Bulk Email Versus Opt-In Email: How to Make Money Online
Using Email the Right Way
By Terry Dean
SPAM...Everyone is talking about it...
And Most Everyone hates it. For those who
don't know what "Spam" is, it is the practice
of sending email to thousands or millions of
people who have not requested it or have
never contacted your company before.
I know you get "spammed"....Everyone does.
Personally, I receive around 50 or so a day
of these emails selling whatever product or
service they have to offer. I delete most of
them with barely a glance, yet they keep on
coming.
They are usually (Though not all of the time)
poorly written and full of extremely hyped
messages. One will be for bulk email products.
The next might be for search engine submissions
(I wonder why they have to bulk for it if
they are so good at search engine submissions?).
The list goes on and on. I get ads for dolls,
cars, credit cards, merchant accounts, and more.
We won't even talk about the worst stuff
which is sent out. One piece after another has
to be deleted...and it just keeps coming.
Why So Much Bulk "Spam" Email...
If everyone is deleting it, then why do they
keep sending it? It's simple. Although the
response rates are extremely low, they still
do get orders for their product or service.
Their financial cost in sending it is almost
nothing, so it is looked upon as a good
advertising vehicle.
Some sales are better than nothing...Right?
Wrong...In all of the offers about bulk emailing,
notice that you never seem to receive the
other side of the story.
What happens after you send bulk email?
You could lose your local ISP,
Internet Service Provider, your web sites,
your email addresses, and more.
Just a few complaints
(Which you will get even if you try to hide)
and your server will cancel your account.
This doesn't even cover your reputation or
the legal ramifications of sending unsolicited
bulk email. Currently, several states have laws
on the books or in the works which can fine
you $500 or more for each piece of bulk email
you send without a prior business relationship.
Bulk email just isn't worth the ramifications.
If you have considered bulk email, don't do it.
There are SO many other more effective ways
to market your product or service on the net that
it is not necessary to take the risks that go
with bulk email.
"What Should You Do?"
I can tell you in one sentence what you should
do instead of bulk email...
"You should start building Your Own Opt-In
Email List TODAY!"
Email Marketing is effective. That is why so
many people are using it in the "Spam" arena.
It can produce sales constantly in your business!
Anytime I see someone trying to build a
business online without developing any type
of Opt-In list I know they are shooting
themselves in the foot. It is possible to build
a business online without a list,
but WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO?
Email is free to send out. Even if you have
to purchase a listserver or some other type of
application to do your email, we are talking
about only a couple hundred dollars a year to
send out UNLIMITED communications to your
prospects and customers.
Go to your local post office and ask them if
you can send out as much mail as you want
whenever you want for one low lump sum.
I guarantee you will be laughed at!
Usually when I tell this to people,
they give me One of three excuses about
why they can't do it:
1) They don't know how.
I usually am the least patient with this
excuse, because everyone of us had to learn
at some point in time what to do.
I don't think anyone jumped on the internet
and all of a sudden knew exactly what to do
every step of the way. As a matter of fact,
I know they haven't.
There are many resources online to learn how
to start your own ezine. Dozens of ezines
come out every week talking about the subject...
not the least of which is this one you are
reading! We even have an entire course devoted
to this subject called the "Cashflow" course
which you can get more info on at
115tips@aweber.com 24 hours day!
Ignorance is no excuse.
You can learn How to do your own Opt-In list
and you can learn how to profit from it.
Don't let me hear you use that excuse!
2) They can't come up with that much content.
Maybe, you don't believe you can come up with
that much content, because you aren't a writer.
First of all, I hope you know a lot about
whatever subject it is that you deal with in
your business. Whatever you are selling...
whatever problems you are solving...
can be the basis for much of your content.
The second thing you can do is use other
people's content. Hundreds of ezine publishers
will allow you to use their articles in your
ezine as long as you leave their contact
information attached to the bottom of all
of the articles. All you have to do is ask and
most of them will give you their articles free
to use. I know I will!
3) There are already too many ezines and
newsletters out there.
Who said your Opt-In Email List had to be
an ezine? When I speak of Opt-In Email, it
doesn't have to just mean ezine, although
this is the most popular application.
Being innovative and creative in your online
business can often be a major key to your
success. Ezines are not the only Opt-In lists
which I have seen become extremely popular
and profitable. To get your creative juices
flowing, I want to give you some other ideas
for your own Opt-In list.
Besides ezines, a quick mention of other types
of Opt-In lists which I have seen which
are very successful are "____ of the Day" lists.
The most popular of these that I know of
is "Joke of the Day." There are also
"Recipe of the Day," "Business Tip of the Day,"
and many more.
What idea could you come up with in this area?
What about a daily diary of your business?
This is one I have started seeing much more
recently online. In these, the publisher writes
down something involved in their business
everyday that happened. They did this or that...
whatever they know will be of interest to their
readers. This one not only keeps you in contact,
it can also help you develop trust even quicker
with your prospects.
What about a Free Online Class?
You could develop a 6, 12, 24 lesson class on
a certain subject and have them receive the
next issue every week, every 2 weeks,
or once a month. Then, once they complete that
class, you may have advanced classes, etc.
You could also put them on an updates list
for new information constantly.
How could you use any of these ideas in
a new way? Don't limit yourself. If you need
help coming up with an idea and would like
my input on it, email me at webmaster@bizpromo.com
I am ready and willing to help you in whatever
way I can.
One admonition I want to leave you with
though is to get started TODAY!
If you don't get started in one way or another
today in either the development of an idea or
in the actual set-up of your idea,
you, by the odds, will NEVER do it.
Owning your own Opt-In list is so important
to the effectiveness of your business online
that I have to stress you need to get started
today if you want to succeed in your online
business.
About the Author;
Terry Dean is the webmaster at http://www.bizpromo.com
For "115 Internet marketing tips" please send
an email to 115tips@aweber.com
Article obtained at The Article Archives http://articlesarchives.netfirms.com
You may use this article in your newsletter or ezine as long as this
entire info-box is left intact
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