BLAST Marketing * Dream It, Build It, Share It

Archive for September, 2009

The beauty in publishing newsletters is in the repeat. Be sure to create a consistent compaign and frequency to your newsletter publishing.  Your customers, subscribers and partners will become to rely upon it so BLAST Tip # 3 – Send out your newsletter more than once.  It doesn’t matter if you have a printed newsletter or an online newsletter, providing valuable content to your subscibers will pay off in the long run.  Some additional tips are to be consistent on the day and time your readers will recieve thier newsletter.  Consistency is key in marketing.  If you are not getting the open or response rate you desire, try testing different headlines, sending out on different days and at different times.  Which ever test has the best results.  Use that format and delivery method on-going.  Good Luck!

©Kellie D’Andrea & Associates

Want to use this article in your newsletter or web site?

You can, just include this complete blurb with it: Kellie D’Andrea is the creator of the Build a Better Ezine System and publishes “The Marketing Edge” a FREE award winning ezine for small business owners who want to gain the competitive edge with strategic marketing and branding techniques that actually work. Interesting in starting your own business, sign up for a FREE mini course “The Empowered Entrepreneur” and learn how not to make the 23 Common Mistakes Most Entrepreneurs make with a FREE report offered at www.kelliedandrea.com.

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Article Marketing is one of the easiest and fastest marketing methods to build your brand, establish your expertise, and build links back to your website for minimal cost. All that is required is your knowledge in your area of expertise and an effective strategy to ensure you are leveraging all the possibilities that article marketing can bring to you and your business. Every article must have these top five essential elements in order to be effective and drive your desired results:

1. Valuable Content

Article marketing is about offering value through your words. It is about quality versus quantity so make sure you are offering content that your readers are interested in reading. You do not need to be a strong writer to use Article Marketing as a marketing strategy, but you do need to be able to weave in your expertise. If you cannot write, hire a ghost writer to write for you and you provide direction and editing for your own voice.

2. Enticing Headline

You have less than 3 seconds to grab the attention of the reader so your headline is a critical. Make it appealing and compel your readers to read further. Try to relate a solution to a problem, ask a provocative question or offer a command.

3. Targeted Keywords

Strategically placed keywords are a great resource for for search engine optimization. Search engines love keywords so use keyword tools to select the right keywords for your target. With the right keyword density and content, your articles could end up in the top page of search engine results for a number of competitive keywords but remember not to use too many keywords or the search engines will devalue your content.

4. Structured Resource Box

A well structured resource box is an essential element of getting readers to click on your links to your website. The resource box is the small box at the end of the article where you promote your business or yourself and embed links to your website. A structured resource box promotes the benefits of your products and entices readers to click links to your website usually through an offer for a free service and/or product.

5. Strategic Syndication

The last essential element is strategic syndication. By submitting your aricles to the various article directories, the more chance you have for other publishers to pick up your article. There are many services out there who submit your articles automatically to hundreds of directories and provide your tools to enhance and leverage your article submission. Other uses for your article include:

• Ezine Content – use article for your own ezine.
• Blog Posts – post article to your own blog.
• Guest Blog Posts – post article to others blog.
• Linked In – include in news feed
• Newspaper/Magazines – submit to off line publishers
• Ebook – repurpose all articles into an ebook.

Article marketing is a proven method to boost your online presence, increase leads, and drive traffic to your site, all at no cost to you. By spending as little as an hour each day, you can enhance your brand image, establish yourself as an expert and develop trusting relationships that will lead to more business and more profits.

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Most people believe that writing requires skill and is an art.  I believe this to be true when you are creating works of art such as novels, ebooks and whitepapers but when it comes to email promotions; I believe writing is a science.  By following a simple formula, anyone can create successful email promotions.

Every successful promotion has the same essential elements that must be included in your offer for it to be appealing to the masses.  A unique but simple formula that you can follow today:

1. A Defined Target Audience

Who is your audience?  Who is reading your promotion and/or offer?  Are you speaking in their language?  Are you offering something that appeals to them?

2. A Benefit Statement

What benefits or results will your readers get from your promotion?  Is it truly a benefit (meaning some result they will yield) or a feature you are disguising as a benefit?  People are tuned in to WIIFM (what’s in it for me) – answer that question up front!

3. A Sense of Urgency

People need a reason to take action so create urgency – “Act Now”, “Hurry While Supplies Last!”   People are busy and if given the chance to put off until another time, they will and then they will forget.  So don’t give them the option of doing something later.

4. A Call to Action

What do you want your readers to do?  What are the next steps?  Purchase your product? Sign up for the next seminar?  Be sure to tell the readers what you want them to do next and limit their options.  Studies have shown that providing too many options will result in a lower response rate.

5. A Readable Length

How long is your promotion?  If you received this, would you read it?  Most people skim material so make sure your promotion is short and sweet.  If in an email, keep it simple.  If it is a sales page, make it no longer than a page and a half.  Remember, people have limited time these days, create a promotion that gets straight to the point.

6. A Trustworthy Source

Who is the promotion coming from?  Can people get in touch with you if they have a problem or have questions?  Do you offer more than an email address?  People want to buy from reputable companies and you are required by law to include your address.  To put buyers at ease, I recommend also giving them a phone number.  Too many “bad companies” are out there and don’t allow you to speak to an individual.   Remove the risk and give your audience a place to contact you.

7. A  Couple of Bonuses

Can you sweeten the pot?  Is there something you can throw in that will bring additional value to your offer?  A consultation?  A free Ebook?  An extra widget?  Anything that will enhance your offer and bring additional value will increase your chances in a successful promotion.

The formula for email promotion success is:

Target Audience + benefits + urgency + action + length + trust + bonus = Promotion Success!

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Article marketing is one of the fastest and easiest ways to create an online presence, enhance your  brand and generate massive traffic to your website.  If you publish an ezine, have a blog or a company newsletter, you do not want to miss this FREE webinar event “9 Essential Tips to Successful Article Marketing”                              

I personally have been using these tips I will be teaching to bring my own business to new levels.  In less than 4 months, I have successfully positioned myself as an expert in small business strategy, enhanced my credibility and increased my web traffic by over 100%.  More importantly, I have grown my business to unbelievable heights and I can teach you how to do the same.

 During this event, you will learn:

•   How to generate more traffic to your websites with article marketing.
•   Answers to the top 10 questions people have about article marketing.
•   Simple strategies to generate content ideas and craft your own articles.
•   Where to publish your articles and other uses.
•   Article title mistakes to avoid and headline titles that work.
•    Ideal article length for easy syndication
•   Ideas to re-purpose, repackage and rinse & repeat for ongoing success

 Sign up here to register for the event.

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According to Bill Glazer, of GKIC the number one mistake businesses make is that they assume everyone knows their business and knows them when the reality is, if you are not consistently in front of your customers and prospects – they won’t remember who you are or what you do! In today’s environment, competition is fierce and you want to deploy new strategies that will help you survive and thrive in this recession and beyond.

Here are Bill’s 7 strategies to move your business forward in these tough times and in future years. Give some of these a try and watch your business soar:

1. Sell to Someone Different
Expand your boundaries to sell to a new market. With the internet, it is easy to take your local business global. For example, a retailer can put a catalogue of their merchandise on line and now sell it globally. Look for other niches and choice multiple niches that offer you a quick way to more money.

2. Sell Differently
The industry has changed so change the way you are selling. In a recession, people are looking for it to be “okay” to spend money so figure out a way to make it okay. For example, an exclusive travel company in the past would never offer “try before you buy” packages because it wasn’t their business model. Now they do and because they made it okay to buy – their customers continue to purchase from them.

3. Sell Something Different
Take a look at your resources and see if there is something you can add to your product or service line. For example, can you create special packages, training classes or group tours? For example, a local restaurant now offers customer day trips and wine schools to add to their product line.

4. Create More Value
In a recession, it is more important than ever to create additional value for your customers. What can you add to your offering that would bring additional value to your customers? For example, I usually block out xx of days for my coaching clients and to add value, I have increased the number of days available to them. I also make myself available for quick chats and email question – all included in my normal fees.

5. Strategic Status
Be the expert, the authority, the specialist and the must have advisor to your customers. People want to work with the best and want to be associated with the best so maintain your positioning in your field and be at the top of your game. Integrity goes a long way in a recession and your customers will remember.

6. Association
Napoleon Hill introduced us to mastermind groups in his book “Think and Grow Rich”. The basic concept is that you are only as good as the people you know. You want to associate with those who will propel you forward, not hold you back. Take a look at your groups, vendors, employees and friends and decide who you should associate with in business, who will challenge you to grow.

7. Use Direct Response Marketing Systems
Direct marketing allows you to reach to your customers in a variety of different ways. Being outrageous is a proven technique that Bill teaches and his concept is on the premise that if doesn’t matter how much advertising and direct mail you do if it doesn’t get opened and read, it is worthless. People like outrageous because they are bored, overwhelmed, like to be amused and respond to something different. For example, In Bill Glazer’s book “Outrageous” – he talks about a postcard he sent out with a picture of him on a donkey with the headline “Who do you think is the biggest ass?

For additional examples, check out Bill’s book here and if you are interested in exploring these themes in your own business with a proven business coach, contact me at info@kelliedandrea.com.

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