Marketing With Lee

As you may of guessed – I love to read.

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So I’ve decided to add book comments and reviews.

Ones I find helpful in figuring out not just marketing and the internet but life in general too.

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I’m starting with one I plan to read ASAP;

Have you already read The Drunkards Walk? I’d love to read your comments.

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My daughter read us parts of it over Christmas and it proved thought provoking and disturbing. Maybe even makes “common sense” obsolete.

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I’ll update this as I read through it – I’m going to Kindle this one since I doubt the graphics are integral to the stories.

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.Jan wk 1: Yes, I got it on my Kindle. The problem is that whenever I take it out to read in public, someone invariably asks me about the Kindle. I’ve taken to looking unaprochable while reading so I actually get some reading done!

Jan wk 2: I know a lot more about the history of mathematics now and a bit about how we misunderstand probability. I think this will really help me make better decisions.

You know you’ve got a product or service the world needs – you just need to find your 1,000 raving fans, right?

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With the millions (billions?) searching Google everyday, you figure there must be a thousand or so who would jump at the chance to be on your list… you just have to find them and lure them in.

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One by one at networking events and from referrals is going to take a lifetime so why not try paying Google (or Yahoo or MSN/Bing) to send a few your way?

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If you’ve used AdWords you know just how powerful – and dangerous – pay-per-click advertising can be.

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So, while I don’t recommend small business people use it regularly without a lot of time to monitor it and learn how to make it pay, you can build a targeted subscriber list with a focused PPC campaign.

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Step 1 – for anyone new to PPC (or who’s tried and failed on their own):

Get Perry Marshall’s Google AdWords “Bible” (yes that’s my affiliate link)

If you don’t have $50 to invest in this resource, don’t even consider messing with AdWords (Yahoo and Bing are less risky but offer less rewards).

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Step 2 – Clearly define your objective and define what a successful campaign will look like.

How much is a new prospect worth to you?

How much time and money are you willing to invest in each subscriber?

Establish a calendar and interim goals.

Add the time to set-up and monitor the PPC account to your schedule or hire someone to do it for you (a good one will save you more than their fee).

The key to a successful list building campaign is the pre-planning.

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Once you have some objectives, figure out what you can offer prospects for their email and contact information.

You’ll want something that appeals to a wide audience but specific enough to get your target market. It needs to be your best stuff. It’s good if it’s hard or time consuming to find online. If it solves a problem for your prospects you’ve got a winner.

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How do you figure out what they need? Ask them.

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Send your PPC traffic to a survey and reward them generously for their input.

Building a targeted responsive list of prospects is the start of all the most successful businesses and private practices.

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There’s no better time to start using email in your marketing efforts than… NOW

Before you can worry about which style works best for your list or when’s the best time to email your prospects, you have to just get started

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But once you’ve got a few messages in your AutoResponder series and a few people on your list, it’s time to get tweeking your program.

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Aweber provides the best tools for measuring the responses you’re getting. You can see who when and even where your readers are and which links they felt compelled to click on.

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Not sure what they want now? Run a survey and let your readers tell you.

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Based on the measures and surveys, you can modify and improve your email auto-responder series which will lead to more sales and more profits.

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So, you got into the IN box and got their attention – congrats!

Getting the click thru

But what you do now that they’re looking at your lovingly written email determines if it’s all worth it or not.

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There are two schools of thought on email content.

One says the click thru to a “money page” is the only way to make it pay off.

The other says providing relevant content in the email builds loyalty and trust and that is what leads to long-term success.

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Both work – you gotta find which one works for your list.

Yeap, back to the old split test.

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But when in doubt, or when you’re just starting an email list, I’d say opt for the content rich approach. Give them enough to make opening your next email worth their while.

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Then add a freebie sweetener after serving the main dish.

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Wanna Marketing With Lee freebie?

Click on the “Free Reports” tab above and just ask!

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Every survey and report I read says the #1 factor in whether your recipient opens your email is the “FROM” box.

But, before they get a chance to see who it’s from it has to get into their “IN” box, not the “SPAM” box.

There are two main issues:

The Reputation of the Sender of Your Messages

When you use a hosted solution like AWeber’s your emails are sent via their mail servers, something that the ISPs weigh heavily when deciding whether to accept or reject a message.

The Content of Your Messages

Even if the message comes from a trusted server, common errors that make you look like a spammer include:

Your message should not consist of one large image. Spammers commonly send just an image with a small amount of text added to try to bypass filters. Your message should be composed of mostly text if you include images.

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