Hi, I would like to welcome you to the 105th issue of the "More4you Newsletter"! Today is Tuesday, the 1st of March, 2005. The current number of subscribers is: 31,196 ================================================================ More4you Newsletter ... more tips, training & tutorials for webmasters & entrepreneurs. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Everything you need to make your website & business a success! ******************************** Issue 105 - March 01, 2005 ******************************** Published & edited since 1996 by Frank Bauer www.more4you.ws www.add2it.com | www.add2it.de | www.add2you.com www.frankbauer.name | www.million-mall.com | www.million-mall.de ================================================================ The More4you Newsletter is delivered by subscription only. Subscription and removal instruction^s are located at the end of this newsletter. Table Of Content: -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- 1) Editors Blurb 2) First Article: "Dirty Secrets Of Co-Registration Email Lists" by Willie Crawford 3) The Question & Answers Section: "The best way to create a newsletter/mailing list, how to get associates / affiliates and how to integrate everything in a site" 4) Second Article: "How to become a Reviews, Testimonials & Endorsements expert" by Frank Bauer 5) Recommended By The Publisher: "Global Domains International, Inc." 6) Newsletter Notes & Policies ================================================================ Please click her^e to download the PDF version of the newsletter: http://www.add2it.com/news/issues/more4you-03-05.pdf ================================================================ 1) Editors Blurb: This is the first issue send from my new office in Toongabbie NSW / Australia! :) Well, the server sending this is actually in Canada, but hey... you understand me, right? ;) Everything is now slowly moving forward... my wife and I unpacked 204 boxes, my ABN (Australian Business Number) is now pending and I got wireless broadband access! :) So, all in all I am satisfied... well, almost! Now I just have to catch up with a big pile of programming work that needs to be done. :p I still need to finish the manual and web copy for Add2it MailResponder Pro, as well as a routine to import data from an Add2it AutoRespond Pro installation. I guess I better stop to predict when this will be finished. The advantage for you is that unless you want to upgrade from Add2it AutoRespond Pro to Add2it MailResponder Pro, you can already now use Add2it MailResponder Pro. Plus until the final release is ready... you will get the installation service for the script for free and this way sav^e $29. The Add2you Doubler project has been launched on the 14th of November under the motto: "Your Ads that work on 4,300+ web pages plus double your investment back" Since the 14th of November, members have already been paid $10,403 in bonuses and commissions plus 531,719 banners and 354,925 text ads of our members have been displayed. Check it out at: http://www.add2you.com/doubler/ There are still sets of the special, "Moving to Australia Sale" bundle available. That's why I decided to reduce the price by another $30! You will save over 50%... plus there is an easy 3 month subscription plan available. Please check out the details at: http://www.add2it.com/moving-to-australia-sale.shtml Would you like to ear^n $82.58 referring others to this special sale? Simply refer them to: http://add2it.com/ref/track.cgi?id=add2it&pid=australia Just replace add2it with your Add2it affiliate ID. Not yet an affiliate? Signup for free at: http://www.add2it.com/ref/ If you are interested to partner with me or get a fre^e script copy for a translation for any available language (see the following web page), please contact me. The partnership details you can find at: http://www.add2it.com/ref/joint-venture.shtml And the contact form is located at: http://www.add2it.com/contact.shtml Next point, the Add2it Audio Testimonial contest is still going. If you are interested to receive a coupon worth $100, that you can redeem for Add2it products & services of your choice, please visit http://add2it.com/see.pl?Add2it-APC for complete details. And last, the winners of the February 2005 giveaway! :) Last months promotion & survey entries giveaway winners: -------------------------------------------------------- 1st Prize: Free copy of Add2it Notes Pro software tool ($27 value) + Coupon for $25* off your next Add2it.com Scripts & Services order (Total Value: $52). The winne^r is: Judith Bamford (judith@*******.com) 2nd Prize: Choice of the Free to Sell6 eBook collection or the Cash Flow Killer Mini Sites eBook package incl. possibility to get monthly commissions and upgrade to Add2you Advanced Level + commissions paid for your upline + Coupon for $25* off your next Add2it.comorder (Value: $32.95). The winne^r is: Lory Gallagher (glory@****.com) Last months Add2it Affiliate Program and Add2you Program giveaway winners: -------------------------------------------------------- Prizes: Add2it affiliates & Add2you Advanced Level members get for one month a banner or text ad on all affiliates index pages + Coupon for $25* off their next Add2it.com Scripts & Services order! (Value: $125) Add2you Free Level members get their choice of the Free to Sell 6 eBook collection or the Cash FlowKiller Mini Sites eBook package incl. upgrade to Add2you Advanced Level + commissions paid for their upline + Coupon for $25* off your next Add2you.com order! (Value: $32.95) The winners are: Add2it - Valeriu Zarnescu http://add2it.com/ref/home/sqepteeq.shtml Add2you - Taunya Millet http://www.add2you.com/now/tawnwebsurfer.shtm Congratulation^s to all winners... :) Please contact me at news@add2it.com for complete details on how to obtain your price. Please don't forget to join our monthly & annual giveaway at: http://www.add2it.com/giveaway.shtml Ok, now let's get started immediately ... have fun, relax and enjoy! 'Whatever the mind can conceive and believe... it can achieve.' Napoleon Hill, Think & Grow Rich To your success, Frank Bauer http://www.frankbauer.name Publisher & Editor of the "More4you Newsletter" http://www.more4you.ws -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Sponsor Of This Newsletter Issue: Serious about YOUR Home-Busines^s? Serious enough to give me 7 minutes of your time? Come inside... I just want to show you a short movie I found... psssst!...YOUR even IN it! http://add2it.com/see.pl?G-D-I ================================================================ 2) First Article: -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- "Dirty Secrets Of Co-Registration Email Lists" by Willie Crawford -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Years ago, I listened to Internet marketing "gurus" share that they had lists in the hundreds of thousands, and I was all ears. Up to that point, I had not managed to get my lists above 60,000 (after many years of consistently working at it). After a little further investigation, some of them shared with me that they often purchased new list members in batches of 25,000... 50,000... even several hundred thousand. Knowing the value of each of my individual list members, based upon how much each spent with me per year on average, visions of riches started dancing in my head. Then this little voice in the back of my head asked if this wasn't DANGEROUS! Wouldn't I get spam complaints... or something? How could I just buy email addresses and add them to my list? Was this legal? Why didn't more people know about this, and why weren't more people doing it. So I investigated further. One of the first things I discovered was that lots of big name marketers were using co-registration leads with great results. Further investigation showed me that these leads were generated in a variety of way, and that there was a wide range of differences in quality AND methods of generating these lists. What I now consider the best method of generating co-registration lists is to have a service get people to sign up SPECIFICALLY for your list. There are companies that allow you to write up a description of your list, and this description is displayed on an opt-i^n form on high traffic websites. The sites' visitors read the description of your list, and based upon that description decide to subscribe. I consider this the best method because the individuals are specifically subscribing to YOUR list. The service I've used most for generating the above-describe type of subscriber is called Lead Factory. You can read about them and their services here: http://add2it.com/see.pl?LeadFactory Another type of subscriber, or lead, that you can purchase is a lead who didn't specifically subscribe to YOUR list, but did request more information on your type of product. These leads are often gathered by companies putting a form on high traffic sites inviting people to request more information on business opportunities... or other profitable topics. Prospects fill in the form and are then added to lists that are sold to people looking for leads or subscribers. This can be where things get sticky... The first place where things can get murky is that some sites don't make it clear to these individuals that they are going to sell their information. They sometimes state this but not in a very clear fashion. So they compile these lists and sell them to people looking for leads interested in a specific topic. If you buy one of these list, and it wasn't made incredibly clear that they were going to be contacted by a bunch of people offering to "help them," these people could get somewhat upset when their email boxes start getting flooded. The above problem stems largely from the fact that some firms offering opt-i^n leads TRICK people into "agreeing" to receive offers. They may use a statement as vague as that business associates will also send them specia^l offers. If you email these people, they may get very upset since, in their opinion, your email was uninvited... and unwelcome intrusion. There are services that make it very clear that they will have people who offer income opportunities or online business opportunities contacting you. The better of these companies build lists specifically for a given customer and they don't sell the lists to more than a few customers. One firm I've use that's like this is know as Nitro. These guys get an order and they build a list specifically for that customer. Actually, they allow one customer to buy a list that is only for their use, or, for less of an investment, that customer can get a custom-built list that's shared with up to 3 other marketers. You can check these guys out at: http://therealsecrets.com/co-reg/ NOTE: I specifically mentioned the Nitro guys because I know them personally, and have GRILLED them on their business practices and HOW they generate leads. I believe that they operate a very reputable and ethical business. I CAN'T make that statement about all of the more than a dozen companies that I have investigated. One of the biggest dangers in using co-reg leads who didn't specifically subscribe to your list is of course the likelihood of spam complaints. If a subscriber views your email as unwelcome, then in their eyes you spammed them. There are factors that increase the likelihood of this happening, and there are ways of reducing or completely eliminating the probability of these complaints. One factor that increases the likelihood of complaints is the age of the list. If you purchase an Old list, there's a good chance that dozens of people just like you also purchased that list and have emailed these people. These people are now simply tired of being offered more "help." With a fresh list... only a few days to a few weeks old, you're less likely to encounter this problem. When someone fills in a form on a website requesting more information, they are actually INTERESTED in receiving more information. Why else would they fill in the form... except in the instances previously mentioned where they are tricked... or perhaps even incentivized to fill in the form in exchange for a gift. Given that an individual really is interested in receiving more information on a given topic, the correct way to approach them is to introduce yourself and allow them to warm up to you BEFORE you try to sell them anything. You need to send them a series of email that identify yourself, PROVE to them that you are legitimate, and demonstrate to them that you really do have their best interest at heart. This takes time and effort. There is a lot of technique to this. I've studied the topic of warming co-reg leads up to you... extensively. The single best report I've ever read on the topic is called "Co-Reg Secrets." You can find it here: http://www.profitautomation.com/app/adtrack.asp?AdID=69919 When using co-reg leads, I personally tell the person in my first few emails why I'm emailing them, where I got their contact information from, and I also tell them that if they are no longer interested how they can get off of the list with just a click. This has worked well for me although my lists are now so HUGE that I rarely use co-reg leads. It's a fact that those who visit your site and then subscribe to your list are more valuable... much more responsive! I mentioned the danger of not using only FRESH lists. The reason this is CRITICAL is that many people who purchase lists turn around and sell them to recoup some of their costs. This sort of makes sense. There's a good chance that many of these leads don't see the majority of emails sent to them simply due to filters, etc. It's also possible that what you have to offer may not be exactly right for them. The PROBLEM comes when a list is resold over and over again! "Buyer A" resells a list to 5 people, and 2 of them resell it to 6 people each, and 3 of them resell it to 4 people each. By this time, those "opt-i^n lead" are getting pretty frustrated with having their personal email box flooded with JUNK email. Then you buy one of these lists, add them to your autoresponders, and your ISP gets 20 complaints from irate people in 20 minutes. On top of that you get 100 emails with some "choice" words about your heritage and suggesting strange things you can do to yourself. To protect themselves and their other customers your web host or list host shuts you down! Not a good day. Done properly, with a quality list, or better yet, one built specifically for you (with the opt-i^n actually subscribing to YOUR list), using co-reg leads can be an excellent way to grow a list incredibly fast. Done wrong, or if you're just plain unlucky, it can be a real disaster. I even know of one "big name" Internet marketer who received a death threat after using a co-reg list. If you are considering using co-reg leads you want to check the terms of service closely at your web host or list hosts. Many prohibit you using co-reg leads to mail from their servers, or even to promote domains hosted with them. They simply don't want to risk the potential adverse effects. Many autoresponder services such as the one I operate at ProfitAutomation.com will NOT allow you to mass import co-reg leads. However, there are other autoresponder services that understand the nature of using co-reg leads, and view it as a legitimate business model. I can point you to some of those if you ask. The purpose of this article is merely to educate. It's not to offer ANY advice. It's just to make you aware of a common practice and show you some things that you need to consider. Another purpose of the article is to stimulate discussion. I invite you to discuss this topic on my Internet marketing discussion forum: http://WillieCrawford.com/cgi-bin/index.cgi -- Willie Crawford is a corporate president, published author, seminar speaker and host, tele-seminar speaker and host, retired military officer, karate black belt, master network marketing trainer, and lifetime student of marketing. He shows people how to actually generate substantial income on-line using very simple, easily modeled systems. An example of such a system that you can study and duplicate is at: http://HowToBeReallyHealthy.com -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- How did you like the content of the first article? Good: http://add2it.com/go/to.pl?l=C1-Good (Last issue: 60.0%) Ok: http://add2it.com/go/to.pl?l=C1-Ok (Last issue: 30.0%) Bad: http://add2it.com/go/to.pl?l=C1-Bad (Last issue: 10.0%) Last issue: "How To Save BIG In Your Online Business" by Willie Crawford ================================================================ 3) The Questions & Answers Section: -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Each issue, we are going to post a new question of interest for all marketers and the best answer(s) to the question of the previous issue. The question for the next issue: -------------------------------- This time I have some very interesting questions for all webmasters and entrepreneurs. Please be so kind and answer a short survey in regard to how to get good advice, how to reach a target audience and the divide between the USA & the UK at: http://www.add2it.com/news/more4you-survey.shtml The result will be published in the next issue. You have an interesting question you would like answered? Please submit it also at: http://www.add2it.com/news/more4you-survey.shtml -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- The question of the last issue: ------------------------------- Last issue I asked you to answer a short survey in regard to the best way to create a newsletter/mailing list, how to get associates / affiliates and how to integrate everything in a site. The results of the survey: -------------------------- 1. What is the best way to create a newsletter/mailing list of approximately 1000 people in a relatively short period of time (6 months)? I have tried purchasing leads and asking them to opt-i^n to my list but that has fizzled. I am either not offering enough incentive to join the list OR their needs do not fit my list and they are not interested in it. How can I find people that specifically want to join MY list? (Question submitted by: Daryl Austman) Jeremy Gislason : "I suggest participating in Joint Ventures. For example, I recently participated in a Joint Venture that brought in over 300 new subscribers in 7 days. While it is not a huge amount it is an increase of subscribers in a short amount of time. Get together with other publishers and see if some will exchange links on Thank You pages, Welcome Emails, Cross Promotion, etc. I also recommend joining some of the Joint Venture sites out there in order to meet other publishers and business owners." Clair Bird : "There is no magic bullet to your problem. I would recommend you write a few articles about your newsletter topic and see if you can get them published in some established newsletters. Simply have your subscribe url in your signature file." Dave Reno : "Daryl... I haven't published an ezine in a while because of health reasons, however what worked best for me in the past was ad swaps with other publishers. Of course you want to focus on the publishers who are also in your targeted market. MOST ezine publishers remember what it was like to start out and be the little guy and will trade ads with you. There will be some who want a 'comparitive' swap. Meaning, he has 5000 subscribers, you have 500. He may say yes I will swap with you but I want a 10:1 ratio. Meaning he'll run your ad once and you'll run his 10 times! I always stayed away from these, however like everything else in life... the ratio is open for negotiation. ;-D" Michael Cobb : "I use various techniques for gathering leads, and I think this is the key - broaden your horizons. This is not the place for a full report on all the methods I use and why, but I get a lot of subscribers by advertising 'Lead Capture Pages' on HEAPS of Traffic Exchanges, REPLYING to marketing emails I receive - I am surprised how many people still ignore this technique - particularly try to identify emails that are promoting similar types of opportunities or products that you are. These people are SUPER-qualified because they are already in the industry, and already interested in similar business ideas as you. Similarly with safelists, although much like TE's this can be somewhat of a numbers game, but whenever you get a marketing email that has an address to reply to, write back a short note, and add that person to a 'Marketers' List you create specially for the purpose. Then, when you have something you honestly believe is good TELL them about it. Co-reg type sites - the ones where you mail a 'downline' from the site rather than get an actual list - are also overlooked. Many think 'what is the point? Everyone I'll be mailing will only have joined themselves to promote THEIR opportunity.' but again, these people are QUALIFIED prospects because they are already trying to make some money online. Could go on but probably already too long an answer for this short survey!" Judith Bamford : "Identify your target audience and create/provide content specifically for that audience. When you advertise make sure your headline speaks to the people you are targeting. e.g. use identifying words like 'beginners', 'webmasters', 'gardeners', etc. Advertise everywhere, constantly and consistently. You want 'headline browsers' to recognize your unique 'branding'." Gary Ockwell : "You need to gain trust, first and foremost, before people will buy from you. This needs to be done in a personal way, ok, you want 1000 people to start off with but you still can be personal even with a million people the principle is the same. Slowly Slowly Catchy Monkey... Find other newsletters in your field of interest and sign up to them... submit articles... email the names of the leads you have purchased with a link to a free item in the niche that you are familiar with, e.g. give them a book on gardening if that's your subject and not on horse riding or weddings. There are plenty of bits of software out there that will capture information ie download managers that need info to get the download. Follow up by asking them a couple of questions about the product... after a few times put a link of interest in to something else of interest in the same field. Don't try to rush to many things on them at once as this will have a reverse effect of what you are trying to achieve. Over a period of 6 months you should be able to get a sizeable list together to start your own newsletter going. There are plenty of people offering free products out there on niche subjects... Search around read the emails you get... Remember though don't spam them, always offer a way out. Don't try to offer loads of items or products at once... SLOWLY SLOWLY CATCHY MONKEY." Debra Gravelle : "Quickest is to Ad Swap with like-minded newsletters, aka e-zine. Another avenue would be supply samples of your work (article) to various difference article banks. You can find a list of the ones that are important to Google by sending a blank email to articlebank@traffic-n-more.com. It will not capture or store your email details. It is there for the public. I have a few more avenues that may be of benefit for you but, those are the top two and are free." Deanna Mascle : "Consider your target audience and what you know about them. Then go where they are to find them and let them know about your newsletter. Run a contest or survey that touches on a topic of interest and offer it in other related newsletters or on message boards etc. When people visit your site to enter then give them your pitch." Comments: Another way to build your quality mailing list fast is described in this issues first article by Willie Crawford. You can get quality subscribers to your own newsletter at: http://add2it.com/see.pl?LeadFactory Also Jeremy's advice to do JV's is very good. Here are some great places to search and find JV partners: JV-Network: http://add2it.com/see.pl?JVnetwork jvAlert: http://add2it.com/see.pl?jvAlert JV Moneymaker Forum: http://jvmoneymakers.com/forum/ JVdealmaker Forum: http://jvdealmaker.com/members/ 2. How would you recommend I get associates / affiliates? (Question submitted by: Reg Charie) Clair Bird : "An affiliate is only as good as the product and their usage of it! Find people who can benefit from the product and after they are sold on it, it is easy for them to be pro active about selling it." Dave Reno : "Reg... you don't mention whether you're a program/service owner, or someone who is just an affiliate and wants to build a team? I will try and be brief and answer both. If you're the program owner, I would do some research and find all of the ezine publishers in your target market, and then approach them with a joint venture. Announce and recommend your program to their readers in exchange for a piece of the action. Generally starting out I pay them a little more than I would a 'normal' affiliate. I would also announce my program to all of the affiliate program directories you can find. There are a ton of them now. As an affiliate wanting to build a team... to me there is only ONE piece of advice I would like you to take from me on this question. First BUY the product!! I can't overemphasize this enough! Once you know the ins and outs of this product can get excited/passionate about said product, SHOW prospective clients/customers results YOU have had with this product, your sales will soar, your TEAM will grow because everyone wants in on a good thing! Last but not least... well two things *LOL* Once you have your team in place... STAY IN CONTACT with them! Provide TRAINING for them! Teach them and yourself how to write good compelling sales copy! You have to stand out from the pack! Copying and pasting the same old tired ad copy that the program owners put out will NEVER EVER make you successful!" Michael Cobb : "Unless you have a GENUINELY 'special' offer that is GENUINELY 'limited', you are better off using the above list-building methods to make contacts, and get referrals by consistently following up. It may sound basic but just remember 'safety in numbers and the law of averages' - get your promotion in front of as many opportunity seekers as you can, and you WILL get signups. Especially if your consistent in your follow ups. You may feel like you're being pushy, but no-one ever succeeded at this for very long by being timid, PLUS the people that are really worth having will see it less as being pushy and more as being dedicated, and perhaps 'gee, he's STILL sending me messages about such-and-such, maybe there's something to it...' Offer or refer your marketing contacts to free tools and services - good ones of course - once they find they can trust your opinion on free things that work the will be 100 times more likely to trust your opinion on something they have to pay for. I could give a few examples but it probably wouldn't be appropriate to put any affiliate links here. BTW: Something that many overlook in their efforts to GET leads, customers and affiliates is how they plan to KEEP them. Ignore your downline and it will go away. So my question is - Once you've got a reasonable list of good leads, and a few signups to your program(s), how do you KEEP them and stop them unsubscribing, or dropping out of the opportunity? I have started a site to try to help overcome this, but again, not the place for promoting my site." Judith Bamford : "This can be more difficult than building an opt-i^n list but the principle is the same. Get 'out and about' so to speak. Participate in forum discussions, submit to safe lists, surf traffic exchanges. Relate your own experience of the support, income, etc. from the affiliate program you are marketing. Consistency is the key. Don't give up, 'keep on keeping on' is a good motto for we marketers." Gary Ockwell : "Search for your niche subject through newsgroups, search engines forums and the like to get your target audience sign up to other newsletters in your niche. Pick one subject that you are very happy to talk about submit a couple of articles. Use a survey system like this to ask questions of like minded people offering them the chance to ask there own question to keep the cycle going. Ultimately you are gaining a relationship with like minded people that will trust you if you suggest other products to them." Jan Tincher : "Find *like* magazines and ask if they'd like to offer your product and explain how they can make money doing it, then how to sign up to be your affiliate." Debra Gravelle : "There are approximately 40 databases on the net that offer exposure to your 'new' or nearly 'new' affiliate programs. You can do searches for 'affiliate program directories' in Google, Yahoo, MSN to gather your own personal list of those directories. Most are free to list your affiliate program. A few are: http://www.associateprograms.com http://www.affiliatetip.com http://www.refer-it.com http://www.affiliatefirst.com http://www.2-tier.com And one good service that is a paid submission: http://www.affiliate-announce.com" Deanna Mascle : "I do searches for people with sites related to my products and contact them directly. I keep the contact short, friendly and personal and it often works!" Comments: Clair spoke very true words which make me wonder if I should remove the link to my affilate signup page from most of my web pages... hmmm. And Michael, you don't have to be shy because I believe you in fact did develop a system that helps to gain and keep affiliates / associates. That's why I will give you a plug here... You can find Michael's cool free system at: http://add2it.com/see.pl?HIT I was amazed to see in how many directories the Add2it Affiliate Program has NOT yet been listed in! But thanks to Debra it is now! Thank you Debra for the list of sites you provided! :) 3. The biggest question *I* have is how do I integrate everything and not have a cluttered mess of a site with exchanges, blogs, RSS feeds etc. These may be facets one has to use, but how does one not get "burried" in the tech? (Question submitted by: Bruno Matle2) Jeremy Gislason : "I suggest either hiring a professional programmer or use lots of Main menu links with Sub Menu links. I have a ton of information along with RSS feeds, articles, resources, free downloads, etc. but I think the site at http://www.SavingYourTime.com/ flows pretty smoothly. Have a look at my site for ideas if you like. Basically, try to keep the navigation menu and pages organized." Clair Bird : "I still believe that content is what will make your site thrive. No matter what else you have on your site if visitors aren't drawn to it to fill their needs, your fighting a loosing battle." Dave Reno : "Bruno... personally I never had ANY desire to learn ANY of the technical side of this business. I have learned SOME by osmosis over the years. Basically what I do is hire all that work out. Great sites like elance.com or guru.com are just overflowing with some VERY talented 'techies' who work very reasonably. They use a feedback system similar to ebay as well as escrow systems so they take most of the worry out of getting scammed out of the equation. Remember I said MOST! I am sure some people have been burned, but personally I have not. Hiring out what you want done frees up your time for THE most IMPORTANT part of your business... PROMOTION / MARKETING!! You're going to go nowhere fast without it!" Judith Bamford : "Good question! What with link exchange arrangements, exit exchanges, pop-ups, pop-unders, fly-ins, zoom-ins, drop-downs, slide-ins, ... URGHHH! However there is no getting away from the fact that these marketing tools work! Try to keep your site page(s) focused on one main theme with the add-ons supporting it. Easier said than done, I Know! Having separate pages or mini-sites for each theme helps." Gary Ockwell : "Use a portal or content management system they are by far the easiest way to get an integrated looking site with a blog, forum RSS feeds etc... They are plentiful and usually free. Be prepared to install a few though to get the look and feel right... Some of the larger ones, people sell templates for at a reasonable cost to get a more personal look... Get it up and running with a design you are happy to start with you can always improve on the look and feel later as they are very customizable." Comments: I looked at your site Jeremy, my first impression was that there are way too many choices and I didn't right away understand what you where actually offering, but hey... since I am sitting in a glass house, I shouldn't throw with stones. ) Amen Clair, I couldn't agree more! But what RSS feeds are good for is e.g. search engine positioning. Besides I am as a software seller feel kind of obligated to show off with technical stuff on my site. :) One last comment and a plug for myself... :) If you are you working on an online project and need installation, programming or troubleshooting support with scripts, then you can get help now at: http://www.add2it.com/services/support.shtml 4. Are you a subscriber of the More4you newsletter? Yes - 100.0% No - 0.0% Don't know - 0.0% -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- How did you like the content of questions and answers section? Good: http://add2it.com/go/to.pl?l=C4-Good (Last issue: 50.0%) Ok: http://add2it.com/go/to.pl?l=C4-Ok (Last issue: 50.0%) Bad: http://add2it.com/go/to.pl?l=C4-Bad (Last issue: 0.0%) Last issue: "How newbies can make JV's with guru's, how to get public attention & interest and answers to getting started questions" ================================================================ 4) Second Article: -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- "How to become a Reviews, Testimonials & Endorsements expert" by Frank Bauer -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- We all have either seen or even used Reviews, Testimonials or Endorsements on other peoples or our own sites. They are an important part of today's marketing world. But how can can we become an expert in giving and using them? Let's first take a close look at how they are different from each other. 1. Differences between Reviews, Testimonials and Endorsements The main differences are the size, the use and the reliability of those three. Reviews are usually article size and have 500 or more words in several paragraphs. In it you will be able to read about the pro's and con's of a product or service. If you really want to know all about a product or service before you decide to buy, I would recommend to read one or more reviews about it. Testimonials are much shorter than reviews, commonly just one or two paragraphs that reflect the opinion of one user of a product or service. You will never find a testimonial from a completely dissatisfied customer, so they tend to show only the pro's. I personally don't thrust them if they don't show the complete name plus an email address or URL that allows you to contact the person that gave the testimonial. Endorsements are article size and show most of the time only the pro's of a product or service. They are mostly used in solo ad style emails and are far less reliable for the customers education than reviews are. Next let's take a closer look at what steps should be used to create an excellent review, endorsement or testimonial. 2. How to build an excellent review To write an excellent review, it is important that you really study the product or service from the inside out. Make notes of all the pro's and con's that you find. Then describe each of them and don't forget to explain why you believe it is one way or another. Write in a style that shows your own experience with the product or service. Since reviews are usually presented on a web page, take screen shoots that show the points that you handle in the review whenever possible. An excellent written review will help you to pre-sell a product easily. Don't leave any con out, but make sure you give tips on how to overcome them. 3. How to create a great endorsement The main purpose of an endorsement is of course to sell the product or service, so it will contain mostly pro's of the product or service. But to make it perfect, mention also at least one con and give tips on how this con can be neutralized or even be turned into a pro. If you make the endorsement look like a review, it will pre-sell even better than if it looks like an endorsement. 4. How make an outstanding testimonial An outstanding testimonial should describe the most important benefit you gained by using a product or service. It should also show "real numbers" whenever possible to make them even better. But make sure you have those numbers and comments backed up and don't make them up just to gain some free publicity... this could on the long run back fire on your own creditability. Allow the person that you give your testimonial to use your full name and URL or email address. Also, if you can, provide a professional looking picture of yourself and an audio recording of your testimonial. The audio recording service I personally use to provide audio testimonials is: http://audiogenerator.add2it.com 5. Essential points that testimonials, reviews and endorsements should always have in them If you are writing either one, you have to always write your own opinion and don't exaggerate. Doing so will on the long run damage your creditability and cause more trouble for you than it's worth it. 6. Examples of testimonials I have personally written These are some of the testimonials I gave... a) jvAlert: http://add2it.com/see.pl?jvAlert "A long time I have searched for a smarter and not harder way to do JV's... now I finally found it! jvAlert.com is a great service for every online marketer. It allows you to get JV deals in an instant, without all the hard work! Simple and fast you can not only get your JV offer in front of many top marketers on the Internet, but also be one of the first people that gets to know about the JV offers of these top marketers. I love jvAlert.com, it is simply incredible!" Frank Bauer Owner of www.add2it.com Scripts & Services for Webmasters b) Don't-Touch-My-Ads: http://add2it.com/see.pl?dtma "After testing Don't-Touch-My-Ads thoroughly I can now say with confidence that I have found a way to get free advertising that really works! During the last weeks my ad with them has been shown 2,474 times with zero cost for me. :) And all I did was to send out one little email to my More4you Newsletter subscribers, use their software and add one line of HTML code to my link exchange page. If you are not yet using Don't-Touch-My-Ads, I highly recommend that you check it out now." Frank Bauer Scripts & Services for Your Web Business add2it.com c) MyViralAds: http://add2it.com/see.pl?MyViralAds "I want to let you know that this is so smart! I just tested it myself during the last couple of weeks and advertised with small Google style ads as well as banner ads on the same site... The result was really clear: A 63% higher click-thru rate with the Google style ads! Mike's Dont-Touch-My-Ads concept was already great and brought me tons of exposure with zero cost, but this program will surely top that result! Fantastic!" Frank Bauer Scripts & Services for Your Web Business http://www.add2it.com Whatever you write... after you finished it, wait for a couple of hours and read it over. Then fine tune it. Would that what you wrote motivate yourself to take the action that you want your reader to take? Be honest with yourself... and re-write if necessary. A lot of what I learned about marketing, I learned from online or telephone conferences as well as recordings of those. One of my favorite resources is the jvAlert Perpetual Learning Series. You find it at: http://add2it.com/see.pl?LearningSeries -- Frank Bauer is the owner of Add2it.com - Scripts & Services for your Web Business at http://www.add2it.com and the publisher of the More4you Newsletter at: http://www.more4you.ws To see how he can help you, visit: http://www.frankbauer.name Reprint rights to this article are granted, as long as it is not modified and the resources plus signature remain unchanged. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- How did you like the content of the second article? Good: http://add2it.com/go/to.pl?l=C3-Good (Last issue: 66.67%) Ok: http://add2it.com/go/to.pl?l=C3-Ok (Last issue: 16.67%) Bad: http://add2it.com/go/to.pl?l=C3-Bad (Last issue: 16.66%) Last issue: "How to advertise any product or service on auto-pilot!" by Frank Bauer ================================================================ 5) Recommended By The Publisher: -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Whenever we find a great product or service and tested it inside out, this will be the place where you will hear about it. If you know about a great product or service that you have already tested inside out, please let me know about it. Also if you own a great product or service, send a sample and a detailed description what makes it so great to: news@add2it.com Again... only if we believe after testing it inside out that this product or service is really of a great value, it can be mentioned right here. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- This issues recommended product: Global Domains International http://add2it.com/see.pl?GDI The main reason why I joined GDI on the 4th of August 2004 was for me that I wanted the more4you.com domain for my More4you newsletter. But since the owner of that domain didn't want to sell that domain to me (he is not even using it himself :p), I was delighted when Eva Browne-Paterson introduced me to GDI and I got www.more4you.ws through them. :) GDI is offering not only .ws domai^n names, but also web hosting for the domain, professionally designed web templates with WebSiteBuilder! 2.0, 10 custom email addresses per domain, URL forwarding (optional) and besides all of that a back office that can help you build a huge team referring others to GDI. All of that you get for just $10 per month. But what's even nicer than this low price is that you can test everything out first thanks to their 7 days fre^e trial! They even pay 50% of their fee back to the customer on 5 levels. I only recommended GDI to everybody I knew the very first month and then forgot about it until now. But as you can see below, ever since that very first month my commission check with them grew... Aug 2004: $79.00 Sep 2004: $127.00 Oct 2004: $145.00 Nov 2004: $163.00 Dec 2004: $167.00 Jan 2005: $176.00 Feb 2005: $179.00 As of today I have earned $1036.00 in commissions with them. I have to admit, I would keep my domain with GDI, even if I couldn't earn commissions through them. Many domains that are long gone in .com are still available with .ws and I will never give my www.more4you.ws away! Summary - I highly recommend to check out Global Domains International, Inc. at: http://add2it.com/see.pl?GDI -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- BTW... I just met a smart mate from southern Australia... Michael Cobb and his Home-Income-Team site at: http://www.add2it.com/see.pl?HIT What does that have to do with GDI? I am glad you asked... He created a awesome free system that helps GDI members to build their team and earn more commissions faster with GDI. His system is great for all those newbies on the net that didn't yet build themselves a huge amount of opt-i^n subscribers that they can contact and recommend GDI to. It will help them getting started and create a successful online business. If you are an old-timers on the net, your first impression might be that his system is not practical for you as you have already lots of resources available, but since even we old-timers have always also newbies in our downlines, hey... I think it's a good idea to recommend Michael Cobb's Home-Income-Team anyway. Michael even provides splash pages to promote GDI directly, emails to welcome your downline members, to promote GDI and much more. It's definitely worth to take a close look at... http://www.add2it.com/see.pl?HIT -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- This are the other products / services I am currently looking at in alphabetical order... - 3x7: VoIP Audio/Video Conference System http://add2it.com/see.pl?3x7 - Ad Word Analyzer: Keyword Research Software Tool http://add2it.com/see.pl?AWA - ArbTracker: Arbitrage Software System http://add2it.com/see.pl?ArbTracker - HotConference: VoIP Audio Conference System http://add2it.com/see.pl?HotConference - InstantVideoGenerator: Streaming Video System http://add2it.com/see.pl?InstantVideo - JV Leads: ML^M Leads for Networkers http://add2it.com/see.pl?JVLeads - JV-Network: Free JV Network for Internet Marketers http://add2it.com/see.pl?JVnetwork -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- How did you like the content of the recommended section? Good: http://add2it.com/go/to.pl?l=C5-Good (Last issue: 0.00%) Ok: http://add2it.com/go/to.pl?l=C5-Ok (Last issue: 50.00%) Bad: http://add2it.com/go/to.pl?l=C5-Bad (Last issue: 50.00%) Last issue: Which one will be the next? ================================================================ 6) Newsletter Notes & Policies: -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- a) Please feel fre^e to forward this newsletter in its entirety to your friends and associates. This information may not be electronically or otherwise transferred for any other reason. All rights reserved. BTW: I made the PDF version of this newsletter brandable! What does that mean? You can now download a small branding tool at: http://add2it.com/see.pl?brander and use it to customize many of the links to Add2it.com & Add2you.com within the PDF version of the newsletter with YOUR OWN Add2it Affiliate ID and / or Add2you Members ID. When you pass it now around as a freebie or gift to other people... you can earn commissions! b) Privacy statement: Your name and email address will never be traded or sold with any third party. c) To subscribe to the "More4you Newsletter" visit: http://www.more4you.ws or send an email to: d) When you subscribed you supplied the following data: First name: Last name: Email address: To edit your name, please visit: http://www.add2it.com/mmp/ed.cgi?m4u=^email^ (Replace ^email^ with your email address) e) To unsubscribe from this fre^e newsletter please click her^e: http://www.add2it.com/mmp/unsub.cgi?m4u=^email^ (Replace ^email^ with your email address) or send an email to: f) To receive a back issue of the "More4you Newsletter", please download it from the newsletter section at: http://www.add2it.com/news/issues.shtml g) Disclaimer: While I believe that the sponsors ezine advertisement is ethical, I cannot be held responsible for any claims made by third-party advertisers. h) If you would like to be the sponsor of next month's issue, please send an email to the autoresponder at . You will receive the "Sponsorship Guidelines" by email. Or simply visit: http://www.add2it.com/news/order.shtml i) If you'd like to write an article with tips, a training article or a tutorial for webmasters or entrepreneurs, please send an email to the autoresponder at . You will receive the "Author's Guidelines" by email. Or simply visit: http://www.add2it.com/news/news-faq.shtml j) I welcome all comments, questions, tips, news, topic suggestions and other material related to tips, training and tutorials for webmasters and entrepreneurs. Please submit your material for publication to: k) To review "Frank Bauer's Choice", which just may be the right company for you, send an email to my autoresponder at: l) If you would like to cross link your web-page to "Frank Bauer's Million-$-Mall" @ http://www.million-mall.com to increase our Web-Traffic please rea^d the instructions on my web page at: http://add2it.com/see.pl?m4u-crosslink ================================================================ More4you Newsletter http://www.more4you.ws Publisher & Editor: Address: P.O. Box 620, Sydney NSW 2001, Australia Voice+Fax: +1-413-403-2654 Voice: +61-2-9896-6916 ICQ: 8036878 More contact information at: http://www.add2it.com/contact.shtml =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Does your website need more traffic? Get your website submitte^d to up to 1,000+ search engines, directories and to 500,000+ link pages... Guarante^ed! http://add2it.com/see.pl?m4u-moretraffic =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Are you still searching for... ? Amazin^g lists of resources and the best sites to shop. The best of & about network marketing and other resources. How to build your traffic & your business. You will find all this and more at: http://www.million-mall.com =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Do YOU want YOUR choice of a FRE^E laptop? http://add2you.com =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Scripts & Service for Your Web Business http://www.add2it.com =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- (C)1996-2005 by Frank Bauer (except as noted) ================================================================ Information is power. Subscribe FRE^E now to the net's most sought after marketing, business and general information ezines. 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