have a vague
recollection of having heard it somewhere before.
3. Recognition -- People recognize your name and have either heard or read
about you at some point. If asked about you, they agree to knowing
“something” about you.
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4. Know -- People feel they’ve come in contact with you “somehow” – usually
through something you’ve written (your ezine), a networking event you
both attended (though you didn’t ever actually meet) or through someone
else who knows you.
5. Know AND Like -- People feel they “know” you and will recommend you to
others based on hearing your voice. They’ve created a connection with
you as a result of hearing your voice.
6. Relationship/Trust -- People feel they have a relationship with you as the
result of an “in person” meeting/connection or repeated positive contact.
Think of it as a pyramid with each level giving you more and more credibility with
your target market.
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Level 6
TRUST
Level 5:
KNOW and LIKE
Level 4: KNOW
Level 3: RECOGNITION
Level 2: VAGUE RECOLLECTION
Level 1: NO NAME RECOGNITION
By sending out a consistent AND informative email newsletter (ezine), you will
build more and more credibility with your prospects and clients.
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Many people publish newsletters these days, but not all provide valuable content
in an easy-to-read format. By ensuring your newsletter is something that YOU
would want to spend time reading, you’ll build credibility and become known as
an expert in your industry.
As your credibility increases, so does your ability to market your products and
services – no longer to one person at a time, but now to as many people as are
on your list (100, 500, 1000, 10,000 and more).
Once you’ve created and grown your list of people who WANT to hear from you,
you also have the ability to send them special, targeted mailings in addition to
your newsletter.
In determining what the best format is for your e-newsletter, you first want to
know WHY you’re publishing one. Do you…
•
want to begin/increase selling products and services online?
•
gain increased exposure and credibility within your industry?
•
keep in touch with clients and prospects without sending handwritten
notes/emails every week?
•
put your business on autopilot by creating passive revenue streams?
•
want several or all of the above?
Take a few minutes to think about your WHY and then write it below.
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SECTION 2: Choose Your Ezine Type
You’ve likely come across several different types of email newsletters, or ezines
in your business and personal life.
Before we discuss what constitutes a successful ezine, we need to spend some
time learning a few key definitions:
HTML Ezine
HTML ezines are the “pretty” ones – they have pictures, multiple colors, different
fonts, borders and other items which make them appear as if you are looking at a
web page rather than an email in your inbox.
My ezine, Success Strategies, is an html ezine and you can see an example of it
in Appendix A.
Pros of HTML Ezines
1. If done right, they are pretty to look at/print and can be branded with your
logo, colors, photo, etc.
2. They are easy on the eyes for reading.
3. They can include pictures and other graphics to draw attention to certain
items within the newsletter.
4. You can easily mask affiliate links or other “unsightly” long links with words
and phrases you prefer.
5. You can easily have a link or graphic to an audio version of your ezine.
Cons of HTML Ezines
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1. They are more likely to be filtered as spam by some email systems
because of the pictures – this varies greatly between systems and ISP
and also changes.
2. If not done properly, they can come across as ugly, confusing and not
professional at all.
a. I recommend using a template-based system or having someone
create a template for you unless you are highly proficient in html.
Text Ezine
Text ezines are the very basic, no frills ones: no bolding, no italics, no pictures,
no graphics, only black text. You can see an example of a text ezine in Appendix
B.
Pros of Text Ezines
1. They are basic text so there’s no formatting to get messed up.
2. You can send out a text ezine minutes after signing up for a service.
3. Assuming the content is not objectionable, they have a high delivery rate
and are not often flagged as spam.
4. They are great for sending information that HAS to get through:
teleseminar call-in details, receipts, order confirmations, etc.
Cons of Text Ezines
1. The links are what they are – if you have long or unsightly links that is how
they will show up in the email.
a. You can use a service such as http://tinyurl.com to make long links
shorter, but they’ll still be links with letters and numbers (you can’t
camouflage the links with words such as “Click here”) – including if
you provide an audio version of your feature article.
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2. You can’t brand them with your logo, colors, etc.
3. The only *characters* you have available to you are those which are on
your keyboard.
a. To divide different sections, you can use *************** or
+++++++++++ rather than more interesting borders.
Standard Ezine
A “standard ezine” is sent out to everyone at the same time (regardless of
whether it’s text or html in format).
For example, I send out Success Strategies every Tuesday afternoon. It doesn’t
matter if you signed up for my newsletter today or two years ago, you’ll receive
the same issue.
Pros of Standard Ezines
1. It’s easy to build a promotion into your ezine as you know everyone will be
receiving the same issue at the same time (depending on when they open,
of course).
2. If you are including a personalized note or reflections of some type,
everyone *hears* the same thing at the same time which makes
responding to subscriber emails much easier than having to remember
several different “reflections” based on where they are in the series.
Cons of Standard Ezines
1. You must either write consistently fresh new information or have several
issues ready to go. Depending which email delivery system you use, you
can schedule them to go on a certain date/time so it’s easy as long as you
have the content already prepared.
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2. It doesn’t lend itself to curriculum-based content as you never know when
a new person will sign up (you may be describing Part 3 and they’ve
missed Parts 1 and 2).
Evergreen Ezine
An “evergreen ezine” is sent out to everyone in a specific sequence based on
when they signed up for it (regardless of whether it’s text or html in format).
For example, if Jane signed up for your evergreen newsletter on January 1st and
I signed up today, she could be on issue 6 (assuming it goes out monthly) and I
would be on issue 1.
Pros of Evergreen Ezines
1. You know everyone is receiving the same information in the same order.
a. Perfect for hosting e-courses.
2. Works well for curriculum-type information.
Cons of Evergreen Ezines
1. If you are including a personalized note or reflections of some type, it will
be a hassle to respond to subscribers who are writing about where they
are in the series (all different).
Evergreen newsletters are sent out via autoresponder systems.
Email Newsletter Delivery Systems
There are several different vendors you can use to send out your newsletter,
regardless of whether you have text, html, evergreen or standard emails.
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I’ll cover a few of the most popular here, but know there are SEVERAL other
companies as well.
Ezine Services
You can send out your newsletter immediately or schedule it for up to a year in
advance (talk about the ability to plan).
Using an ezine service, all members of your list (your subscribers) will receive
the same ezine at the same time.
1. Constant Contact (www.ConstantContact.com)
a. They offer a free 60-day trial which allows you to play with their
system and send out some newsletters (up to a list of 100
subscribers).
b. They have over 300 templates for you to choose from and the html
formatting/coding is done for you so you only have to click and type
and change colors if you wish.
c. This is one of the systems I personally use.
d. Monthly cost varies based on number of subscribers you have –
can be as low as $10 U.S./month.
2. Kickstart Cart (www.SandraCart.com)
a. They are a brand of 1ShoppingCart, a full service shopping cart
system which allows you to send out newsletters and
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autoresponders (more on them in a minute) as well as sell instantly
downloadable ebooks and audios (if you choose to).
b. If you link up with a merchant account, you can also accept credit
cards through Kickstart Cart (more on that in another Module, for
today, just know it’s possible).
c. This is one of the systems I personally use.
d. One note: there are no templates for html ezines in Kickstart Cart.
You would either need to have one created for you
(www.BestBizWebsiteSolutions.com is a great resource) or send
out text ezines if you are not familiar with html coding.
i. And remember, text ezines are NOT a bad thing! Many of
the top marketers in the world use them.
e. They offer a free 30-day trial.
Autoresponder Services
Using an autoresponder system for your ezine gives you a few choices:
1. You can elect to send it out as a “broadcast” (meaning everyone receives
same notice at same time) or
2. as a true “autoresponder” (meaning everyone receives on their own time
schedule based when they signed up).
Rather than select a DATE for an autoresponder to go out, you choose a
TRIGGER.
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For example, if I sign up for your newsletter today, my signing up is the “trigger”
and sets in motion a series of emails which I will receive in a pre-determined
sequence you’ve set up.
Day of sign-up: A welcome email is sent
Day of sign-up + 2 days: first newsletter
Day of sign-up + 9 days: second newsletter (if weekly)
Once the sequence is set up, it runs completely on autopilot!
The most popular autoresponder service systems are:
1. Kickstart Cart (www.SandraCart.com)
a. Yes…this is the same Kickstart Cart as above. It allows unlimited
autoresponders for $49 U.S./month (you can add the full shopping
cart version for a total of $99 U.S./month).
2. Aweber (www.Aweber.com)
a. For a flat $19.95 U.S./month, you can send out unlimited
autoresponder messages.
b. Aweber includes multiple templates so you can easily send out html
(pretty) newsletters/autoresponders.
Now that you have an understanding of the different types of ezines (text versus
html) and the different ways you can send one out (standard versus
autoresponder), it’s time to make some decisions regarding your own ezine.
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Section 2 Assignment
1. What type of ezine/email newsletter do you want to send out, at least
initially – text or html?
2. If html, are you going to:
a. Use Constant Contact (www.ConstantContact.com) with its readymade templates?
b. Use Aweber (www.Aweber.com) with its ready-made templates and
autoresponder service?
c. Hire someone to create a personalized template for you (such as
www.BestBizWebsiteSolutions.com) so you can easily use a onestop service such as Kickstart Cart (www.SandraCart.com)?
Remember, you can sign up for a free trial with many of these services so
take your time and play around some.
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SECTION 3: Work Through The Details
You’ve likely heard the phrase “the devil is in the details” – nothing could be truer
when it comes to launching a professional ezine which builds your credibility.
While the ezine itself is incredibly important, so are all the details behind it…it’s
all meshes to give an overview of your business and how
professional/trustworthy it is.
Here’s a quick look at some of the things we’ll be discussing in this section:
Single versus double opt-in
Opt-in box versus hard squeeze page versus soft squeeze page
Name
Timing and consistency
Privacy notice
ISSN
Regardless of whether you choose text or html, a standard or an evergreen
newsletter, the items above have a place in all newsletter formulation plans.
To make it easy, we’re going to walk through it step-by-step, the order may feel a
little haphazard, but there is a method behind the madness (namely, we keep
moving forward). Please note that other orders could be followed, this is simply
the one I find most logical – another order may work best for you.
How will they sign up?
You have a few options here:
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1. Opt-in page or Hard squeeze page
a. a single webpage where visitors have two choices: 1. Sign up for
your freemium (more on this in the next section) and newsletter or
2. leave the page. See www.ezinequeen.com as an example of a
single opt-in page.
2. Soft squeeze page
a. a single webpage where visitors have three choices: 1. Sign up for
your freemium and newsletter, 2. leave the page or 3. enter your
website. See www.sandramartini.com as an example of a soft squeeze
page.
3. Opt-in box on larger website
a. You are most likely used to seeing these. They are the ezine sign-up
boxes seen on the right side of many websites. You can see mine at
www.sandramartini.com/main.php.
4. A link in your email signature
a. The simplest of all sign-up methods. A simple link which takes the
visitor to your ezine delivery service and asks for their name and email
address.
If you don’t yet have a website, I recommend options 1 or 3. You can use a
template website builder such as the ones offered by GoDaddy’s Website
Tonight™ service for minimal cost.
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You can, of course, also hire someone to create a single page website (opt-in
page) for you.
Option 4 is the option of last resort as the only people who will find it are the ones
you are already emailing to – there’s no list growth in that!
Regardless of which option you select, you will want to ensure you have your
Privacy Notice highly visible (don’t make prospects hunt around or click several
links in order to see it).
Here’s an example of my Privacy Notice:
“We will never rent, sell or trade your information to any other organization.”
You can add some of your personality to it by stating something along the lines
of:
“We dislike SPAM as much as you do and will never rent, sell or trade your
information to any other organization – PROMISE!”
Choose Your ESP
It may seem odd that first we considered how our prospects would sign up and
now we’re selecting our Ezine Service Provider, but I’ve coached many a client
who initially put sending her ezine out on hold for lack of knowing how people
would get on her list.
This order allows you to have worked that out before entering your free trial
period – it’s all about low cost and high impact implementation.
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Note that you can’t complete the “how they’ll sign up” until you’ve selected your
ESP as you’ll need to add the proper language/instructions for getting new
prospects onto your mailing list.
For purposes of this Module, we will be sending out a standard html ezine using
Constant Contact (www.ConstantContact.com).
1. Sign up for a free 60-day account at www.ConstantContact.com
b. Upon signing up, you’ll want to personalize your account to show
your business mailing address, your company name and the email
address you want your newsletter to come from.
2. Browse through the templates to get some ideas of the sections you want
to include in your newsletter.
c. You should also be reviewing others’ newsletters and seeing what
you like, dislike and want to incorporate into your own
newsletter/your own style.
3. Select which type of sign-up box you want to show on your opt-in page, in
your emails or on your website and add the proper “language” to your optin page/website (or provide it to your virtual assistant or webmaster).
4. Within Constant Contact (and most other ezine delivery systems), you’ll
need to select whether you want single or double opt-in when prospects
sign up to your list.
Single vs Double Opt-in
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In setting up your account, you must decide whether you wish to have single or
double opt-in for your newsletter. Here’s the difference:
Single Opt-in
Once someone enters their email address into your opt-in box or squeeze
page, they are signed up for your newsletter. No further action is needed
on their part.
Double Opt-in
Once someone enters their email address into y our opt-in box or squeeze
page, they THEN receive a confirmation email which must be clicked
BEFORE they are signed up for your newsletter.
If they do not click this confirmation link, they will not receive your
newsletter.
While Single Opt-in will result in more sign-ups for your newsletter, it also leaves
you open to SPAM complaints – especially if someone else signed someone up.
Double Opt-in confirmations will result in a smaller list as there will always be a
percentage of people who do not click on that confirmation link, but your list will
be stronger in that you know everyone who’s on it wants to hear from you.
How Often Will You Publish?
As we discussed earlier, your ezine is going to be one of your most important
marketing tools.
In determining how often you’re going to publish, keep the following things in
mind:
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How much time do you have to spend on your ezine each month (in the
beginning it will take longer for you to prepare and you will want to carve
out about a day for each issue)?
Whatever timeframe you select, you must commit to it – it will hurt your
credibility if you begin by publishing weekly and then drop back to
biweekly or monthly. I recommend you start with monthly – you can
always publish more often once you get the hang of it.
Pick a day and stick to it – whether it’s Mondays, Tuesdays, the 3rd
Wednesday or each month – whichever day you choose, make that YOUR
day to publish your ezine (no exceptions).
People have argued back and forth about which day is the best. Some
years it’s Mondays, some Tuesdays and some Thursdays or Fridays. It
doesn’t matter. Just pick one which works for YOUR schedule and stick to
it. ☺
It’s time to name your baby
Now that you’ve done so much of the start-up work, it’s time to name your ezine.
The most important thing is that your ezine readers “get it” when they hear the
name – there’s no sense coming up with a cute name which no one understands.
Here are a few examples of good, solid ezine names:
Success Strategies – small business marketing and management
strategies (www.SandraMartini.com)
Successfully Raw – raw food articles and recipes
(www.TheRawFoodCoach.com)
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GRO – Get Results Online – small business marketing tips
(www.CrackerjackOnlineMarketing.com)
Conscious Leadership In Action – leadership articles for those wanting to
learn to trust their intuition more (www.TheConsciousLeader.com)
The Publicity Hound – small business public relations tips and techniques
(www.PublicityHound.com)
What exactly is an ISSN and do I need one?
An ISSN (International Standard Serial Number) is the same for electronically
delivered publications as ISBN (International Standard Book Number) is for print
publications/books.
It gives credibility to your publication and shows that it is registered with the
Library of Congress in the US and the ISSN UK Centre (a division of The British
Library) in the United Kingdom. See Appendix C for more information and links
to ISSN applications in the US and UK.
While you will most likely never need to *show* this number to anyone, having it
listed on your ezine is yet another example of your professionalism.
Please note that it took me about 3 months to receive my number from date of
application (within the US) so the sooner you apply the better (there is no fee to
apply).
Until I received my ISSN number, I wrote “ISSN: Pending” on my ezine to show
that it was “coming”.
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1. How will prospects sign up for your ezine?
2. If you don’t yet have an opt-in page or website, by when will you have
one?
3. What does your Privacy Notice state (feel free to model mine if you wish)?
4. Will you use single or double opt-in for your sign-ups?
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5. How often will you publish your ezine and on what day of the week?
6. Brainstorm several different possible names for your ezine, then walk
away, come back and select one. If you’re having a tough time with
selecting, send the list to your clients, prospects or friends and get their
input.
7. When DID you apply for your ISSN?
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SECTION 4: What’s Your Giveaway?
A giveaway, incentive or “freemium” is a free giveaway that you offer to
prospects in exchange for their name and email address. The days where
people signed up for newsletters just for the sake of signing up for a newsletter
are long gone (we’re too busy and our inboxes are WAY too full).
Freemiums encourage sign-ups by offering something your prospects want. A
freemium can be a special report (think of this as a long article), an audio series,
a checklist, a menu plan – it’s limited only by your imagination and the wants and
desires of your prospects.
Whatever you decide to offer as your free giveaway, make sure that signing up
for your ezine is the ONLY way they can get it – that gives it exclusivity and
makes it more valuable for your prospects.
When your prospects sign up for your freemium, they receive the bonus gift of
your newsletter as well. You must disclose this along with your privacy notice.
For example, when you sign up for my free 5 Simple and Easy Ways to Put
Your Marketing on Autopilot, you also receive a weekly subscription (free) to
my Success Strategies ezine and yet you’ll notice it’s the audio series I’m
mentioning on my site.
Free giveaways are a valuable tool for increasing the number of prospects who
sign up for your newsletter.
What do I write/speak about?
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I encourage you to visit different websites and see what people are offering as
their freemiums – you never know where inspiration will strike! Just remember
not to outright copy anything you see. ☺
After you’ve spent some time visiting other sites – both in AND out of your
industry – you’ll want to decide what type of content you wish to offer for your
own giveaway.
An easy place to start?
Your existing clients (if you don’t yet have clients, think of your IDEAL client).
Make a list of the top 20-30 problems you solve for them. These will be the same
problems that your prospects are going to want to know about and make perfect
content for a giveaway report or audio series.
In addition to great content, your free giveaway should include:
information about YOU – What results do you get your clients?
your contact information
a call to action -- What do you want your prospect to do after she finishes
reading/listening to your giveaway? Call you for a free consultation? Buy
a product? Send you an email?
if printed, your photo – build a connection by letting them *see* you
a graphic representation of your free giveaway (you can see the picture of
a CD and CD case on my site at www.SandraMartini.com) – what type of
graphic would be appropriate for your giveaway? There are a variety of
places which make them, all of mine are done at www.SandraCovers.com
How do they get my free giveaway?
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Once you’ve decided what you want to offer as a free giveaway, you must decide
HOW you’re going to get it to them (and please don’t think you can email it to
them yourself!).
You can make it automatic in a few different ways:
1. Once someone signs up for your giveaway, they are taken to a “thank you
page” where they can download your free report or audio. This works best
if you are gifting ONE thing – A single report, A single audio file.
a. You can also use a “thank you email” which is sent out automatically
from Constant Contact if you wish to get started quicker and add a
“thank you page” as you become more established.
2. Once someone signs up for your giveaway, they “immediately” receive an
email welcome message which includes a link to the giveaway. This
works best for multi-step items like audio seminars, e-courses, as well as
for single special reports or audio files.
a. Days 2 through X, they can then receive additional emails with
additional notices (done via an autoresponder service like the ones
mentioned in Section 2).
Personally, I use Option 2 above as I offer a 5-step audio series. My schedule is
set up as follows:
Day 0 (at sign-up): You receive a welcome message and Step 1.
Day 1: You receive a link to all my ezine articles (I share them only with
my ezine subscribers, not the general public).
Day 2: You receive Step 2.
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I use www.SandraCart.com to manage the distribution of the autoresponder
emails.
Notice what I mentioned on Day 1 above: New subscribers receive a link to all
my ezine articles as a benefit for signing up for Success Strategies.
In addition to my free giveaway, I’ve created another level of exclusivity. If you
want to receive ALL my articles, you must be a subscriber. While I submit
several of my articles to article directories for marketing, only my ezine
subscribers have access to all my content.
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1. What are some ideas for your freemium content?
2. What format will your free giveaway take (audio, special report, e-course,
menu plan, etc.)?
3. How will you get your giveaway to your clients and prospects in an
AUTOMATIC way?
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SECTION 5: If I Build It, Will They Come?
Once you’ve completed your ezine sign-up page and drafted your first ezine, you
want to ensure that prospects will visit the site and sign up to receive your
freemium and newsletter.
There are hundreds of ways to bring traffic to your site and grow your ezine list
and we’re going to run through just a few of them here.
o Article marketing
o Press releases
o Speaking
o Networking
o Forwarding/referrals
o Direct mail
o Joint ventures
o Ezine advertisements
o Tell everyone
o Teleseminars
o Strategic partnerships
o Tell-a-friend
o Testimonials
o Repurposing
o Audio
Now none of the above matter a whit if your prospects can’t find your opt-in box
when they get to your site – make sure that it’s up front on your website
(meaning when I go to your website or opt-in page, I want to see your ezine signup box on the screen WITHOUT scrolling) and that it’s on each and every page
of your site.
Having your ezine sign-up box easily visible and on each page of your website is
one of the biggest things you can do to increase sign-ups for your newsletter!
Article Marketing
Once you start writing your ezines, you’ll find you have several articles building
up. While you could let them sit in your harddrive forever, you can also market
them to online article directories.
30
Known as one part of “repurposing”, article marketing is a great way to build your
list with targeted members.
There are literally thousands of article directories on the Internet – some are
great, some are good and some…well, you know.
I highly recommend you start with Ezine Articles (www.EzineArticles.com). They
are one of the best directories and are used by researchers, ezine publishers and
the general public for pretty much all industries.
Public Speaking
If you enjoy public speaking, you can quickly and easily grow your list by
speaking at different events AND…
hold a drawing at the event where everyone places their business cards in a
basket and the winner receives X (a hardcopy special report you’ve written, a gift
certificate to a local restaurant, a themed gift which ties in with your talk, etc.) and
EVERYONE *wins* a subscription to your ezine.
This works ONLY if you enjoy public speaking or are willing to learn how.
And how about an even simpler way to increase your ezine sign-ups?
Create an email signature which goes at the bottom of ALL your emails and
serves as an advertisement for your business?
If you’re using Outlook, most versions of Webmail or even AOL, you can create a
signature which automatically goes at the bottom of each of your outgoing
emails.
31
Here’s a quick look at my current signature (I change it often):
------------------------------------------------------------------------------If you need more clients, you'll want to visit
www.SandraMartini.com for free resources, compelling
client testimonials and to find out more about mentoring
and coaching.
Sandra Martini
The Automatic Business Coach(tm) & Mentor
email: Sandy@SandraMartini.com
phone: 508.946.0676
Transform your business. . .transform your life.
To sign up for her free audio mini-seminar "5 Quick & Easy
Ways to Put Your Marketing on Autopilot" visit
www.SandraMartini.com today.
By adding this little blurb to all your emails, you’ll constantly be driving traffic to
your ezine sign-up page.
Social Networking
By spending a little time setting up your profile and connecting to some friends,
you’ll notice that your website/opt-in page traffic will increase and, if your free
giveaway is compelling, so will your ezine subscribers.
I’ve found that Facebook (www.Facebook.com) brings me the most new
subscribers of all the social networking sites. Want to be my friend? Visit
http://www.facebook.com/people/Sandra_Martini/1103692662 and add me as
your friend. ☺
In addition to Facebook, there’s also MySpace, Twitter, blogs, LinkedIn, Plaxo
and a host of others.
Do your research, find one which works with your style and then jump right in.
32
Be careful though…they can be addicting!
Teleseminars
Teleseminars are an incredible way to build both your list and your credibility.
I’ve written other Modules on How to Host Your Own Teleseminar so we’re not
going to go into detail here, except to say you can gain an incredible number of
new subscribers by offering free teleseminars (also known as teleclasses) on a
regular basis AND promoting them on sites/lists other than your own.
A few free sites I recommend for promoting your own teleseminars are:
www.SeminarAnnouncer.com
www.PlanetTeleclass.com
In addition to offering your own teleseminars (you speaking, audience listening),
you can also interview guests or be a guest on someone else’s calls to bring
even more traffic to your site. ☺
Testimonials
Testimonials allow you to provide positive feedback on a product or service
you’ve purchased and found valuable while getting promotion for yourself.
By providing a great testimonial to someone, you’ll find they often put your name
and website on THEIR website. You’ve just gotten a valuable, and free,
promotional tool!
If you’re going to write a testimonial, write it in a format that practically
guarantees the person will use it:
33
Before I hired/purchased
,I
and
after working with/reading through and implementing just some of the steps I
learned, I
and that has resulted in
.
A sample of the above could read as follows:
“Before I hired Jane Smith as my nutritionist, I was overwhelmed with all the diets
out there and my weight had yo-yo’d for the past 5 years. But after working with
her for just 3 months and following the steps she outlined, I’ve lost 25 pounds
and feel better than ever. Thanks Jane!”
34
1. Is your opt-in box (a.k.a. “ezine sign-up box”) on every page of your
website/opt-in page? If not, when will it be?
2. Visit Ezine Articles at www.EzineArticles.com and sign up for an account.
List your username and password below.
3. What will your email signature say? By when will it be done?
35
4. What social networking sites will you join?
5. What topic can you do a teleseminar on in the next 30 days?
6. Are there any testimonials you are ready to write?
36
SECTION 6: It’s Not a Sprint
Building your newsletter list is akin to running cross country – you’re in this for
the long haul, not a quick sprint to the finish line.
Take your time, pick and choose ezine promotion methods which work for you
and discard or delegate those which don’t.
If you dislike public speaking, don’t try and do it to build your list. If you love to
speak, call your local Chamber of Commerce or Rotary Club today and get on
their calendar – just remember to bring a drawing gift!
Building your business using email marketing is a sound investment. You just
need to plant your seeds and watch them grow. ☺
37
APPENDIX A: Sample HTML Ezine
38
[Success Strategies] What to do if your business is in a summertime lull - and it's not "hav... Page 1 of 5
<Back
Print
Sandy@SandraMartini.com
Dear Sandra,
ISSN 1933-1525
In today's issue...
June 24, 2008
Volume III, Issue 10
~ A Personal Note from Sandy
~ Upcoming Teleseminars, Workshops &
Appearances
Published every Tuesday. To
change your subscription, see
link at end of email.
~ Feature Article: How to Make Your Business Thrive Sign me up
for this e-zine!
Rather Than Survive
~ 6 Figure Business Tools: Step-by- Step. . .Transform Your Business
~ Sandy Recommends: No B.S. Wealth Attraction by Dan Kennedy
~ Earn Money by Recommending Sandra's Products
Please add "Sandy@SandraMartini.com" to your whitelist or address book in your email program, so you have no problems receiving future issues.
If you wish to forward to a friend, please scroll to the bottom and hit the "forward"
button to keep formatting intact.
Not subscribed yet? Don't miss another issue!
Want to review former articles? Click here for access to all of Sandra's articles online.
A Personal Note from Sandy...
Hey Everyone!
WELCOME to the new subscribers since last issue! It's
wonderful to see like-minded entrepreneurs join our
community!
Do you find yourself always gravitating toward the
familiar?
Sasha and I go for the same walk every day and every day she strains to look for our
neighbor's cats (who frequently sit on their deck and watch her back).
Today, however, Buttons was not sitting on the deck. He was standing 2 feet away
from us on our path home. Did Sasha see him or attempt to greet him? No. . .she was
too busy looking for him in the "familiar" location. So much so that she missed her
http://ui.constantcontact.com/templates/previewer.jsp?format=html&agent.uid=110214757... 6/29/2008
best chance to date of actually getting to sniff him.
Are you so busy looking in the same places that you're missing other opportunities?
With unwavering support,
Sandra Martini
The Automatic Business
Coach (tm) & Mentor
Upcoming Teleseminars, Workshops & Appearances
=> Hosting Week 9 of my 90 Day Intensive Online Business
Builder Mentoring Program "How to Create Information
Products" on Wednesday, June 25th. To get on the "advance
notice" list for the next session, please click here.
=> Being interviewed by Nancy Marmolejo of Viva Visibility for
her closed group coaching program on Wednesday, July 2nd at 4pm Eastern.
=> Enjoying a relaxing vacation in beautiful New Hampshire September 19 - 26,
2008.
=> Participating in an exclusive Platinum Plus coaching retreat in Tucson from
October 14 - 18, 2008.
Want to book Sandra to speak at your next teleseminar or live event? Contact
her assistant here with details. . .
Feature Article
How to Make Your Business Thrive Rather Than Survive
by Sandra P. Martini
Would you prefer to LISTEN to this week's article?
Turn up your speakers and click PLAY to hear my audio newsletter! (If you don't see
the audio play button, Click here to listen. . .)
It seems everywhere I turn I'm hearing about:
1. the recession
2. why we *should discount* our services to get more business or
3. why we should have a sale as a result of *the* summertime lull in business
and yet I'm busier than ever and have just brought on two new team members and
several of my clients are reporting record months.
Why the difference?
The answer is as complex as it is simple. There are several things those who are
growing are doing:
z
z
z
z
Rather than gripe about the economy or gas prices, we're consistently taking
action (some small and some big) to grow and build our business.
We're willing to try new things - an offline direct mail campaign, a new
program, a webinar series, etc. - and measure the results (just as important as
the doing). Think of FOX TV's slogan, rather than "think outside the box", it's
"there is no box".
We invest in coaching and programs which support and challenge us.
We recognize that having an assistant is a necessity, not a luxury - even if
it's for only 3 hours a month.
Notice a trend? Everything listed above can be traced back to a success mindset and
constant action.
Always remember, knowledge without implementation is a waste; knowledge
combined with implementation is a recipe for success.
Your Coaching Challenge
Every time you start to think something negative or limiting about your business, stop
yourself and remember that, while you can't change the past, you most definitely can
affect the future.
Then immediately take ONE action to move your business forward: send an email to a
potential client, sign up for an ezine service, sign up for a teleseminar, contact
someone you'd like to coach with. You get the idea.
Take just one action for each limiting thought and you'll be thriving rather than
surviving in no time!
Copyright 2008 Sandra P. Martini.
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEBSITE? Please do! Feel
free to reprint any tip on your website, own newsletter or message boards. Please
write ©2008 Sandra P. Martini, The Automatic Business Coach & Mentor. Get Sandra
Martini's FREE "5 Simple Steps to Putting Your Marketing on Autopilot" e-course/audio
mini-workshop and her FREE small business success how-to tips at
www.SandraMartini.com.
6 Figure and Beyond Business Tools
Step-by-Step. . .Transform Your Business
As the Automatic Business Coach & Mentor, I get several requests
from people wanting to know HOW to do this, that or the other in
their business.
As a result of your requests, I've created several "Step-by-Step. .
.Transform Your Business Modules" and the first one is on "How to
Create and Use Audios Using Audio Acrobat".
These Modules are for you if you're looking to start using different 6 Figure Tools in
your business and just aren't sure what to do or where to start - they include
everything from why you want to use a certain tool to step-by-step instructions
(including screenshots where appropriate) on how to do it.
If you've been waiting to get started because you're not sure what to do first, this is
the series for you!
You can order a pdf download of "How to Create and Use Audios Using Audio Acrobat"
here for an introductory price of $39.00.
Client Corner
Kendall Summerhawk
"Sandy's ideas are simple, brilliant and VERY do-able!"
"Sandy is an expert at helping business owners like us work once then
reuse what we do to get paid, get paid, get paid. Her ideas are
simple, brilliant and very do-able!"
Kendall Summerhawk
Tucson, Arizona
www.KendallSummerhawk.com
Sandy Recommends
No B.S. Wealth Attraction for Entrepreneurs by Dan
Kennedy
There are a few books that I read 1-2 times a year and
this is one of them. . .No B.S. Wealth Attraction for
Entrepreneurs -- The Ultimate No Holds Barred Kick Butt
Take No Prisoners Guide to Really Getting Rich by Dan
Kennedy.
The book contains 26 wealth magnets and 11 bonus
chapters by guest authors. It's well worth the price and
deserves a place on any entrepreneur's bookshelf.
Click here to get your copy of No B.S. Wealth Attraction for Entrepreneurs today!
Want to make money while lying about?
If you're interested in making money while lying about,
just like two of my cats -- Junior and Edgar (known as
"Eggie" -- are doing here, simply for recommending
Sandra's products via your website, blog, or newsletter,
click here to learn more about Sandra's affiliate program.
email: sandy@sandramartini.com
Forward email
This email was sent to sandy@sandramartini.com, by sandy@sandramartini.com
Update Profile/Email Address | Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribe™ | Privacy Policy.
SMG Communications | 330 Bedford Street, #897 | Lakeville | MA | 02347
APPENDIX B: Sample Text Ezine
Dear Sandy,
GRO - Get Results Online! (and offline too)
A free guide to lighten your marketing load and
boost your bottom line
Brought to you by Helen Graves, Grand Poohbah
of Crackerjack Marketing & Website Strategy
**Follow this link if you'd like to ready the "pretty"
version with colors and graphics:
http://www.crackerjackwebsites.com/article05-13-2008.htm
===========================================
It's May, it's May, the lovely month of May.
It also happens to be the month of my dearly beloved's birthday (George Clooney, of
course), as well as the birthdays of my business mentor, Kendall SummerHawk, my
good friend and parent-educator-extraordinaire, Katy Shetka and my darling kitties,
Pickles and Onion. Happy birthday, all of you!
In last month's article, we talked about the shocking fact that so many entrepreneurs
are missing the boat by not having an Irresistible Free Taste (IFT) offer on their
website so they can collect visitors' contact information.
=======================================In this issue====
--- Feature Article: How to Turn Visitors Into Potential Clients
--- The Grand Poohbah Speaks
--- Marketing Resources
============================================
==> Article:
How to Turn Visitors Into Potential Clients
Any IFT is better than none, but I've got 5 highly effective tips for squeezing the
most juice out of your Free Taste.
1) Don't lead with your newsletter. Most of us have such full In Boxes these days
that the idea of signing up for a newsletter (even one that has great info) just
doesn't have the appeal it used to.
Instead, lead with your Top 10 list, special report or audio course -and give your
newsletter subscription as a "Thank You" gift.
44
2) Set the offer off visually so it catches the eye. You know those guys who stand on
the street corner holding a Quizno's or Subway sign, dancing around and bouncing
the sign up and down? They do that to catch your attention.
Translate that idea into the graphic elements of your Irresistible Free Taste opt in
form.
3) Take the time to craft a gotta-read-THAT title. You don't have much room for text
in that little opt in form. Your title has to do a bang-up job of letting visitors know
what earth-shaking result they're going to get in exchange for their name and email.
Otherwise, no sale.
4) Use a snappy word or phrase for the "Submit" button. You want to create
connection and move them into action. The word "submit" in a gray box (the
apparent standard) is incredibly dull and impersonal.
Spice that link button up so it fairly screams, "Click Me!"
5) Last but certainly not least, the opt in form for your IFT must be placed "above
the fold." More than 50% of web visitors don't scroll anywhere. So if you're relying
on them reading down the page before they get an eyeful of your wonderful free
offer, well, how can I put this politely - you're out of luck, Jack.
You can see some examples of simple, effective IFT offers here:
www.crackerjackonlinemarketing.com (I practice what I preach)
www.kendallsummerhawk.com
www.livingthewellorderedlife.com
To get the most out of your website you need to use it as a powerful tool rather than
the be all and end all of your marketing strategy. It's a way to say "howdy, here I
am" and with your Irresistible Free Taste in place, your visitors can say "howdy"
right back.
Then let the relationship-building begin.
Until next time, here's to your success. . .
===========================================
The Grand Poohbah Speaks
Hector, my tall, dark and handsome 12-year-old Labrador is having intestinal
troubles. It's been going on for a couple of weeks and despite our efforts the vet and
I can't seem to pinpoint the cause yet.
I'm sharing this with you not to be gross (though I do love to stir that pot every now
and again!) but because it struck me that the situation has similarities to what
happens in our marketing.
We can tell something isn't right by the results we're getting (or not getting). Then
we need to persistently experiment until we figure out what the problem is so we can
come up with a satisfying solution.
45
And just like Hecky's health issues, it's an on-going process. This month it's his
stomach, last month it was his hips, next month it'll most likely be something else.
So for those of us paying attention to our marketing, there will always be something
we can improve - the amount of traffic to our website, the conversion rate of a sales
campaign, our "elevator speech."
Take heart because these adjustments and refinements are a good thing. They are,
in fact, a solid indication of the health of your marketing, and in turn, of your
business.
===========================================
Marketing Resources
Are there days when you would trade your first-born (well, maybe your gerbil) for
some simple strategies to
bring in new clients,
stop getting in your own way,
and grow your business comfortably and creatively,
so you can turn the uphill struggle into a smooth, relaxed glide into success?
Help is on the way!
"Finally, a Quick and Easy Way Guaranteed to Attract Clients and Grow Your
Business . . . Without Frustration!"
Toss the Rules Out the Window: 12 Actions to Break the Marketing Mold and Create
Success YOUR Way!
This program dives deep into what it takes to create a business you love and that
loves you back by being both easy and lucrative. The success you're striving for is
closer than you think.
If your site isn't performing the way you'd like (or you're still in the planning stages
and want to do it right the first time), this audio course will absolutely show you
what it takes to turn your website into a client-capturing machine.
Visit www.CrackerjackOnlineMarketing.com to grab a seat at my FREE audio miniseminar: "7 Quick and Simple Ways to Get Your Website Working Hard - So You
Don't Have To"
Want to Use This Article?
You're welcome to reproduce this article as long as you include the copyright and the
following blurb with it:
©2008 Reprinted with permission.
46
Helen Graves is an expert at showing soul-inspired entrepreneurs how to boost their
bottom line with effective online marketing strategies. Tune into her free audio
course on "7 Quick & Simple Ways to Get Your Website Working Hard - So You Don't
Have To" www.crackerjackonlinemarketing.com
Comments, questions and your cherished opinions may be sent to
helen@helengraves.com . © 2008 Helen Graves
Helen Graves
Grand Poohbah of Crackerjack Marketing
& Website Strategy
3305 N. Swan Road, Suite 109-353
Tucson, AZ 85712
(520) 326-8595
www.CrackerjackOnlineMarketing.com
If you no longer wish to receive communication from us:
http://autocontactor.com/app/r.asp?ID=1037911489&ARID=0&D=
To update your contact information:
http://autocontactor.com/app/r.asp?c=1&ID=1037911489&D=
47
APPENDIX C: ISSN Application
Many ezine publishers obtain an International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) to
further increase the credibility of their newsletter.
If you wish to obtain one, please visit:
In the U.S.: http://www.loc.gov/issn/916.pdf
In the U.K.: http://www.bl.uk/pdf/issnappform.pdf
48
APPENDIX D: Pre-send Checklist – HTML Ezine
Before hitting SEND on your ezine, you’ll want to run through the following
checklist (print and save in your ezine folder).
o You’ve updated your email subject line.
o Your ezine contains the correct date and issue number.
o You’ve included a copyright notice either after your article or at the end of
your newsletter.
o If you have a table of contents, the article name matches your feature
article and all other information is updated.
o Your formatting is correct (the whole issue isn’t bold or in italics or
centered).
o You’ve clicked all links and they work (including any links on photos).
o You’ve printed the newsletter and proofread it “off screen”.
o You’ve checked the SPAM content by using your ESP’s spam checker or
a system such as Lyris’ Content Checker at www.lyris.com/contentchecker
o Your contact information, including mailing address, is listed somewhere
on your ezine.
o Readers can clearly see how to unsubscribe if they wish.
o You’ve sent a test issue to yourself or someone else.
49
APPENDIX E: Pre-send Checklist – Text Ezine
Before hitting SEND on your ezine, you’ll want to run through the following
checklist (print and save in your ezine folder).
o You’ve updated your email subject line.
o Your ezine contains the correct date and issue number.
o You’ve included a copyright notice either after your article or at the end of
your newsletter.
o If you have a table of contents, the article name matches your feature
article and all other information is updated.
o Your formatting is correct – you don’t have lines running off the page in
some cases and super short in others.
o All your links are preceded with either “http://” OR “mailto:” to make it as
easy as possible for your readers to click.
o You’ve printed the newsletter and proofread it “off screen”.
o You’ve checked the SPAM content by using your ESP’s spam checker or
a system such as Lyris’ Content Checker at www.lyris.com/contentchecker
o Your contact information, including mailing address, is listed somewhere
on your ezine.
o Readers can clearly see how to unsubscribe if they wish.
o You’ve sent a test issue to yourself or someone else.
50
APPENDIX F: Building A Great List, Not a BIG List
Every time you turn around these days, people are telling you that you need to have "a big list".
Is this true?
"Yes. . .and no."
Truth is, you must have a list of qualified prospects who relate to you AND who want to purchase
the products and services you offer.
Let's break that down.
o
o
o
"qualified prospects" = Individuals in your target market who look forward to hearing from
you and for whom you provide valuable information. If you are sending bookkeeping tips
to gardeners, for example, they are likely to unsubscribe as the information is not
valuable *to them*.
"who relate to you" = You want to build a relationship through your writing so your
readers come to know, like and trust you. They need to understand that you will not be
"here today and gone tomorrow" and that you have THEIR best interests at heart.
"who want to purchase" = It doesn't matter if you believe your prospects NEED your
information. What matters is that THEY feel they need/want it. You could sell healthy
eating books to obese men, but if they don't want to eat healthy, they will not purchase
your book.
A solid list is the foundation of any online or offline business -- regardless of your industry.
For example, if you have a list of 10,000 readers and you announce a $20 product and 5%
purchase it, you just made $10,000 in revenue.
If you announce the same $20 product to a list of 3,000 dedicated readers and 25% purchase,
you just made $15,000 in revenue.
Now that we agree QUALITY OVER QUANTITY is best, here are some ways to build your quality
list:
1. Article Marketing.
Can't emphasize this enough. If you're writing articles (and if you're not, time to start!), you need
to be posting them on article directory sites such as EzineArticles.com and
BestManagementArticles.com.
2. Article Publishing.
Article publishing is another way to market your articles -- only instead of posting them to
directories, you contact ezine publishers and associations and ask them if they would like to
publish your article in one of their upcoming newsletter issues.
You want to be sure to contact publishers in complementary, not competing, industries or niches.
3. Public Speaking.
Standing in front of a group, whether it be a networking event or workshop, is one of THE best
51
ways to build your list. Through your one presentation, you've built a rapport with your audience - they've seen you, they've heard you and they've connected with you.
If you're not comfortable with public speaking, start with a small, local networking event such as
your Chamber of Commerce or BNI meeting or join a group such as ToastMasters.
4. Joint Ventures.
Do you know someone with a quality list who speaks to the same audience as you? Is there any
way you can partner with them on a project and have them promote you/your newsletter to their
list?
5. Co-registration.
Think of "co-registration" as a strategic partnership. You promote my newsletter on your ezine
sign-up or thank you page and I promote yours. When someone signs up for my newsletter, they
are taken to a "thank you" page which could include your newsletter name and a link to sign-up.
This helps each of us build our list through partnership -- just like with article publishing however,
you want to insure that you contact people in complementary, not competing industries.
There are hundreds of ways you can build your list. I've given you five of the most effective ways
to build a QUALIFIED list. Are you ready?
Your Coaching Challenge
Pull out your marketing plan and look at your list building activities -- if at least 3 of the above 5
aren't on it, ask yourself "why" and then see which you are comfortable adding.
Don't have a marketing plan? Not sure how to get started? Check out the information page for
my upcoming 90 Day Intensive Online Business Builder Mentoring Program at
www.90DayIntensive.info
------------------------------------------------------------------------------If you need more clients, you'll want to visit
www.SandraMartini.com for free resources, compelling
client testimonials and to find out more about mentoring
and coaching.
Sandra Martini
The Automatic Business Coach(tm) & Mentor
email: Sandy@SandraMartini.com
phone: 508.946.0676
Transform your business. . .transform your life.
To sign up for her free audio mini-seminar "5 Quick & Easy
Ways to Put Your Marketing on Autopilot" visit
www.SandraMartini.com today.
52
About Sandra Martini
Sandra Martini, award-winning author and leading small
business expert is known as “The Automatic Business Coach
& Mentor”.
Having “been there” in trying to grow a small business and
wondering where her next client would come from, Sandra
immersed herself in learning everything she could – attending
seminars and reading everything she could get her hands on
and, while testing it all, she created a system for success.
As a result of her trials, she is passionate about teaching her clients how to avoid the
pitfalls and create a business which supports their desired lifestyle.
Known for her ability to teach clients how to create multiple streams of income while
better marketing their business and attracting more clients, Sandra works with
entrepreneurs in a variety of industries – from coaches and internet marketers to
financial consultants and real estate investors to feng shui practitioners, physicians,
security consultants and virtual assistants.
Sandra offers teleseminars, workshops, information products, and coaching programs
designed to teach her clients how to build a successful business.
Unlike most other business and marketing coaches who only tell their clients what to do,
Sandra shows her clients HOW to do it – and in the lowest cost, highest impact way.
Sandra avidly volunteers her time and talents to SERVE New England, the Council on
Aging, Middleborough Services to the Elderly and is the past president of the
Middleborough Lions Club.
She currently resides in rural Massachusetts with her fabulous husband Jerry, their three
dogs and three cats and spends her time with her nieces and nephews, reading,
gardening, swimming and embracing raw foods and natural health practices.
53

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