From DEMC.com
Interview with Lisa Preston of Brainstorming Lab
By Cort McCadden
May 25, 2006, 13:06
Cort: First, Lisa, congrats on your new product launch! I know that you are one of the new “hotshots” in Internet Marketing; however I would like to know what you did before your Net involvement. When was this? What got you interested in the Net?
Lisa: I taught kindergarten through fourth grades for 17 years. I loved teaching, but when test scores became more important than real learning in our state, I had to fly the coop.
I have no idea what took me to that first salesletter three years ago, or even what product it was! But after reading that first ebook on how to make a living on the Internet and not stay chained to a job, I was reeled in - hook, line, and sinker! It took two and a half years of continuous study and trial and error, but finally, all the advice paid off!
Cort: Did you see the value of Email Marketing almost immediately after it appeared? What made you get involved with Email Marketing?
Lisa: My first initiation into Email Marketing came when I joined Ken Evoy's Site Build It program.
They had it all spelled out - how to share good content with your subscribers and keep them reading. My first newsletter was geared toward homeschoolers.
I was spending hours on the newsletter - time I could have used to find quality affiliate programs. As a result, I gradually stopped publishing. Of course, you can't make money from emails if you're not sending any!:)
Later I realized that what I originally wanted to do with my newsletter was make it tip-based, and very reader-friendly. So I canned the 2 hour newsletter idea and started building friendships with my subscribers with short, sweet, personal messages.
An experience at a local rehab hospital solidified this decision. My grandmother had a stroke, and I was helping care for her. During her rehab I witnessed a powerful moment between Gran and her occupational therapist.
The OT had Gran's hands held in such a nurturing way, and after all the struggle Gran was going through to regain her ability to walk and speak, she threw her head back and laughed as if she knew all was going to be ok. That moment became a living, breathing memory inside my mind - I knew that I wanted to grab the hands of my subscribers through the impersonal Internet and connect like that. That memory inspires me to this day.
Cort: Wow, that's a wonderful way to describe what I call "heart felt" communications! What are you doing to avoid the ever present spam filters from putting your email in spam folders? Are you considering using PDF files to send your ezine like I have started to do?
Lisa: Funny you should ask - I'm on my own email list, and MY messages to me are thrown into my spam folder! Crazy, isn't it? I try to keep my emails short and sweet, and encourage folks to "Whitelist" me. It's a royal pain!
I do think folks who are serious about getting messages from someone will check their spam folders from time to time to make sure they don't miss anything important. Still, you're putting in a lot of effort writing and not getting the messages always delivered to those who request your info.
Cort: What are your feelings about Plain vs. HTML Email Marketing? What about the Audio and Visual Email?
Lisa: I'm a total believer in plain text when it comes to emails. Makes you seem more like a friend than a "company".
I personally haven't used audio and video, mainly due to a hoarseness I've developed over the past four years. My voice can come and go pretty quickly. But I love the concept - it makes the Internet seem so much more personal.
Cort: What have been your biggest successes in your business and why? Failures? What would you do differently if you could do things over?
Lisa: If I could start over, I'd definitely join a coaching or apprenticeship by a seasoned marketer from square one. I didn't do that for two years, and while I did need to build a foundation for marketing, a lot of time was wasted. I also wouldn't buy every info product on the planet like I did.
The biggest successes have come from being involved in an apprenticeship program, and being coached by a professional marketer. It wasn't cheap - but it got me on track, instead of floundering all over the place, not knowing what step to take next.
After having that one-on-one instruction, I was ready to bring new ideas into the marketplace. Instant Niche Emails, my third product, really took off like crazy.
Also, I'd have gone to a marketing seminar sooner. There's nothing like putting your business into high gear by meeting like-minded folks at these conferences. Three of my current business partners I met at seminars. We've stayed in touch constantly and are combining our unique talents to create products that would have taken forever if we'd gone it alone.
Failures? Ah, they mostly came from naivete and a lack of attention to details. I thrive as an idea person, and details can just kill me. For instance, I once placed a lead generation ad in USA Today - paid $300 for that little classified. Then I found out later that the sign-up on my site wasn't working, and I missed out on all those visitors'info! Ugh!
At the beginning, I tended to trust everyone who sounded nice. Work for you for free - but we'll share in the profits later?? Okay, no problem. Took a few times of being burned, but I'm wiser for it. Never count one cent until it's deposited in your bank account. That's a big lesson I learned the hard way.
Cort: Yes, I have had to learn many of those lessons too! What would be your advice to Internet newbies concerning Email Marketing?
Lisa: I wouldn't start out buying generic leads to get a list. I did that on several occasions, and lost money each time. If you're just starting out, I'd recommend reading the report Follow-Up Fortunes - free at
http://www.instantnicheemails.com
It's full of recommendations and personal experiences from someone who has tried it all!:)
Cort: Lisa, and boy what a nice gift you have for our readers!
Lisa: Folks who sign up through DEMC will get a recorded call of a teleconference that Shawn Casey and I did. He's been email marketing for eons, and really knows his stuff. Here's the url: http://www.instantnicheemails.com/index3.html
Cort: Yes, I have interviewed him too. Also you have a special for DEMCers that order your latest product - Instant Niche Emails - software that helps write a year's worth of follow-up emails for any niche! It's a "must have" for every website owner!
Lisa: DEMC subscribers get a bonus product with their order - The Complete Brainstorm Lab in a Box for Entrepreneurs. This normally sells for $67(see product at
http://www.completebrainstormlab.com).
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Cort McCadden also known by his real name Hugh Simpson is a former consumer investigative reporter for Post Newsweek TV and the co-founder of the website http://www.moneywiselife.com and the new blog http://moneywiselife.blogspot.com where he shares up to date consumer awareness tips for especially seniors since he has reached 60 this year. He is also an emergency preparedness consultant and he encourages you to download the FR** Emergency Preparedness Guide at http://www.usprepared.com offering tips for preparedness on both man made and natural disasters.
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