Archive for April, 2009

Saturday, April 25th, 2009

Would you blow your entire annual marketing budget on just one ad to run once during the Superbowl?

Of course you wouldn’t. You know that people seeing your message just once wouldn’t be enough.

Then why do we tend to spend our time and dollars on single-shot marketing, rather than repeated messages?

The answer is… most folks just don’t know any better. Or, perhaps it seems boring to repeat your message over and over and over and over.

But the truth is, your fortune is in the follow up!

This past weekend I went to hear direct marketing master Bill Glazer (my marketing mentor who runs Glazer-Kennedy Inner Circle (along with Dan Kennedy) speak at a conference here in Los Angeles. During his talk, he shared with the audience how he spent the last few decades of his life running Baltimore’s #1 retail men’s clothing store, Gage Menswear, along with his late father.

Bill talked about one of his first direct mail campaigns, and how during the planning stages he announced to his dad that they were going to mail a special promotional offer to the same list not once, not twice, but three times. His father was appalled and yelled at Bill that he was crazy and was wasting their money!

Bill persisted and mailed all three pieces of the campaign. Well, their results revealed that mailing the exact same offer three times not only increased their response, it DOUBLED their response! Pop was floored, and he sure was delighted with the flurry of sales that came in. From that point on he also trusted Bill with their marketing dollars.

Why does repeating your message work? online newsletters writing

It’s simple… people are inundated with messages every day. Last statistic I heard was each of us sees over 3,700 distinct messages a day! That means you need to repeat yourself over and over if you’re going to break through the clutter, actually get their attention, get them to read or listen AND get them to respond.

Your assignment is to now look at all areas of your marketing and advertising in your business, and see where you need to add some follow up.

Some quick places to look at:

Your Ezines - Are you publishing your ezine enough? Once a month just doesn’t cut it anymore. You should be reaching out and “touching” your prospects and customers at least once a week, if not more. (If you’re running out of ideas or you’re not sure how to do this without bugging folks, my ezine system takes care of that for you!)

Teleseminars and Live Events - When promoting events, you’re going to need many more than one or two announcements or mailings. As a general rule, when I’m really trying to fill up a teleseminar (phone seminar) I sent out at least three emails dedicated to the promotion. For live events, you need dozens of messages, and well ahead of time. Most of the trainers I know start marketing no less than six months ahead of any live event they’re hosting!

One-on-One Marketing - If you cold call or mail out letters to prospects, how many times are you following up? Don’t be afraid to call or mail again. I myself have finally responded to an offer after I’ve been contacted several times, and was glad the vendor took the initiative to follow up.

Advertising - Instead of blowing your budget on a few large ads per year, try running a smaller ad much more often! Also most publications, both online and offline, will usually give you big discounts for purchasing more than one ad at a time. (I do this with ads in my own ezine, Straight Shooter Marketing.)

Remember, many marketing experts who test all these strategies say that repetition is the key. So don’t even feel you have to be creative with your marketing - just saying or mailing the same thing over and over is better than not saying it or mailing it again.

Saturday, April 25th, 2009

Would you blow your entire annual marketing budget on just one ad to run once during the Superbowl?

Of course you wouldn’t. You know that people seeing your message just once wouldn’t be enough.

Then why do we tend to spend our time and dollars on single-shot marketing, rather than repeated messages?

The answer is… most folks just don’t know any better. Or, perhaps it seems boring to repeat your message over and over and over and over.

But the truth is, your fortune is in the follow up!

This past weekend I went to hear direct marketing master Bill Glazer (my marketing mentor who runs Glazer-Kennedy Inner Circle (along with Dan Kennedy) speak at a conference here in Los Angeles. During his talk, he shared with the audience how he spent the last few decades of his life running Baltimore’s #1 retail men’s clothing store, Gage Menswear, along with his late father.

Bill talked about one of his first direct mail campaigns, and how during the planning stages he announced to his dad that they were going to mail a special promotional offer to the same list not once, not twice, but three times. His father was appalled and yelled at Bill that he was crazy and was wasting their money!

Bill persisted and mailed all three pieces of the campaign. Well, their results revealed that mailing the exact same offer three times not only increased their response, it DOUBLED their response! Pop was floored, and he sure was delighted with the flurry of sales that came in. From that point on he also trusted Bill with their marketing dollars.

Why does repeating your message work? online newsletters writing

It’s simple… people are inundated with messages every day. Last statistic I heard was each of us sees over 3,700 distinct messages a day! That means you need to repeat yourself over and over if you’re going to break through the clutter, actually get their attention, get them to read or listen AND get them to respond.

Your assignment is to now look at all areas of your marketing and advertising in your business, and see where you need to add some follow up.

Some quick places to look at:

Your Ezines - Are you publishing your ezine enough? Once a month just doesn’t cut it anymore. You should be reaching out and “touching” your prospects and customers at least once a week, if not more. (If you’re running out of ideas or you’re not sure how to do this without bugging folks, my ezine system takes care of that for you!)

Teleseminars and Live Events - When promoting events, you’re going to need many more than one or two announcements or mailings. As a general rule, when I’m really trying to fill up a teleseminar (phone seminar) I sent out at least three emails dedicated to the promotion. For live events, you need dozens of messages, and well ahead of time. Most of the trainers I know start marketing no less than six months ahead of any live event they’re hosting!

One-on-One Marketing - If you cold call or mail out letters to prospects, how many times are you following up? Don’t be afraid to call or mail again. I myself have finally responded to an offer after I’ve been contacted several times, and was glad the vendor took the initiative to follow up.

Advertising - Instead of blowing your budget on a few large ads per year, try running a smaller ad much more often! Also most publications, both online and offline, will usually give you big discounts for purchasing more than one ad at a time. (I do this with ads in my own ezine, Straight Shooter Marketing.)

Remember, many marketing experts who test all these strategies say that repetition is the key. So don’t even feel you have to be creative with your marketing - just saying or mailing the same thing over and over is better than not saying it or mailing it again.

Friday, April 24th, 2009

It is natural that a human being should doubt in the sense of life. A person is a bio-social structure that is guided through life not by instincts but by social conditions. The only animal to kill and to torture the representatives of the same specie is a human being and there is nothing we can change about it, unless we forget about social consciousness or otherwise “Me” as Freud named it. The majority is subjected to degradation because of the absence of aim in life, a stimulus to develop. They are ignorant to various factors and prefer to go with the flow than to get their own way. Philosophers struggle over a question what humans live for. Having heard a lot of similar questions from my students, I’m convinced now that the aim can be as individual as collective.

How to find that goal to achieve? It is simple. Look inside and think over some of the positive features that are so important for you aren’t they worth living? When the life comes to the point where the burden of it is unbearable, it is time to reconsider the system of values you’ve established and find something worth fighting for. People that have obtained a goal never quit moving forward and finding new ways to become consolidated. It is quite time to think over the lifestyle and to discover something new and exciting. You have to make a promise to yourself that you are going to reconsider all the aspects you name negative and positive and try to transform most of the negative into positive. Maybe for the first time in your life listen to you heart and figure out the things you always wanted to do. Your inner desires can transform into real aims and develop a strategy to realize them. Your new aim is probably going to require extra expenses and you have to be aware of the fact and accept it with dignity. If it is more convenient for you, make up a list of things you would like to have and go through it alone or with your friends or family members. After that it is probably going to get reduced a bit, but some of the points you’ll see will be essential for you. You will not be successful from the first attempt and you have to be ready not to give up if the first attempt is a failure.

To realize your dream you have to be in a full strength to overcome hardships. Sacrifice some of your time to have rest and relax, despite the difficulties you experience at work or in your personal life. Create unforgettable moments in your life by planning your vacation to be miraculously fun and exciting. And what is important, never doubt that you can accomplish this much, that you are capable of doing miracles. The truth is one: you have your life to live and this is only your life and your choice you live, not exist to leave a trace in the history and if you prefer to go with the flow, it is not going to tell more about you as a person in the history. Share your success, be positive and focus only on pleasant and it may happen that life becomes better.

Friday, April 24th, 2009

Our life always offers us to take different exams - some or other kinds of trials, where we have to prove our competence, our well being, our determination and our IQ. Student having to submit his philosophy term paper, surgeon operating for the first time, unemployed, who came for the interview to his potential employer &ndash all of them have the symptoms of the exam stress. If you are a student, there is no need for me to explain what exam stress is. Sleepless nights, troubled thoughts, loss of appetite, rapid pulse, trembling hands - these are typical manifestations of exam fear. Recent research has shown that it affects all the systems of the human body: nervous, immune, cardiovascular, etc.

The scientists from Houston Medical School proved in the course of their research that exam fear increases the possibility of cancer. Unfortunately, the negative influence of this phenomenon on the students’ body and their psychology is underestimated nowadays. Social polls demonstrate that students perceive the exams as a “duel of questions and answers”, as a “severe torture” as “intellectual and emotional overload”. Writing term papers (e. g psychology term paper) most of them compare with “killing their time“. Yes, exams are important for you as their results influence your social status, your self &ndashesteem, grants, your further perspectives of study and probably your future professional career. Such factors as long awaiting of the exam, some uncertainty when taking your exam card ( it is like sink or swim ) and tough limit of time for your preparation maximize emotional tension. Some foreign and native scientists, having studied this area thoroughly have concluded that from psycho hygienic position exams are undesirable and they should be cancelled.

At the same time there is quite opposite point of view, stating that exams stimulate brain activity and increase cognitive and mental activity. American psychologist Sarazon determined that those students who are afraid of exam can considerably improve their achievements and even outdo those who are not scared of them. The only necessary thing for it &ndash is the encouraging attitude of the professors &ndash they should strengthen students’ self-confidence. Surely, praise must prevail over scolding. Only then the exams are useful. Every person has own optimal level of worry and anxiety, which helps him/ her to achieve the best results. You must learn how to control your stress and extra anxiety to graduate from the university as a healthy person. I hope that these small tips will be of practical help to you and you will forget what exam stress is in the negative meaning of the word.

If exams cause great worry, if you have some symptoms of exam stress (insomnia, rapid pulse, hands trembling and so on) you ought to do something about it. Use breath meditations, repeat formulas of autosuggestion, imagine the picture of ideal exam atmosphere. You also should take three relaxing sessions and reduce the level of stressful tension (a day before the exam, before leaving home for university and half an hour before the exam).

Friday, April 24th, 2009

If you have a website, then you have probably been bombarded by people telling you that writing articles is the key to successful marketing. However, unless you are a professional writer, article writing probably seems as unachievable as obtaining that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

Well, you may not be able to find the end of the rainbow, but you can achieve the task of writing an article. Just follow these simple tips, and you will be well on your way to success!

First, choose a topic and stick with it. Whether you decide to write on marketing, business tips, or fashion advice, make sure that you know your topic well. Research your subject often so you are up-to-date on the most recent advice being given. After all, you do not want to appear unprofessional by being out of the loop!

Second, make a list. Many successful articles are Top 10, 5, 3 lists. Others, such as the one you are reading, are lists of successful tips. Most readers look at articles to increase their knowledge of the subject in a timely manner. Don’t drag on and on over your topic.

Third, set aside a time each week to write articles. Make yourself focus on the task at hand and dive into writing that elusive article. The longer you put it off, the less likely you will be to take the time to do it. If you feel an onset of writer’s block, take a deep breath and relax. Just start writing the first things that come to your mind to get your thoughts flowing. Soon you will find the words to say what you are thinking.

Overall, remember that article writing does not have to be a burdensome task. If you know your business, then you have plenty of advice to share with other people. Have someone else read your article when it is completed to have an outsider’s point of view.

Just as Dorothy found her way over the rainbow, you can find your way to writing a successful article. Now go put your pen to the page and show yourself what you can do!

Friday, April 24th, 2009

If you have a website, then you have probably been bombarded by people telling you that writing articles is the key to successful marketing. However, unless you are a professional writer, article writing probably seems as unachievable as obtaining that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

Well, you may not be able to find the end of the rainbow, but you can achieve the task of writing an article. Just follow these simple tips, and you will be well on your way to success!

First, choose a topic and stick with it. Whether you decide to write on marketing, business tips, or fashion advice, make sure that you know your topic well. Research your subject often so you are up-to-date on the most recent advice being given. After all, you do not want to appear unprofessional by being out of the loop!

Second, make a list. Many successful articles are Top 10, 5, 3 lists. Others, such as the one you are reading, are lists of successful tips. Most readers look at articles to increase their knowledge of the subject in a timely manner. Don’t drag on and on over your topic.

Third, set aside a time each week to write articles. Make yourself focus on the task at hand and dive into writing that elusive article. The longer you put it off, the less likely you will be to take the time to do it. If you feel an onset of writer’s block, take a deep breath and relax. Just start writing the first things that come to your mind to get your thoughts flowing. Soon you will find the words to say what you are thinking.

Overall, remember that article writing does not have to be a burdensome task. If you know your business, then you have plenty of advice to share with other people. Have someone else read your article when it is completed to have an outsider’s point of view.

Just as Dorothy found her way over the rainbow, you can find your way to writing a successful article. Now go put your pen to the page and show yourself what you can do!

Friday, April 24th, 2009

No, this is not the new math. It is the formula for getting your web site recognized by the search engine spider.

The formula is Fresh Content + Really Simple Syndication = Search Engine Optimization.. This is an easy way to get the search engine spiders to come and visit your site on a regular basis, see that “updates” have been made, and get you ranked higher in the directories.

It isn’t that difficult to write a 300 &ndash 500 word article about your favorite subject matter. What works for me is to set aside a couple of hours a week and knock out 5 &ndash 7 articles at one time to use during the upcoming week. The articles are all different but are similar, so writing them in one sitting is a bit easier. Writing your own content is still the best method but article submission sites can help you out when you have “writer’s block”.

Getting fresh content can be easy with the many article submission sites available on the Internet. All you have to do is search for articles related to your site, copy them and add them to your site. Ensure that you credit the author by leaving the resource box, along with a live link, intact. You can grab many articles at one sitting and save them for later updates. Add some content to your site on a regular basis &ndash preferably daily. You will be amazed at how quick your new site gets indexed and happy with the rankings of your current site as it goes higher and higher.

RSS is an XML formatted style for syndicating content. Users that have RSS readers can then pick up your content and read it at their leisure. Your content will then be all over the Internet giving you maximum exposure.

One additional tip is to add a news aggregator to your site. This will put current news headlines and snippets of the articles on your site. Again, this adds fresh content, making the search engine spiders happy.

So, a few simple adjustments to your web site can bring more visitors, happy spiders and fame and fortune to the authors of the original articles.

Thursday, April 23rd, 2009

Our life always offers us to take different exams - some or other kinds of trials, where we have to prove our competence, our well being, our determination and our IQ. Student having to submit his philosophy term paper, surgeon operating for the first time, unemployed, who came for the interview to his potential employer &ndash all of them have the symptoms of the exam stress. If you are a student, there is no need for me to explain what exam stress is. Sleepless nights, troubled thoughts, loss of appetite, rapid pulse, trembling hands - these are typical manifestations of exam fear. Recent research has shown that it affects all the systems of the human body: nervous, immune, cardiovascular, etc.

The scientists from Houston Medical School proved in the course of their research that exam fear increases the possibility of cancer. Unfortunately, the negative influence of this phenomenon on the students’ body and their psychology is underestimated nowadays. Social polls demonstrate that students perceive the exams as a “duel of questions and answers”, as a “severe torture” as “intellectual and emotional overload”. Writing term papers (e. g psychology term paper) most of them compare with “killing their time“. Yes, exams are important for you as their results influence your social status, your self &ndashesteem, grants, your further perspectives of study and probably your future professional career. Such factors as long awaiting of the exam, some uncertainty when taking your exam card ( it is like sink or swim ) and tough limit of time for your preparation maximize emotional tension. Some foreign and native scientists, having studied this area thoroughly have concluded that from psycho hygienic position exams are undesirable and they should be cancelled.

At the same time there is quite opposite point of view, stating that exams stimulate brain activity and increase cognitive and mental activity. American psychologist Sarazon determined that those students who are afraid of exam can considerably improve their achievements and even outdo those who are not scared of them. The only necessary thing for it &ndash is the encouraging attitude of the professors &ndash they should strengthen students’ self-confidence. Surely, praise must prevail over scolding. Only then the exams are useful. Every person has own optimal level of worry and anxiety, which helps him/ her to achieve the best results. You must learn how to control your stress and extra anxiety to graduate from the university as a healthy person. I hope that these small tips will be of practical help to you and you will forget what exam stress is in the negative meaning of the word.

If exams cause great worry, if you have some symptoms of exam stress (insomnia, rapid pulse, hands trembling and so on) you ought to do something about it. Use breath meditations, repeat formulas of autosuggestion, imagine the picture of ideal exam atmosphere. You also should take three relaxing sessions and reduce the level of stressful tension (a day before the exam, before leaving home for university and half an hour before the exam).

Nowadays, it is universally agreed upon that one of the best ways of increasing traffic to your website is through article submissions. Well written, informative and SEO enriched articles can turn around the face and story of any website. However, as a website creator and owner, you might not have the time, resources or the knack for creative writing. Even though you may be an expert on your subject, you might still fail to write an informative and cohesive article on a topic related to your website either because of shortage of time or simply because your skills might lie in another area altogether. However, there is no need for you to despair in such a case, because there are a large number of essay writing companies that can create all kinds of customized content for your web site based on your needs and requirements.

Custom essay writing services today can produce anything ranging from originally researched and written term papers, theses and essays to articles and blogs for people, organizations, websites and individuals based on their needs and requirements. Most web based essay writing firms employ graduates as well as post graduates who are experts in their fields. These essay writing firms provide you with well researched, well written and original write ups on almost any topic under the sun. Most of these companies employ people who have graduated in their respective subjects, so you can rest assured that your article on Technology is not being written by someone who holds his or her degree in Philosophy. It is akin to getting a specialist to write for you.

Another good thing about these essay writing companies is that most of the good ones are extremely professional. After every article has been written, it is generally proofread by another expert and then scanned by a number of plagiarism testing softwares like copyscape etcetera, so there are no chances of your getting an article that is either full of mistakes or copied from somewhere else. At the same time, web based essay writing companies adhere strictly to their deadlines, sending you your write up as and when agreed, and many refuse to take payment in case the delivery is later than specified.

You might think that a service with all the above mentioned benefits would cost you an arm and a leg, but you would be pleasantly surprised at the reasonable amounts that you will be required to pay for your write ups. Due to the proliferation of a number of professional online essay writing services almost anybody and everybody can afford to get articles written to cater to their specific needs and requirements.

Thursday, April 23rd, 2009

It is natural that a human being should doubt in the sense of life. A person is a bio-social structure that is guided through life not by instincts but by social conditions. The only animal to kill and to torture the representatives of the same specie is a human being and there is nothing we can change about it, unless we forget about social consciousness or otherwise “Me” as Freud named it. The majority is subjected to degradation because of the absence of aim in life, a stimulus to develop. They are ignorant to various factors and prefer to go with the flow than to get their own way. Philosophers struggle over a question what humans live for. Having heard a lot of similar questions from my students, I’m convinced now that the aim can be as individual as collective.

How to find that goal to achieve? It is simple. Look inside and think over some of the positive features that are so important for you aren’t they worth living? When the life comes to the point where the burden of it is unbearable, it is time to reconsider the system of values you’ve established and find something worth fighting for. People that have obtained a goal never quit moving forward and finding new ways to become consolidated. It is quite time to think over the lifestyle and to discover something new and exciting. You have to make a promise to yourself that you are going to reconsider all the aspects you name negative and positive and try to transform most of the negative into positive. Maybe for the first time in your life listen to you heart and figure out the things you always wanted to do. Your inner desires can transform into real aims and develop a strategy to realize them. Your new aim is probably going to require extra expenses and you have to be aware of the fact and accept it with dignity. If it is more convenient for you, make up a list of things you would like to have and go through it alone or with your friends or family members. After that it is probably going to get reduced a bit, but some of the points you’ll see will be essential for you. You will not be successful from the first attempt and you have to be ready not to give up if the first attempt is a failure.

To realize your dream you have to be in a full strength to overcome hardships. Sacrifice some of your time to have rest and relax, despite the difficulties you experience at work or in your personal life. Create unforgettable moments in your life by planning your vacation to be miraculously fun and exciting. And what is important, never doubt that you can accomplish this much, that you are capable of doing miracles. The truth is one: you have your life to live and this is only your life and your choice you live, not exist to leave a trace in the history and if you prefer to go with the flow, it is not going to tell more about you as a person in the history. Share your success, be positive and focus only on pleasant and it may happen that life becomes better.