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       ** DEMC ** Volume VIII No. 36 **
        The Truth About Email Marketing!
    Serving the Internet Since November 1995

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must pay for the accomplishments and victories of tomorrow."
                    - William J.H. Boetcker
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What's In This Issue - Features

1) Editor's Note: "How Spam Law May Rescue Email Marketers"
2) Email Marketing Insights: "Reasons Customers Buy"
3) Feature Article: "Unleash the Power of List Building With Articles"
4) SOHO Help Desk: "The 13 Worst Marketing Mistakes"
5) DEMC's - Advertising Information

======================

1.

Editor's Note:

"How Spam Law May Rescue Email Marketers"

First, I have to apologize if you attempted to contact to me last week and did not receive back a reply. I took the week off and unfortunately, my plan to keep my mailbox clear did not work. The spam I receive (6,000+ messages each day!) quickly overwhelmed my inbox and I was unable to receive email for most of the past week.

If you sent in a question and it was returned to you, please write to me again and I will get back to you.

Upon returning and discovering the spam blockage of my account, I have to admit I was quite expressive in my displeasure about spam. In fact, I think I've finally had it with spam. No longer can I be of the opinion, just delete it and move on. The just delete it takes hours now, not a few seconds.

My annoyance with spam, has me agreeing with the majority of the US Internet population. I was reading survey findings from the Pew Internet & American Life Project, which concluded that spam is undermining the integrity of email and degrading life online.

52% of email users said spam made them trust email less. One in four respondents said spam has caused them to reduce their email use, and 70% complained the Internet is unpleasant as a result of spam.

Spam is overwhelming us. As a result it is hurting permission email marketers and Internet businesses overall. What is even more aggravating, is that spam is still in its infancy. Jupiter Communications predicts email volume will rise fortyfold by 2005!

Yikes ... That means my 6,000+ messages daily will become 240,000 daily. I won't be able to delete fast enough.

What can be done?

Many believe legislation will help the problem. But so far the legislation passed by various US States has not diminished spam. California's new spam law, the toughest on the books, looks as though it will do more harm than good. (See my past notes' column: http://www.demc.com/newsletters/10_8_03.html) Its language leaves permission email marketers open to costly law suits not just spammers. The result will be numerous lawsuits trying to sort out the law rather than actually stopping spammers.

So perhaps federal legislation here in the US will be the answer?

The Senate just passed the CAN-SPAM ACT of 2003 (S.877) which currently waits to pass through the House of Representatives. If the CAN-SPAM ACT of 2003 passes the house before Jan. 1st this is good news for US permission email marketers. The bill will pre-empt all the current State laws, thus diminishing the potential of a devastating lawsuit under California law.

The Senate CAN-SPAM ACT of 2003 carries criminal penalties for sending spam with false header information or using other means to disguise the sender's identity. It also bans harvesting of email addresses from Web sites.

Complying with these regulations should be easy for permission email marketers, as we are already doing so. The one stumbling block with the Bill is its call for the creation of a do-not-email registry by the FTC, meant to operate similarly to the national no-call registry.

Complying with a do-not-email list may sound difficult. But I expect programmers will be able to create software that compares the do-not-email list to your list and deletes out matches for you. Keeping spammers from accessing the do-not-email list and emailing it, however, will be quite challenging for the FTC. The FTC director has stated that identifying who the spammers are is the technological difficulty with enforcing spam legislation.

Should the CAN-SPAM ACT of 2003 be passed by the House and signed into law by the President, the question then becomes will it work? Or will the worst spam offenders simply move to other countries and get better at hiding their tracks from the FTC?

We can get some idea of how successful a federal unsolicited commercial email law will be by watching the European Union. Last Friday the 31st of October, the EU required its states to implement legislation banning unsolicited commercial email.

I expect the EU law as well as a federal US law will reduce spam somewhat but not eliminate the majority of it. The problem is people continue to respond to spam, thus it remains profitable. In the Pew Internet & American Life Project poll, 7% said they'd purchased from a spam message. And 33% said they'd investigated a web site as a result of spam.

With spam generating response, spammers will continue to find ways to get their messages out. Only when spamming becomes ineffective will the spam stop.

To protect your email account, the best recourse remains email filters. Thus the ongoing development of tougher filters in email programs, as we're seeing in AOL 9.0 and Outlook 2003.

As more and more Internet users get fed up, they'll put filters into place. It is the filters that will lead to a reduction in spam. Unfortunately the filters also hurt the results of permission email marketers, as you may have experienced.

To get your emailing promotions to work, despite the spam deluge, double confirming your new sign-ups and having subscribers whitelist your "From" address is essential. Take these steps and then deliver valuable content and you will continue to get results from email marketing.

Abbie Drew
DEMC Editor
mail@demc2.com

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2.

Email Marketing Insights:

"Reasons Customers Buy"
By: Kevin Nunley

You probably wouldn't consider yourself a self-centered person- - most of us wouldn't. You probably give of your time, donate to charities when possible, and try to cater to friends and family when they need you. So, what about your customers?

Even though we aren't selfish or boasting people, many of us make the mistake of being selfish or boastful in our marketing. We tout our product or service, toot our own horn, and try to point out how great, wonderful, useful, and convenient our stuff is. This is all fine and good, and it often works, but have you ever stopped to wonder if you're catering to the real reasons customers buy?

Like most of us (and reasonably so) our customers have an inborn need to look out for number one--themselves. This doesn't make them selfish; it's simply a survival issue--an instinct. What this means is that, no matter how much you blow your own horn and advertise your product or service as the "next big thing," customers are only going to buy from you if what you're offering fills some personal, specific want or need. Customers want to know "what's in this for ME."

Believe it or not, this may have little or nothing to do with your product's fantastic features.

So, why do people really buy, and how can you make sure they'll buy from YOU? Here are a few things that drive customers to buy, and how you can cash in:

1. Prestige -- No matter how they might protest the opposite, many people are primarily driven by a need for prestige. They want a product that makes them feel wealthier, skinnier, or healthier than the guy across the street. They want to be one up on their friends and neighbors. They don't just want something to make their lives easier--they want something that makes them feel happier, richer, and better than most other people. Tell people how your product or service will give them the status they crave.

2. Impulse -- Now here is where your horn-blowing advertising may come in handy. Let your customers know how much your product will help them with ______. Will they have more time? More money? Is your product a really great conversation piece? Impulse buyers are looking to spend money now, so you only have a few minutes to convince them that your product or service will benefit them NOW. Don't just list your features--tell customers (briefly) how they'll instantly benefit from what you're offering.

3. Physical -- Ever wonder why the weight-loss industry makes hundreds of billions of dollars? People have a need for products that make them look younger, fitter, skinnier, and more vital. The world is a stage, which means that for many of us, it's all about appearances. Cosmetics companies and people like Denise Austin and Richard Simmons have become tremendously wealthy by pointing out that their products will help people look younger, lose weight, and get in shape.

4. Trends -- If everyone else has one, or everyone else is doing it, people naturally want to join the club. In your marketing copy, point out how your prospects may be left out in the cold if they don't buy. Use statistics, testimonials, or unique facts to let customers see that they simply must jump on the bandwagon.

###
Kevin Nunley is the Net's #1 copywriter. Thousands of
businesses have relied on Kevin for quality sales letters, web
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Reach Kevin at mailto:kevin@drnunley.com or 801-328-9006.


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3.

Feature Article:

* Exclusive *

"Unleash the Power of List Building With Articles"
By: Denise Ryder

Ya ya, I know what you're thinking, "I can't write a classified ad and now she expects me to write an article!"

Ok, I will get to the writing of an article in just a second, first, I want you to put aside that "I can't" thought, because whether you tell yourself you can...or can't, you are absolutely right. If you read through this article telling yourself, there is no way, then what I am going to say will not reach you. IF however, you go through this article and keep an open mind, then by the end you will see that YOU, like anyone else, CAN write a good, solid article and use it to help you in your email marketing techniques.

So, clear the mind, keep it open and read ;o)

In my 10+ years of coaching small business owners both on and off line one of the fundamentals I always stress is... WRITE YOUR KNOWLEDGE DOWN. Share it with people, as wide an audience as you can, because that sharing does more for you than you can possibly imagine! First of all it develops trust and rapport with a reader. Let's face it...we are in the Information Age and the more you share with people, the more they grow to trust and appreciate you to the point where you become "their expert."

Now, throw in the fact that for one issue, whether a newsletter or magazine on or off line, ALL EYES are on you, how powerful do you think that is?? The fact that a publisher (or several for that matter) runs your article and for that one issue, means YOU are the focal point. You stand to have the attention of 1000s of readers, people who are reading what you have to share.

If you still are not jazzed, then this certainly will. Within the confines of each article you write there is a Resource Box (skip down below and you will see mine here). That Resource Box is the TOOL you use to build your list. You already have a captivated audience, I mean come on now, they just read your article so "you're it!" From that article you have them wanting to know more about you and how you can help them. That's where your Resource Box comes in. It tells the reader a bit more of who you are and then "leads" the reader to your site, where they can subscribe to your newsletter, download an eBook, or an eCourse. Basically, whatever it is you want them to do, BUT, ensuring ALWAYS you work your process to build on or add to your list.

The article gives you the trust and rapport you need to develop with the reader, the Resource Box gets them to take some form of action that helps you build your list. See how that works??

Article writing is one marketing tactic that so many people seem to shy away from, mainly because they feel that they have to be of a "Robert Frost" caliber in order to write. First you don't have to be Robert Frost, but that's besides the point. What articles can do is help you build your lists more effectively. You not only stand to build a list, however, you stand to build a good, quality list because the people who sign up to your list value you what you have to say and offer.

Ok, let's roll to the "how to" aspect of writing an article. I am not going into the specifics obviously because with your knowledge you can write an article about anything. However there are 3 ways you can write an article that will make things easier for you and that's what we want to do... keep it easy, yet effective.

Tips Lists - the easiest form of article to write. You write a series of tips as they relate to a particular topic. Each tip would consist of 2-4 sentences.

For example:
10 Easy Ways to Loose Weight Fast
Top 10 Hottest Businesses to Start
5 Tips to know if your Pest Control Guy is doing his job
7 Steps to growing better roses

Tutorial - another article that is relatively easy to write and it shouldn't be surprising is also well read. Everyone wants to know how to do something in a step by step or checklist format. It breaks down a seemingly daunting process into bite sized manageable steps.

Resources - a third format used is to list and describe a series of related resources - typically these are free ones. If you decide to write this type of article, ensure that you refrain from writing an article based on 10 affiliate links, the idea is to write an article, not sales copy promoting your affiliate programs ;o)

For example:
10 Ten Best Travel Sites
15 Free Traffic Generation Tools
21 Places to Grab Free Links

We ALL have knowledge about something and trust me there are people out THERE who want to read what you have to share. Whether it is how to care for award winning roses, to how to pick a healthy puppy from the pet store. If you have the knowledge SHARE IT, it doesn't do you or your business much with it inside your head!

Resource:
If you are still a little stuck or need just a little bit of a helping hand then there is a piece of software that will help you in creating articles. eZine Article Creator is such a program, check it out here: http://www.profitspace.com/eac/index.html

###
Denise Ryder is a Marketing Coach and publisher of ProfitSpace Newsletter. Did you know that NOT having a list is eBusiness suicide? If you are struggling with building a list of your own, then you need - The Marketing Brief

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4.

~/~ SOHO Help Desk ~\~
http://www.demc.com

"The 13 Worst Marketing Mistakes"

Today's SOHO Help Desk offers valuable marketing advice. If you have a informative tip, promotional idea or question you would like included in an upcoming issue of DEMC, all you have to do is submit it by email to - mailto:helpdesk@demc2.com

=== Marketing Tips ===

"The 13 Worst Marketing Mistakes"
By: Jonathan Gray

Are you disappointed? Your ads drawing minimal results?

Well, I've got great news for you, because we're going to change that forever right here, and right now!

Let me show you which mistakes are killing your profits. And precisely how to correct them. And you'll soon have a powerful set of weapons to make sure all your efforts generate cash.

Mistake #1
Marketing To The Wrong Audience.

Even with the world's best product, copy and price - if you try to sell it to the wrong people, you'll flop.

Mistake #2
Assuming You Know What Your Customers Want.

Listen to what your market has to say. Offer products based on your customers' answers.

Mistake #3
Focusing Your Copy On You.

Customers don't care about your product. So talk directly to their problems, needs and desires.

Mistake #4
Assuming You Know What Your Customers Value Most.

Poll your customers. Then adjust the benefits in your copy accordingly.

Mistake #5
You Think Your Ad Or Your Product Are Important.

Forget about your ad and its fancy layout. Concentrate on hitting your customers right between the eyes with the most potent benefit you have to offer.

Mistake #6
Blindly Accepting Your Mail Will Reach Its Destination.

Did you know that huge quantities of email are being dumped as spam? Remember, if your mail doesn't reach its destination, you can't sell!

Mistake #7
Blindly Accepting That People Will Open Your Mail

How many of us run through our in box with our finger on the delete button? So follow these rules to ensure your mail gets opened.

Mistake #8
Assuming You Have Your Prospect's Undivided Attention.

You're competing against everything that vies for your prospect's attention other businesses, and their work, family, and hobbies. So write hard-driving, persuasive pieces packed with so many benefits, your prospect can't help but be interested.

Mistake #9
Being Deceitful Or "Standing Too Close To The Shade."

Unfortunately, some get swept away by their own greed. Better to solve your customers' problems, help them, and deliver more than you promised. And you'll sleep well at night!

Mistake #10
Failing To Track Your Results.

You should key your ads, sales letters and news releases to track precisely what's working and what isn't - which marketing efforts to stick with and which to modify or abandon.

Mistake #11
Not Having A Profitably Planned Follow-up Campaign.

It's much easier and less costly to sell to someone who's already bought from you than it is to bring in new business. Follow up from every sale. Strike while the iron is hot. Send follow-up mailings at least every quarter. Build on their trust in you.

Mistake #12
You're Trying To Sell Unrelated Products.

You can't follow-up effectively with unrelated products. Pick an area to specialize in and offer the best group of related products that you can.

Mistake #13
Changing Your Marketing Out Of Boredom.

If the market continues to respond to your promotions, don't change it!

###
Jonathan Gray has been helping people succeed in small business for three years. Join his free "Help For Beginners" Course now - free tips on HOW to do it; WHERE to go: http://www.businessrich.com

----

If you have a valuable tip, promotional idea, question or answer you would like included in an upcoming issue of DEMC, all you have to do is submit it by email to - mailto:helpdesk@demc2.com

Be sure to include your SIG and contact URL with your post as we'll be sharing any viable ideas/information in an upcoming issue of DEMC E-Magazine.

======================

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