| Volume #2 September 13, 2005 - Copyright (c) 2005 - feel free to forward
In This Issue | Editors Note - Katrina's vicitms still in our hearts
In The News
- The battle for the blogosphere - By Juan Carlos Perez
- Yahoo Gives Up Reporter's E-Mail - Associated Press
Article - Email Etiquette - By: Lynn Harris
Computer Tip - Why is my computer slower?
Guest Article - Whose Site Is It Anyway? - By: Diane Hughes
Guest Article - My Ads Aren't Working! - By: Willie Crawford
Update - New website
| "A snowflake is one of God's most fragile creations, but look what they can do when they stick together!" ~ Author Unknown |
* Hot Biz Tips Tested *
New manual surf traffic exchange. Credits are used for UNIQUE visits ONLY! Other hits you generate each day are freebies! Hot Biz Tips gives this a 5-Star RatingNexusexchange
| Editors Note - Katrina's vicitms still in our hearts |
I would like to welcome all the new subscribers, and a warm hello to all. Without you my efforts wouldn't have much meaning and would be in vain.
Some of you may think you are in the twilight zone because the computer tip looks familiar. I know, I know. They are familiar.... With the change in name after the new domain, I want to get the basic tips back into the newsletter for the purpose of getting them archived and available for future new subscribers. Please allow me this little repeat.
This is my second issue since the Katrina disaster. I am sure that most of us being online know someone either personally or maybe through our online correspondence that was affected by Katrina. Our hearts and prayers go out to the victims and their families.
Though the major news media seems to focus on the tragedy of it all, and pointing fingers. The real story is how the American citizens have pulled together and extended a hand of help and a heart of compassion. This is the real story.
It is times like this when the human spirit shines. When homes and hearts are opened to our neighbors in need. Please be extra cautious if you donate money for relief, use only known and trusted organizations, the scam artists wasted no time in jumping on this one!
Also after reading the article from our guest Diane Hughes, I will take her advice. I ask that you visit my site and spend some timethere. Give me some feedback about your experience. Was it easyto navigate? Was it confusing? How does the layout appeal to you?For a little trick you can go in on this page and let me know your thoughts on Merlin. If you like Merlin I can send you the program.
http://hotbiztips.com/merlindex.html
Send your impressions of the site and/or Merlin to the contact email above.
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In The News - The battle for the blogosphere By Juan Carlos Perez
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Until recently, most providers of blogging software and services were relatively small startup companies, but now big-footed competitors are joining them, changing the dynamics and philosophies of the so-called blogosphere.
As heavy entrants such as Microsoft stomp into blogging with groundshaking steps, the question is whether the changes they are bringing will be beneficial or detrimental to the market.
Blogging is a medium whose skyrocketing popularity in both the consumer and enterprise spaces is widely credited with how simple and easy it made publishing text on the Web. Already, however, Microsoft has single-handedly introduced what many consider a significant variation to the original stripped-down approach to blogging with its MSN Spaces service.
Full Story
In The News - Yahoo Gives Up Reporter's E-Mail Associated Press
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HANGZHOU, China -- Yahoo had to comply with a demand by Chinese authorities to provide information about a personal e-mail of a journalist who was later convicted under state secrecy laws and sentenced to 10 years in prison, the company's co-founder Jerry Yang said Saturday. Yang, responding to questions during an internet forum in this eastern Chinese resort city, said he could not discuss the details of the case involving Shi Tao, a former writer for the financial publication Contemporary Business News.
Overseas-based human rights groups disclosed days earlier that Yahoo Holdings (Hong Kong), part of Yahoo's global network, provided e-mail account information that helped lead to Shi's conviction.
Full Story
If you would like to learn how one simple little email ad sent to a small list of only 4300 people snowballed into $4600 in Ca$h earnings deposited to our "PayPal" account - YOU NEED TO REQUEST MORE INFORMATION! Get the full story Article - Email Etiquette
Copyright 2005 Lynn Harris
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If you are marketing online, email will be a major part of your communications. In order to put your best foot forward there are some simple rules you need to practice when you are writing your email messages. You want to present yourself as professional so your prospects will take you seriously and feel confident to do business with you.
#1 - KEEP YOUR LINES TO 65 CHARACTERS OR LESS
Whenever you write an email, always format the lines so that they're 65 characters, or less, across. To do this, you may need to do a "hard return" by hitting "Enter" at the end of the line.
Wondering why to limit your lines to just 65 characters? (Good question! It shows you're thinking.) There are two reasons that "less is more":
-- The first thing to remember is that looking at a computer screen for a long time causes EYE FATIGUE for many readers. The shorter span of characters across the screen makes reading easier and more appealing to the recipient of your email message.
-- The other reason to go short instead of long is this:
some email clients AUTOMATICALLY ENFORCE LINE-WRAPPING at 60-65 characters on received messages. If your email is wrapped at 70, the content will arrive all "chopped up." This makes it unattractive...and worse -- unappealing
Email clients such as Outlook Express allow you to SET THE LINE-WRAP to any character-width you choose. That means you wont have to hit Enter each time after typing 65 characters.
You can type 65 asterisks or dashes in a Notepad file to create a template. Then paste your email below it to see if any lines extend too far to the right.
# 2 - BE CAREFUL USING ALL CAPS
How many times have you changed the TV channel to avoid listening to a screaming car salesperson? No one likes a screaming salesperson...and no one likes a "screaming" email message, either. Odds are, when someone has over-amped the volume of their message by using too many capital letters (not to mention too many exclamation points and other punctuation) - you're going to be turned off.
On the Internet, email messages written in all caps are considered yelling. Its okay to write some sentences and some words in all caps, but don't go overboard. (As you can see in this message, I've tried to use capital letters to help break up sections of the content from time to time)
Consumers buy from a source they trust. Emails in all caps are perceived as "shady" or uneducated, and have an appearance that damages the credibility of an offer.
#3 - WATCH YOUR Ps & Qs (Spelling and Grammar)
Would you be influenced by an email selling you something that had noticeable spelling and grammar mistakes? Sure you would...and the influence would be negative, not positive! When a consumer reads a sales message that's filled with errors, they think to themselves, "Good grief, this person doesn't even take the time to get his emails right. His product is probably the same quality as his emails."
When you're in business, YOUR IMAGE IS YOUR REPUTATION and your reputation is the reason people buy from you or the guy down the block. Its essential that you create an image of INTEGRITY, CREDIBILITY, and HONESTY in the mind of your prospects. Sending emails filled with errors destroys your professional image.
Good Luck In all your endeavors!
Lynn
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Computer Tip - Why is my computer slower?
|
To keep your PC running as smoothly and fast as
possible requires a little regular maintenance on
your part. Just a few simple steps can make a big
difference in your PC's performance.
Here are steps I have made a habit of doing on
a weekly basis:
1. go to "CONTROL PANEL",
2. select "INTERNET OPTIONS"
also available through IE "TOOLS" option
3. under "Temporary Internet Files"
"DELETE COOKIES"
4. also "DELETE FILES"
5. close "INTERNET OPTIONS" by clicking "OK"
6. goto "start", "programs", "accessories", "system
tools" and select "DISK CLEANUP"
7. select drive
8. in the box select:
DOWNLOADED PROGRAM FILES
TEMPORARY INTERNET FILES
RECYCLE BIN
- on 2000, ME, and XP also select:
TEMPORARY PC HEALTH
TEMPORARY OFF-LINE FILES
- 2000, ME, and XP select tab:
MORE OPTIONS
select SYSTEM RESTORE - (deletes all
restore points except the last, only do this if
you are satisfied that you won't need to restore
back beyond last restore point! else skip this
one part) A message box pops up - select "OK"
9. select "OK" and "YES"
10. goto "start", "programs", "accessories", "system
tools" and select "SCANDISK" run scandisk
11. goto "start", "programs", "accessories", "system
tools" and select "DISK DEFRAGMENTER"
run DEFRAGMENTER - if this is the first time
you have run Defrag, it may take quite a while
to run.
This system has generated thousands of ads for me. It's
awsome... Once you sign up, you create an ad with their built
in HTML editor that works just like your average word processor.
Get your AdGizmo Here!
Guest Article - Whose Site Is It Anyway?
Copyright 2005 Diane Hughes
|
I spend a lot of time emailing with online business owners.
Since that's my specialty, I find a lot of people asking me
questions about my success. What amazes me is that many of
those people are asking the wrong questions!
The questions I'm talking about come from site owners who
want to know how to make themselves look good online. These
site owners want to write copy that is all about *their*
company. They want to have a flash home page because *they*
like it. They want to use *their* favorite colors in the
design. <Some of you might be thinking, "So?">
The problem is, it isn't *their* site! Let me explain....
Think about it a minute. Why do you believe most department
stores now willingly offer refunds? Years ago they didn't.
In fact, it was a well-known fact that, if you bought it,
you owned it for life. Yet, in just the last 15 years or
so, that way of thinking has been completely reversed. The
reason? Customer demand.
Retailers recognized a customer need, and they filled it.
They understood that customers were the ones who made the
purchases and, therefore, the ones who kept their retail
stores in business. The smart thing to do? Reverse the
refund policy and keep customers happy.
Was it the store's idea to offer refunds? No. If it were up
to the stores, no money would ever be returned. After all,
it's *their* store, isn't it? They can do what they want.
Yeah, right! Not if they want to stay in business.
The same principle applies to your website. Sure, *you* may
want to use certain colors on your site, but what would
your customer prefer? Your favorite thing in the online
world may be flash intros, but your customers might despise
them. You may not like the idea of offering a guarantee,
but what about your customers? Whose site is it, anyway?
Yours? No, not really.
Before you get too entangled in making your site everything
you want it to be, consider your customers' wants and needs.
ACTION STEP 1
Make Your Copy Customer Focused - Go back to your site and
read your copy. Does it say anything similar to this?
"Welcome to my website. My company does this, that, and the
other thing. I am the best company of my type on the
Internet. My site has been online since 1999. Buy from me."
If so, you have some work to do.
Focus on your customers. What are their needs/wants? Rather
than copy that says, "Me, me, we, us, I, I, I," you want
copy that acknowledges visitors, makes a connection with
them, defines their needs, and offers solutions to their
problems.
ACTION STEP 2
Turn Your Site Into An Invitation, Not An Eviction - Do you
have a flash home page? If you check your stats, I'll bet
you'll find more people who skip the flash intro of your
site than people who actually view it.
Flash is extremely popular with Web designers, but it is
extremely unnerving to site visitors. Don't force flash on
your customers.
ACTION STEP 3
Check Your Navigation - Can your visitors find their way
around your site easily? How would you know? The best way
to find out for sure is to ask a few people who have never
seen your site before to surf on over and take a look
around. Ask them to spend 10 or 15 minutes browsing. Then
ask them to tell you about their experiences.
Paying due attention to your customers and their needs is
one of the best things you can do to improve your online
business. Put yourself in your customers' place. When you
turn your site into a welcoming environment specifically
designed for your visitors, they can't help but want to
return again and again.
Diane C. Hughes * ProBizTips.com
FREE Report: Amazingly Simple (Yet Super Powerful)
Ways To Skyrocket Your Sales And Build Your Business
Into A Tower of Profits! == http://madmarketer.com/diane
Your ad could be here. for more info see below
OK. Call me sneaky if you want.....
I know that the reason you have subscribed is to gain knowledge about online marketing. Here is my gift to you, free exposure in my newsletter.For those of you that have read this far you will get 1 ad posted at no cost to you in an upcoming issue.
This will be limited to one 4 line ad copy per person, not including your URL or email addy, 65 characters per line.
Submit your ad by emailing it to:
A little funny to hopefully brighten your day....http://www.mlmportfolio.com/?hotbiztips/funny-video
Guest Article - My Ads Aren't Working!
by Willie Crawford
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My ads aren't working! I don't get much response to my
ezine ads! How can I improve my ad response rates? These
are comments I hear frequently from associates who
advertise regularly online. After taking a look at their
ads, here is the advice I often offer them on improving
their ads:
First of all, the ad must be BELIEVABLE. Fully 80% of the
ads that I review lack credibility. Yes - people want to
believe that they can earn a fortune - in a month - with
absolutely no work. However, things don't work that way!
If it were THAT easy, everybody would be doing it.
After all, we like to share secrets with our family and
friends. Anyone discovering a way to earn money THAT
easy would have shared it with their friends .. who
would have shared it with their friends..... and they
would have shared it with their friends. Soon everyone
would know about it and be making a fortune.
This great moneymaker would not need to be advertised
since it would be spreading so fast by word-of-mouth.
Your potential customers are very intelligent. They
can spot a hyped-up exaggeration when they see one.
Don't use them - make your ads believable.
Starting with the most important part of your ad - the
headline. It must be believable and it must grab their
attention.
How do you get their attention? You tell them how you
are going to solve a problem for them, or how you
are going to prevent them from having a problem in the
first place. There are many "hot words" that have been
proven to grab a persons attention better than others.
You need to use these in your headlines too. Examples of
these words include:
"Free"
"You"
"Discover"
"New"
Any good book on copywriting will give you more of these
terms so I won't elaborate on that here. If you want a
good ebook on how to write using language that excites a
customer get a free copy of "Magic Letters - How To Write
So People Buy Now!". You can get it at:
http://williecrawford.com/puremagic.exe
The KEY to writing an effective ad is telling the
customer "what's in it for him." Spell out specific
benefits in both your headlines and in the body of your
ad. Talk directly to your customer in your ad, telling
him what you are going to do for him. Don't list product
features - list benefits!
Many ads don't even tell the customer WHAT they are
selling. Instead they hype how much money can be made
with the "ground floor opportunity" or "proven program."
Others yell about how many will already be placed in
your "downline." Why would anyone respond to such an ad?
Many online people are sooo fed up with trying different
hyped up opportunities. If yours is different, at least
tell the customer *how* it's different and *what* it is.
More importantly, tell the customer "what your product
or service is going to do for him."
After you have a good headline and good body copy, you
need a call to action. You need to tell the customer what
action you want him to take. Do you want him to: visit a
website; request more details; download a trial copy; get
a sample chapter; vote? Tell the customer what he should
do next. Your ad may have him marginally interested but
he often will not take action unless you tell him to.
Give the customer several ways of taking advantage of
your great offer if appropriate. For example, you may
want to give both a website url and an email address.
Consider what you want him to do AND the medium you are
using. For example, if your ad is in an ezine that is sent
out via email, you may not want to force you prospect to
open a browser and visit a website. Maybe he doesn't want
to open his browser at that time, and maybe an
autoresponder message would better serve your purpose.
If your ad will be posted on a webpage, maybe you don't
want to force your prospect to open his email program to
respond to your offer. The preferred method of having the
customer contact you depends upon a lot of circumstances
including what you are ultimately trying to accomplish
with you ad.
While on the topic of methods of contact, a lot of ads
turn the customer off with the email address or website
urls used.
If your ad offers a free email address for contact
(such as Hotmail) or a website hosted at a free site
(such as Freeyellow) a major percentage of qualified
prospects will not respond to your offer. They will
reason that if you are not serious enough - professional
enough - to invest a little in your business, you
probably are not stable enough to risk doing business
with.
If you don't have your own domain name at least use
the email address provided by your ISP. People who have
been online for a while associate many of the free email
addresses with fly-by-night operators. Regardless of how
fair this assessment is, you will loose many potential
orders if you don't acknowledge this point.
Having your own domain name makes sense for the same
reason. Many people who have been online for awhile
associate websites on free hosts with fly-by-night
operators, or those not really serious about their
business. They reason that if you will not invest a few
dollars in your own domain name, how serious and
credible are you?
Domain names are dirt cheap!
Professional web hosting comes in a range of prices -
depending largely upon the amount of customer support
and website capabilities you want. If you want readily
available customer support, then the web host needs to
charge enough to have technicians standing by. If you
can wait a day or two to have someone respond to your
email when your website is down, then the web host
doesn't need to have technicians standing by and they
can charge less. If you want to run cgi scripts, have
a shopping cart, have a database or other such features,
you will be using more of your web host's server
resources. He needs to charge more to afford greater
capability.
Proof positive that having your own domain name,
professionally hosted, dramatically increases your
chances of online success is readily available. Simply
log online and visit a few successful online
businesses. They will ALL have their OWN
professional-sounding domain. If YOU don't do this,
your ads referring people to your website will NOT
pull.
A final element of creating successful ads is testing.
You must test EVERY ad that you use. Experiment by
changing different elements of your ad. Change the
headline or a few words in the ad body. Record the
response rate that you get.
Now change the url or capitalization and note the
results you get. Just changing one element in an
ad can result in 100 times the response rate. Then,
when you find an ad that works, stick with it until
it stops working. Continue to test other ads for
the same product or service, but don't stop running
the one that's working!
You never know what ad is going to strike just the
right chord in your prospects. At the same time, what
worked today may not work tomorrow. There are certain
advertising concepts that never seem to change but
many do.
A classic book called Scientific Advertising is one
of the best books on writing and testing ads
available anywhere. I use techniques from the book
every advertising campaign I run. If you would like
a free copy you can download it from my site at:
http://williecrawford.com/scientific.exe
Download this ebook and study it carefully. Some of
the most successful copywriters around regularly
mention this book as one they learned to write great
ad copy from. Then it's largely a matter of creating
an ad following the proven steps and testing, testing,
testing!
To your success - Willie Crawford
http://williecrawford.com
Willie Crawford is an expert on internet marketing, joint
ventures, buying and selling reprint rights, and building
business through networking. His directory of seminars,
workshops, conferences, and tele-events is at:
http://InternetMarketingSeminarSchedule.Com
Search Engine Submission - set it and forget it
website Monitoring - Keyword Density - Ranking
Link checker - Link Popularity - Link Relevancy
Top Keywords - Google PageRank - More
Affiliate program pays 40% every month
SEO Traffic Tools
I have the new site up, you can visit it at:
http://HotBizTips.com
Please add to your white pages or approve receiving email through your Spam filters. They are very aggressive now days.
I am working on getting a forum set up for some interaction
between subscribers. I have about 50 Megs of ebooks, reports
and scripts that I am in the process of uploading for the subscribers!
Trust me, these are not your usual junk ebooks. These have
been weeded out by me because they have useful information
and tips that can be valuable to all of us that are not making
a $100,000+ income online yet.
Some I have acquired with master resell rights, some I can pass
those rights on to you. Give me time because there is more to it
than just uploading the files, I will have to make the pages too.
Finally in the update section, I will be getting DSL here in a
couple of weeks. Yippee! That will help with my getting the loose
ends together.
I would like to thank the new subscribers for joining us. It
is just the beginning of the success you seek. You are seeking
to gain knowledge and that is one of the most important steps
you can take.
Some of you I have met through email already. I want all of
you to feel free to drop me a line anytime, just to say "hi"
if for no other reason.
Drop me a line to let me know your thoughts on the newsletter.
Have questions? Feel free to ask, I want to provide the training
and guidance that you desire. This isn't a classroom where
you sit and listen to lectures. I want to fill a useful need, if I don't
know you needs then I am just throwing out information.
To Your Success,
Lynn Harris
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