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                 ** DEMC ** Volume IX No. 3 **
        The Truth About Legitimate Email Marketing!
          Serving the Internet Since November 1995

Quote for today:

"Success is dependent on effort." - Sophocles
_________________________________

In The Spotlight:

Does Search Engine Marketing Work? Will it Work for You?
Can You Avoid Costly Keyword Bidding? Where will You Find the Answers?

"Paid search" is the hot new way to attract traffic,
but is it effective for smaller and local businesses?
Many say "Yes" - - but many more have doubts.
See business owners' top ten concerns with paid search here:
http://www.adjunction.com/issd03.php

_________________________________

For details on advertising to DEMC E-Magazine's 175,000 subscribers for as little as $36.
Go to: http://www.demc.com/Advertise/advertise.html

Share DEMC with your friends and associates. They can subscribe free by emailing: Subscribe@sendfree.com

What's In This Issue - Features

1) Editor's Note: "My Secret to Getting Subscribers"
2) Email Marketing Insights: "Focus Is The Key to List Building"
3) Feature Article: "Email Success Tips - Interview with Lynn Terry"
4) SOHO Help Desk: "Ezine Resource"
5) DEMC's - Advertising Information

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

1.

Editor's Note:

"My Secret to Getting Subscribers"

Earlier this week, MarketingSherpa.com released results of a survey AD:TECH conducted with heavy Internet marketers in December. This "State of the Industry Survey" asked these individuals, who spend an average of 47% of their total ad budgets on online, what works for them and what doesn't.

Coming in at the top of the list, can you guess ... drum roll please ... campaigns to your in-house email list. 49% of these marketers sited house list email campaigns as getting "GREAT" versus "moderate" or "disappointing" results.

Another interesting result, was what topped the list in regards to pulling in moderate results. 57% stated ads in email newsletters see moderate results.

It seems bigger businesses who spend significant money advertising online have finally figured out what we already knew. Developing and advertising to your own in-house list is the best investment you can make. And if you're looking to expand your reach, advertising to another's in-house newsletter list is a good investment.

Knowing that building and growing your own in-house list should be a top priority for your marketing efforts is one thing. The harder question is are you doing anything about it?

Do you have a plan in place to consistently build your subscriber base?

I expect you have probably thought about how to build your list and maybe you've tried a few tactics but so far you're dissatisfied. Why do I make this assumption? Well, the question I'm asked most often is how to get more subscribers.

This frequent inquiry is why we regularly cover in DEMC different ideas and techniques to build your subscriber base. Last fall we even ran a contest to entice others to spill their secrets on list building. And we shared the most creative strategies in DEMC. ( See the back issue. )

Despite DEMC's focus on list building strategies, readers still contact me, as you've seen in the last few weeks of the SOHO Help Desk, asking the best way to get subscribers.

I believe the reason this question is asked again and again is because developing a quality list is not easy. And we're all looking for the silver bullet. The truth is that it takes time and effort to grow a responsive in-house list.

In my opinion there is no quick solution that will provide you with a big list overnight. Believe me I've tried!

I've tried buying others' in-house lists and investing in leads from co-registration sites. Sure these tactics grew the DEMC list, but I found these leads lacked interest and did not respond well.

So Abbie, then what's your secret to getting subscribers? I can hear you asking me.

I follow and recommend the basic strategies of having a content rich site, writing and distributing articles and being active online. You'll find details on implementing these tactics in today's issue. These strategies work, I use them and overtime they'll build you a solid responsive list.

However, after putting these strategies into place if you want more subscribers, I'll share with you my own secret.

Viral Marketing Tools

I expect you've heard the term viral marketing before. Essentially it means that you tell your friend, that friend tells their friends, those friends tell their friends and so on. Think back to high school and gossip that got out of control.

To build your subscriber base you need to develop a viral marketing tool, i.e. a juicy bit of gossip that everyone wants to know about.

What are some viral marketing tools?

An ebook, which you give away that allows others to brand with their information and give away is one such tool. A screen saver, again that you give away and allow others to brand and give away is another such tool.

I just was reading about another viral marketing tool produced by
e-tractions.com that took off for them. (http://www.mediapost.com/dtls_dsp_news.cfm?newsId=230630 )
It is a holiday greeting card that people kept forwarding on to their friends.

Using the principals of viral marketing you can create a one time tool that will continue to work for you, pulling in new qualified subscribers.

How do you create a viral marketing tool?

1) Step one is to profile your ideal reader. Who do you want to subscribe? Your tool should be designed to attract those readers who are truly interested in what you have to offer.

For instance, you do not want to write up an ebook or create a screen saver focusing on flowers, if you are promoting web hosting services. Now if you're a florist, then yes this would be a good idea.

2) Step two is to brainstorm ideas. Think of every possible viral marketing tool you can. Do some research of what others are using. Don't think about feasibility here, just come up with ideas.

Another neat viral tool I learned of was a game. As you can imagine people like computer games and share them if they're any fun. It's how the company MarketingSherpa has expanded one of their lists.

3) Evaluate your ideas to see which will work. Now is the time to consider your budget and skills. If you are not a programmer, and have no budget perhaps having a programmer create a game for you will not work.

However, if some of your ideas require programming, do not give up right away. Investigate a little. You can find very reasonably priced programmers.

4) Decide on the best idea and outline how it will achieve your goal. Remember the end game of the tool is to get quality subscribers. You should plan out how the tool is going to work and write it out. Be specific. Even if you're creating an ebook, you have to decide what it is going to cover, how is it going to encourage people to give it away and how are you going to entice people who read the ebook to subscribe to your in-house list.

5) Build the tool. By now you should have a great idea and a guide as to what the tool should entail. If you're putting the tool together, do it. If you're hiring a programmer or designer to bring your idea to reality, hire them to do it.

Take action and get the job done.

6) Promote the tool. Start with your in-house list, as they'll be your best source to spread the word. Then contact other ezines, as we saw from the AD:TECH survey promotion to other eNewsletters works. You may also want to consider putting out a press release, running a paid search engine promotion and networking in discussion groups.

7) Watch the tool at work and tweak as needed. Keep track of how the tool is doing. Does it work, does it need improvement in any area. Find tune the tool and then let it do its job to bring in subscribers.

That's it! You now have in place a viral marketing tool that should consistently bring in subscribers. How do I know?

Well in addition to the examples I sited above a tool that DEMC created back in 1998 was our SendFree.com site. SendFree provides f'ree autoresponders and f'ree email advertising to its members.

The target audience for SendFree is also the target audience for DEMC, small businesses interested in email marketing. We designed SendFree to encourages members to promote the service to others. Day after day, week after week and year after year SendFree's viral design provides promotion. Not only does SendFree help our members promote their businesses, SendFree also promotes its own services and lastly it promotes DEMC.

So what's my secret to building a responsive list ... viral marketing tools. In fact, before the end of this month we'll be launching a brand new viral tool. So stay tuned, it's a great new tool you're really going to appreciate!

Abbie Drew
DEMC Editor
mail@demc2.com

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2.

Email Marketing Insights:

* Exclusive *

"Focus Is The Key to List Building"
By: Jean Bim

Every year, I start off my column by reviewing the best ways to grow an in-house list in the 365 days to come. I don't claim to be the authority on this topic but I have a sort of obsession with wanting to know how people build their email lists so very few techniques get past me. This year, I will again start my review process, and reveal where your efforts should be spent to reap maximum rewards.

If you are a long time reader of DEMC, you'll find that many of the strategies I review each year are the same. This is not because I am too lazy or have no guts to try anything new or different but simply because I stick to what brings in the best results on a consistent basis.

While it seems that Internet marketing strategies are always changing, don't get caught up in the hype. Avoid thinking that the best way to deal with change is to continually try new and different tactics. This approach usually leads to a situation where you do many things but never do them well.

If you pay attention to the individuals who own profitable email lists, you'll notice that they share something in common. They tend to stick to the same promotional techniques year after year. Yes, they do tweak things on an occasional basis to keep up with changes but their focus remains on a small handful of techniques.

So what techniques should you use to promote your list in 2004?

I'll cover a variety of ideas in the coming issue of DEMC, but to start I'll review my favorite.

The best technique I've found, which worked in 2001, 2002 and 2003, and I expect will still be hot in 2004 is ...

Search Engine Optimization

SEO has become a very hot topic and for a very good reason: it's generating a lot of money for those who choose to take the dive and learn about the ins and outs of the industry. Exactly 2 years ago, I was completely useless as far as search engine optimization is concerned but I chose to focus on it for one year and it's been the best way for me to promote anything online and the results are nothing short of amazing

So how do you use search engines to help you build a list?

You know that content that you write to be featured in your newsletter? Use it on your web site as well! Archive your back issues on your site. Not only will your subscribers appreciate being able to access the information but it also will attract web surfers and hopefully turn them into new subscribers.

An archive builds your subscriber base because the content in your back issues is indexed by the search engines. When your prospective subscribers makes a search engine query on a particular topic, if you had an issue on that topic, your page is likely to appear in the search results. Presto, you'll have a visitor and likely a new subscriber.

You just need to follow a few basic rules so that the search engines find your archived newsletters and index them as highly as possible on their own. The basic rules are ...

1) Create an index page that links to every issue you archive on your site.

2) Each archived issue should link back to the index page.

3) Link to the index page from the other pages of your site.

4) Include basic Meta tags with each archived back issue - Title, Content = keywords and Content = description.

That's it! Sure you can get more complicated with SEO, but these steps although simple, really do work.

You will find if you follow these steps and consistently post your back issues to your web site you will bring in quality new subscribers. The back issues will be indexed by the search engines. The search engines will drive f'ree traffic to your back issues. The great content in your back issues (which is so compelling that people have no choice but to join your list to get more) will attract the kind of subscribers you want. You'll soon have subscribers who read your newsletter and take your desired action to bring in the cash.

Now, if you are just starting a list or if you already have archived your newsletter online but you're looking for more f'ree search engine traffic, here's another strategy. Create one or more niched sites centered around the topics discussed in your email newsletter or a topic related to what you sell.

You probably have heard of the concept of theme websites. Well, that's what I am talking about. You put together a site with 20 - 50 pages of tips and articles on a targeted topic. You then follow the same basic rules, I outlined for archiving, for making your theme site friendly to the search engines. And soon the content of your themed site, will be pulling in traffic and enticing people to look for a subscription form!

If you do not have either of these two search engine strategies in place for building your list, and you would like more subscribers, I strongly recommend that you consider them.

Remember, the key to building a decent mailing list is a matter of doing a few things and excelling at them as opposed to doing everything under the sun poorly.

If you make a commitment to use Search Engines to build your list in 2004 it will pay off!

###
Jean Bim is not an Internet marketing guru. Just a regular online business operator that tries, tests then reports his results with you (http://www.legitmoney.com). If you like his column and want him to write for your web site or newsletter (some conditions apply), see http://www.freshmarketingcontent.com


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3.

Feature Article:

* Exclusive *

Email Marketing Success Tips

"An Interview with Pro Webmaster/Online Marketer Lynn Terry"
By: Mike Merz

Miss Terry, owner of Web Service Network and the popular Internet Marketing newsletter/forum, Self-Starters Weekly Tips, in addition to being a well known figure in Internet radio, established herself as a force to be reckoned with in 2003 ... and looks to gain even more popularity in 2004.

Read on, as I query Lynn in regards to the email marketing strategies she uses in her own campaigns, and day to day operations.

MM

Lynn, thanks for making time for us ... I know you have a very demanding schedule.

LT

Its my pleasure, Mike. I'm a huge fan of DEMC, myself, so I'm thrilled to be involved on this level :)

MM

Your main list has grown a great deal in a relatively short period of time ... Would you care to share some of your list building techniques with our readers?

LT

I consider myself fairly new to e-Newsletters and email marketing, honestly. I've been publishing Self-Starters Weekly Tips for over two years, but didn't really begin to focus heavily on it until the beginning of 2003. My list has grown by over 1100 subscribers in the last eight months which is three times as many subscribers as I received in more than twice the time prior to that (and with much less work, I might add!).

It would be important to note that my main objective is in building a highly-targeted and responsive list, rather than a "large" list. I've avoided list-building techniques that focus on just getting subscribers such as purchasing email addresses, contests, offering incentives, etc.

When I first began SSWT I relied on ad-swaps, co-op services such as Subscription Rocket and a pop-up on my web development site to name a few. While I retained all of those subscribers, in addition to adding many more, its interesting to note that they are relatively unresponsive while the subscribers that joined this year have brought a dramatic increase in sales and feedback.

Some of the techniques that I've used with success in the past year include:

- Developing a website that is devoted solely to my Newsletter, including archives and a discussion forum.

(Prior to launching the SSWT website in March of 2003, my newsletter was offered through my web development site.) This contributed to the growth of my list in several ways.

First, an increase in [focused] content enhanced my Search Engine Marketing efforts - this attracted highly-targeted visitors instead of web development clients that *might* be interested in do-it-yourself tips.

The discussion forum also made a dramatic difference in the conversion rate. Creating an "interactive" atmosphere which allowed my subscribers to discuss the topics and network with each other increased loyalty and responsiveness almost immediately. This gave me an opportunity to continue building relationships within the group, which increased my "reach" through referrals, co-promotion opportunities and joint ventures.

I would have to deem this as my #1 Tip - find a way to become interactive with your list and build relationships.

- Don't assume that everyone enters your web site from the main page, or that everyone reading your newsletter is already a subscriber.

This point may seem obvious, but is often overlooked: Include subscription information in every issue of your newsletter, and a sign-up form on the archived issues that you add to your website. This step alone almost doubled the rate of subscriptions for me!

You would be surprised at how many people forward an issue of your newsletter to a friend or colleague (or to their own list!), or how many people arrive at an archived issue on a web page through the search engines - make sure you make it *easy* for them to subscribe ;)

- Networking and building relationships. It's about more than just exposure - it's about getting to know people. That said, having real conversations with real people (your targeted market) is also one of the best ways to do "market research" {wink}. My suggestions would be:

1) Take an interest in the "who's who" in your industry and introduce yourself - get involved!
2) Join Ryze.com, fill out a detailed and compelling profile, and become active on the networks that interest you.
3) Choose two or three active communities (message boards, discussion forums or email groups) within your industry and become a regular [contributing] member.

Taking these three steps led me to meeting the people that contributed to my business growth, and to learning exactly who my targeted market is and how I can best help them and were basically the stepping stone by which I was able to fast-forward my business growth.

MM

You recently revealed to me an amazingly low unsubscribe rate, in regards to your main newsletter, Self Starters Weekly Tips ... what have you done, specifically, to achieve this?

LT

I do my best to stay on topic and to deliver what I originally promised. I feel like this is extremely important, as it is one of the main reasons that I will unsubscribe from a newsletter, myself.

If I sign up to receive "x" and end up getting "z" I lose interest. Also, I don't include any 3rd party ads in my newsletter. Instead I share with subscribers tips/ products/ services that I have tried or use myself. I feel this approach has gained their trust so they are less likely to unsubscribe.

MM

Do you advocate the use of co registration services to accelerate the list building process?

If not, why?

LT

Personally, I prefer to only co-promote within my own Network. This allows me to hand-pick the recommendations that I want to make, and to choose highly-targeted websites and newsletters through which I want to gain more exposure. I like "total control" over my associations ;)

However, I do like GetSwap.com. They are fairly new, and more of a selective network than an automated co-reg. Newsletter owners get an opportunity to review other newsletters by category and by rating, and can then hand- pick the "swaps", or recommendations, that would work best for them.

MM

Have you considered HTML formatting in your campaigns? ... or are you sticking to traditional text?

LT

Actually, I started out with an HTML format, and have since switched to plain text, which I plan to continue. My reason for that is because a substantial amount of my subscribers are WebTV and AOL users, which rendered my HTML formatted emails practically unreadable. Switching to plain text was another contributing factor to the increase in sales and feedback with my list.

MM

While we're on the subject of HTML, let's talk about archiving newsletters on the web.

I know for a fact that you've done this from the get go ... how have you benefited?

LT

The main benefit has been an increase in visitors from the major search engines. In addition to providing new content for my website on a weekly basis, archiving my newsletters online allows me to optimize each page to attract highly-targeted visitors. My newsletter covers a wide range of web development and web marketing topics, so instead of only attracting "general" traffic to the main pages it allows me to also focus on niche keywords within my industry, such as: ebook software reviews, flash tutorials, pay-per-click tips, etc.

MM

Can we expect something new from Lynn Terry in 2004? ... care to give our readers an inside scoop? ;)

LT

Sure :) I'm actually very excited about 2004, as I spent the majority of 2003 developing a more long-term 'action plan'. Some of the things that I plan to launch include a very comprehensive Online SEO Course, some major forum modifications that I believe will make the SSWT Forum 'one of a kind' {grin}, and several f'ree reports and a f'ree ebook that share detailed insight into some very exciting 'case studies' I have conducted with excellent results.

MM

Thanks for sharing with us today, Lynn ... and much success in 2004.

LT

Thank you, Mike - Best of success, also, to YOU and to all the DEMC readers!

I hope you enjoyed this month's interview ..;)

Stay tuned for my next installment, featuring ... ? ;)

Regards,

Mike Merz

###
Mike Merz is a well known Internet Marketing expert, specializing in Online newbie campaign start ups, and is the owner of ... Internet Marketing For Newbies and The IM4Newbies Update

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

Today's SOHO Help Desk offers an ebook on ezine publishing.

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

To start us off today, we have a DEMC reader who would like your advice. Please take a minute to review this week's question and send your response to - mailto:helpdesk@demc2.com .


=== Help Request ===


From: Stephen Othuke Agbaka

Hey friends! I am a lyricist and I have recently completed a series of lyrics that I would like to circulate. I need to know how to find a partner to help me promote and sell my work.

Thanks,

Stephen Othuke Agbaka
Lyricist


Send your answer to: mailto:helpdesk@demc2.com


=== Answer For Keith ===


Keith's question:

>As far as publishing and ezine are there any books,
>reports, or ebooks written on this subject that you
>can recommend. My main problem is finding subscribers.


From: Steven Boaze


I would like to offer Keith and other DEMC subscribers
a special invitation to visit my website and get my
new ebook on this very subject. This ebook answers
every question you can think of on publishing an ezine.

Go to: http://www.ezineremedy.com

I wrote this ebook and built this site to help people
like Keith get more subscribers and be successful with
their own publication. I own several successful ezines
and newsletters.

Thanks and Best Wishes,
Steven Boaze
Chairman
http://www.boaze.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.

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

Advertise In DEMC - * Prices *

For information on advertising to the DEMC E-Magazine's 175,000 subscribers for as little as $36, plus details on How To Get a FREE Ad in DEMC E-Magazine Go To Visit Our Web Site: http://www.demc.com/Advertise/advertise.html

DEMC
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Clinton, CT 06413
(860) 669-4365

(c) 2004 DEMC All rights reserved

View other back issues of DEMC.
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