by Michel Fortin

Web site design has always been a fascinating area for me -- not entirely in the realm of graphics but also of flow, navigation, appearance, and content. I love to surf the web almost exclusively to learn about different feels and flavors. In the process of doing so, it amazes me to see how some sites appear smooth, professional, and refined, while others smack of being put together horrendously quick -- even when the company is reputably of high quality.

But web site design is, in and of itself, a powerful marketing process. Many people tend to forget that people make UPAs -- or unconscious paralleled assumptions -- in general and especially in business. In other words, when they visit a web site they will unconsciously assume that a parallel exists between the web site's design and the business behind it -- not to mention the products and/or services it promotes. So, if the design is poor, unprofessional, or unclear, people will unconsciously assume that the product or company is just the same.

Regard for the human inclination to "judge books by their covers" is of utmost importance on the web, for the appearance of your site (that thing that appears on a person's computer monitor) is the only thing that separates you from your customer and thus is representative of the whole. Therefore, your site can either emphasize, support, or contradict your marketing message -- and do so almost effortlessly, even inconspicuously, and sometimes dramatically.

A large airline company recently conducted a survey among its passengers in order to perform some marketing research. The following question was asked: "If your food trays were dirty, would you assume that the airline also does poor maintenance on its engines?" And the answer was, as illogical as it sounds, "yes" for an overwhelming majority of participants.

In the "The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing," marketing gurus Al Ries and Jack Trout made what I believe to be the most powerful notion ever conceived in the world of business, in that marketing is not a battle of products but a battle of perceptions. My mentor used to say that "perceived truth is more powerful than truth itself." Marketing is all about perception.

A web site design can often project greater perceived value. If you place your web site side-by-side with a competitor, and both of you offer the same product in the same way at the same price, the company that will win the customer over will be the one that, through its design, communicates to the customer that there is an implied added value in their choice.

In my seminars, I teach something I call the "ketchup principle." Let's say you've just met a salesperson. He is dressed absolutely impeccably, gave a compelling spiel, is knowledgeable about his product, was thoroughly interested in your needs, and conducted a perfect meeting with you. But all throughout the encounter, you couldn't stop but notice that he had a little ketchup stain on his tie. Now, if I ask you two weeks later what you remember the most about your meeting, more than likely the first thing that would pop into mind is the ketchup stain!

As the old saying goes, "You never get a second chance to make a good first impression!" This applies even to the simplest of things. On the Internet, it includes your site's design and the image it projects. Therefore, pay close attention to your web site's overall appearance, its appeal, its colors, its layout, its ease-of-navigation, and most important its content.

About the Author
Michel Fortin is a consultant dedicated to helping businesses turn into powerful magnets. Visit http://SuccessDoctor.com to receive a free copy of his book, "The 10 Commandments of Power Positioning." He is also the editor of the "Internet Marketing Chronicles" ezine delivered weekly to 90,000 subscribers -- subscribe free at http://SuccessDoctor.com/IMC/.

Posted by Nafeesa Rasheed http://www.naffu-workfromhome.com

 

Your Web site has a single motive:

To 'ignite' your visitors to take action.

This prime motive is behind every element of your Web site design and content. Start with the idea that you have one chance to reach your customers. They will never return to your site unless you make it worth their while, and they will not buy unless you encourage/force/ask them to.

This will impact the 5 prime elements working together in any excellent Web site — the mechanics, content, interactivity, design and optimization. Right now, let's focus on the mechanics of writing content that sells.

Here is a simple template for a Web site that sells which you can readily adapt to meet your needs. Use it as a jumping-off point for your income-generating Web presence.

You'll find it goes against the current vogue online for the single-page, long-scrolling salesletter on the home page leading to an order form. But think of it this way:

Your home page can be like an interesting magazine index, or magazine cover listing provocative headlines. You should offer enough compelling information here so that any visitor is forced to go deeper into your site. They've got to click through. They just can't hold themselves back.

A good home page should be a clear call to action. But it also can't go on for too long or you will put your visitors off. Go ahead and use different benefit subheadlines and link phrases that pull readers to your sales page. Start with...

I. The Benefit-Rich Headline

A strong, enticing headline is the single most important element of your Web marketing copy. It is the opening statement and first impression you make.

Because Web pages load from the top down, place your headline right at the top of the page so it can be read while the rest of the elements fall into place. If you have a lot of graphics that need to load, your headline should give your site visitors enough reason to wait.

Imagine your Web page is a blind date for every first-time visitor who comes to your site. Your headline MUST make the right first impression immediately, or new visitors will want nothing more than to click away as fast as they can.

Obviously your headline cannot be all things to all people (and you wouldn't want to date everyone either...), but it can and should speak directly to those people you most want to reach.

Your headline has these tasks: to ARREST the attention of your target market. To GRAB your reader by the collar so they have no choice but to read on.

If your target market is 'doctors', then use the word 'doctors' in your headline. There's a funny saying:

"Enough about you... let's hear about me."

That's your site visitor talking. These words tell you everything about how to craft your headline, and the more specific and targeted you make it, the better.

Your headline should serve as an ad for the rest of your Web copy, clearly delivering a 'distilled' version of what they are about to discover in the body of your text.

Did you know?

o Only one out of five people get beyond the headline to read the rest of the Web page

o You have 30 seconds or less to make a positive impression, or your site visitor will click away

o The right wording in your headline can increase your sales conversion rate by 1700%

It's true! Studies show the right headline can increase response to an offer exponentially, which is a good reason to test different headlines until you find your 'killer'. Once you've got it, it's the key to your success. So spend the time to make your headline work. Here's how to find the right headline:

Tell your target audience the single most important benefit you are offering them.

That's it.

State a powerful benefit in your headline that clearly enhances THEIR LIVES, using power words such as: 'Discover'; 'Announcing'; 'Breakthrough'; 'Facts'; 'New'; 'Now'; 'Yes'; 'Sale' - all words that are active, grab the attention of prospects, and promise them something (the two words of most value to your customers are 'You', and 'Free').

Finally, keep in mind that your customer is never buying a product or service. They are actually buying a key benefit that will make their life better.

II. The Value Proposition for Your Customer

Immediately after your headline comes the opening salvo of text on the page - the value proposition. This 1-3 paragraph section is all about your target customer. Either it states their current situation, and 'ain't it awful', or it reveals a dream they have about what their life could become: 'If only...'

To write it, go back to the roots of the product or service you are offering. Why does it exist in today's world, and what good does it do your target customer? Ask yourself why you sell it, and perhaps why you got involved with it in the first place. Be idealistic. The proposition section of your home page sets up a kind of vacuum, which you are about to fill with...

III. The Benefits You Deliver

A benefit is anything that will make your customer's life better by using your product or service. This is the payoff, and the crucial section of your home page where you must deliver the goods. Take a good look at what you are promoting, and then...

Write down each and every benefit you can, with no thought about which is the most important. You'll order them later. Write down everything that can possibly do your customer some good. Everything.

After finishing this 'brain dump', go back and prioritize. Don't prioritize as you go, because that will inhibit you. List first, order second. (NOTE: consider using a powerful benefit as a text link leading to your sales letter.)

On your home page you will clearly state the top benefits you deliver, but you'll expand upon them in...

IV. Your Benefit-Rich Sales Letter

The benefit-rich sales letter always closes the sale. It builds upon what you have promised to deliver on your home page, answers any objections or questions your readers may have and fully justifies the price you ask. On this page longer copy will outsell shorter copy, so make a complete sales pitch from start to finish.

Here are 10 key formatting tips that will keep your prospects reading so you can close the sale.

1. Break the copy of your sales letter up into short copy paragraphs. A single-sentence paragraph can make a striking point.

2. Use headlines and sub-headlines.

3. Use bullets, numbers, and dashes to further break up copy, allowing plenty of white space to make reading your offer even easier on the eye.

4. Use arrows, boxes, color or shading, graphics, indentations, bold lettering, CAPITAL LETTERS, italics, and punctuation!! Note: use a light touch here, rather than the 'HIT them over and over 'til they beg for mercy!' approach.

5. Give customers premiums. Over-deliver on the offer that first interested your prospective customer any way you can. The goal is to give your customers far more perceived value than they actually pay for. Premiums can add tremendous value to your offer without substantially increasing your cost of delivery.

6. Emphasize the word FREE wherever it applies.

7. Use fast-loading graphics that actively support your message. Avoid generic clip-art 'success' graphics if you can.

8. Provide testimonials. If you don't have them, give your product or service away and gather some immediately. It's a suspicious world, and you need other people to validate your offer.

9. Urge 'Immediate Action'. State a time limit to your offer (note: many marketers offer their premiums only if prospective customers buy within a window of 3-14 days).

10. Make an iron-clad guarantee. Do what you can to over-deliver in this area, too - a guarantee that is better than your competitors offer is a powerful selling point.

Finally, here is the progression people actually follow when they read:

a. The Headline
b. Any Captions for Photos or Drawings
c. Any Large Text Subheads
d. The PS
e. Ordering Information and Price
f. (Finally!), the Actual Text itself

Which means, spend the time to buff and polish each of these elements for your target audience. The better you know these people and 'how badly they hurt', the more sales you will make.

About the Author

o article by Scott T. Smith of Copywriting.Net. Scott partners with Web developers and business professionals to generate MORE Web sales. For a free writing consultation visit http://www.copywriting.net, or call Scott at 1.406.586.4112.

Posted by NafeesaRasheed http://www.naffu-workfromhome.com

 

I want to Work from Home. What Should I Do?
by Jennifer Stewart

The number of people who are taking control of their own lives and setting up Home Based Businesses is growing rapidly - latest figures are that approximately 125,000 people every week take this major step.

Making the decision to go out on your own takes courage; deciding what you're going to do takes ingenuity and research. So what should you do?

My darling dad always used to say that the Ideal Product was one that everyone wanted; was consumable; could be sold for a reasonable price; was economical to produce and offered great value!

Sounds like a bit of a tall order, doesn't it? But look around at the products that have been mega-money-makers: the first that springs to mind is tobacco. It meets most of the criteria when you think about it - for a while there, everyone wanted cigarettes, they were consumable (and addictive - no doubt a bonus to the tobacco companies), they were cheap to buy and they could be produced very cheaply. The "value" has since been seriously questioned.

Coca Cola is similar - clever (and expensive) advertising campaigns have seen to it that everyone wants Coke; it's consumable, cheap enough for it to be bought regularly and cheap to produce (how much can artificially coloured and flavoured water cost?) Again, its value is questionable.

Are there any products that meet all of the criteria?

Yes!

What is the hottest trend at the moment?

The Internet.

What does everyone want?

To be connected, and to be able to use the Internet.

Once initial development costs have been met, software programs, that enable beginners and experienced users to set up an Internet presence, are economical to produce (or reproduce) and can be sold for affordable prices. If payment is organised on an annual basis and is significantly lower than similar programs - then you're on a winner!

Do such products exist?

Yes, Virginia, they do - all you have to do is look for them in the right places.

So if you've had enough of life as an employee and you're planning to set up your own home based business, do the sensible thing and hitch your wagon to the fastest rising star today - the Internet.

About the Author

Jennifer Stewart has had her own Internet based home business since 1998 and can show you how to find a home based business to suit your needs and to bring you the income you desire: mailto:sky101@GetResponse.com?subject=HBB003

Posted by Nafeesa Rasheed http://www.naffu-workfromhome.com

 

Content is king, in more ways than one. As we all know, information is what fuels the internal workings of the internet. People log online to search for information. If you have the information they need, they’ll be seeking you out. And where will this information be contained? In your website’s content, of course!

Search engines make content valuable as well – regularly updated content, that is. Every time you change your source code to provide updated content, the search engine spiders are informed and they will crawl through your pages the next time a relevant query is made. Hence, a regularly updated website is said to place higher in search engine results, and as such, garners more visitors than its less updated competitors.

But creating content is a menial, time-consuming process as it is, what more when you have to update and continuously provide new content at every turn? Chances are, your online endeavors would be tantamount to a fulltime job, and perhaps even more demanding than such.

You must be asking if there is a shortcut to the process, right? At least something that would make content generation a little easier.

The answer is no. There is no shortcut to creating content. You will have to provide excellent, unique content as anchors to your website if you wish to achieve sustainable success with your web pages.

But when it comes to updatable content, well, there is this thing we call RSS, or Real Simple Syndication.

RSS, basically, is a syndication method that allows you to display content on your web pages, such content emanating from other sources on the internet.

For example, I am a blog owner. You could opt to subscribe to my RSS feeds and display my content on your web pages via an RSS aggregator. The result? You’d have fresh, new content every time I update my blog.

But your RSS feeds don’t have to come from my blog alone. You could subscribe to RSS feeds from newswires, article directories and the likes. Furthermore, you could narrow down the parameters of the RSS feeds that your RSS aggregator would fetch. Want to have content about dogs, and dogs only? Synch your RSS aggregator to fetch feeds that contain your chosen keywords.

There are some things, however, that you should keep in mind whenever you’d want to include RSS in your content pages. Take a look at them.

* To avoid duplicate content, make sure that the RSS feeds will only supplement original content in your website. A page exclusively devoted to RSS feeds may be filtered out as duplicate content.

* Make sure that your RSS aggregator will convert RSS feeds into HTML files, and not java scripts. Search engine spiders won’t be able to read java scripts.

* Make sure that you subscribe to relevant RSS feeds. You need to keep the focus of your web pages to attract the contextually relevant ads that you want, if ever you’re engaged in PPC programs.

RSS technology is growing by leaps and bounds. Some experts even say that by 2010, RSS would have replaced email as the standard for message conveyance on the internet. Some marketers use RSS as their follow-up system of choice. Some marketers even use RSS, mainly RSS 2.0 technology, to stream their podcasts and videocasts to millions of people, simultaneously, to expose their business to a wide, wide audience.

Indeed, we are lucky to be living in the age of RSS. RSS makes online business a little more manageable and a lot more effective, and it would be prudent to embrace all that this technology could offer.

Mark Flavin Is The Owner Of Mark Flavin Marketing. Mark Is An Expert In Online Marketing & All Make Money Online Topics. Mark Recommends You Visit Blogging To The Bank To Learn How To Make Money Using Blogs & RSS.

You Can Sign Up For Mark's Free eCourse at http://www.markflavin.com

Posted here by NafeesaRasheed http://www.naffu-workfromhome.com

I have had the great privilege of having a mother for 51 years and being one for 28 years. The older I get, the more I appreciate the most wonderful gift that God could have ever given me, my own mom. I see myself in her in many ways and in other ways, I'm nothing like her. I have made many mistakes in my life, ones that my mother would never have made, but she respected me as an individual and never tried to interfere. She knew she gave me a firm foundation on which to come back into. I can't say she wasn't heart broken at times for some of my decisions. But, she had faith in God and His promises. And this is what makes a godly mother.

She took me to church on Sundays and she made sure I had a proper upbringing. She taught me how to be secure in who I was, and made me aware of my own moral beliefs. I was fortunate to have a godly mother who introduced me to a loving God by showing me that same love, unconditionally. She passed down these attributes to me and by the time I had my children, they were also aware of the love I had for them, no matter what they may have done.

In looking back on my life, I have to admit that I turned from the right path and chose my own course for awhile, and God wasn't a very big part of it. It's a typical human reaction to retreat and hide from God when you know you're behaving badly. Once these circumstances catch up with you, God then becomes the main focus again and this is where He takes us into the woodshed and teaches us the lessons we thought we could do without! It goes to show that you can never hide from God, He'll find you every time and He will correct you.

"Train up a child in the way he should go (and in keeping with his individual gift or bent), and when he is old he will not depart from it." Proverbs 22:6 (Amplified)

When we are raised in God's Word, or have raised our own children that way, we must trust that everything will turn out for the good even when it seems like all is lost. It's not a matter of "If" but rather "When" things will turn around. Just like my own mother, she never lost hope that I would come back to Christ. I thank her for her prayers.

Once God's Word has entered into your life, you will never depart from it. Thank God He knows the disobedience of children and the rebellious condition of their hearts. He is always ready and waiting to forgive. And God gave mothers this unconditional love also.

There are several mothers mentioned in the Bible that set examples for us today. A godly mother is a rare commodity in today's society and she is more precious than gold. What makes a mother like this so special in God's eyes? Let's look at a few examples.

First there was Hannah. God had left her barren and as any normal woman, she had strong maternal instincts. She was one of two wives and her husband Elkanah's other wife, Peninnah, had no sympathy for Hannah's childless condition. Hannah laid her burden before God in prayer and promised Him that if He would allow her to conceive, she would give him back in lifetime service.

That's exactly what happened. God gave her a son called Samuel and he was raised by Eli the high priest. Hannah was a woman of her word and God blessed her and these blessings were handed down to Samuel as well. (Read 1 Sam. 1).

Another special mother was Eunice. There isn't much said about her, but Paul gave her credit when he wrote to her son Timothy (2 Tim.) Eunice raised Timothy in God's Word. This wasn't particularly easy for her since her husband was a Greek and did not believe in Jesus. There are many women today who have husbands that are non-believers but are raising their children to be godly people, and they are to be commended for their service to the Lord.

"But as for you, continue to hold to the things that you have learned and of which your are convinced, knowing from whom you have learned (them)." 2 Tim. 3:14 (Amplified)

Eunice didn't abandon her hope in raising Timothy to be a Christian. Eunice also had a godly mother named Lois who had a major part in Timothy's upbringing. They taught young Timothy the word of God from the moment he was old enough to understand it and for this, it stuck with him in his later years. Paul recognized the great importance of these two women in Timothy's life. Can you see yourself in any of these godly mothers?

As anyone knows, mothers are the major factor in molding us into the people we are and that in turn, we pass them onto our own children and grandchildren. Mothers have many roles in their life, just as God Himself. A mother is gentle, loving, fair, patient, encouraging but also must be a disciplinarian. A loving mother must always correct her child in order to make them a responsible person later on. Sometimes it doesn't make us very popular, but when all is said and done, we will forever be remembered on our special day. What our children may not see as a benefit today, will look back and thank us. Children are foolish, but since we are the adults, we have the wisdom and need to use it!

"Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline will drive it far from him." Proverbs 22:15 (Amplified)

The best gift we as moms can give our children is discipline. It makes for a strong, secure and responsible adult. Face it, the world is a tough place to exist and has no patience for fools.

It was never my intention to give my two young sons everything they thought they wanted. I made them aware of the reality that was waiting for them. I wanted them to realize that they would appreciate things better if they had to work for them. Today both of them are earning their own way in the world and doing a great job of it at that.

It is my goal in life that when I reach the end of my days, I can look back not in regret, but rather that I have left a legacy of God's Word in my own childrens' lives and they in turn will hand this down to their children. That is the true meaning of being a godly mother and succeeding in the plan that God has laid out for each and every one of us.

When a mother has eyes of faith, she will see God at work in everything.

If this article has touched you, won't you please add a comment and give God the glory today?

Vivian Gordon writes inspirational and spiritual articles in which to help strengthen the Believer's walk in Christ. They are often taken from today's point of view and used in conjunction with what God says about certain situations and how we are to handle them. There is always an answer for every problem. These articles are not all about asking God "why?" but in finding the answers.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Vivian_Gordon

Posted by NafeesaRasheed http://www.naffu-workfromhome.com

 

If you've been looking for an easy way to increase your website's revenue, Google AdSense may be your answer.

Google AdSense is a phenomenal new advertising revenue program that is taking the Internet by storm. It was specifically designed to enable content rich sites to increase their advertising revenue simply by displaying Google AdWords ads.

Google AdSense makes selling advertising space easy, as they handle everything for you. With access to a database of 100,000 advertisers, you'll never have to worry about finding advertisers for your website again.

The concept is simple. If you have a quality site that provides content, such as articles, you may qualify to display Google AdWords text ads on your web pages. If your site is approved, you will receive a portion of the pay-per- click payment.

The great thing about Google's sophisticated advertising system is that the ads that display on your web pages are relevant to your content. They scan each page to determine what your page is about and display the ads accordingly. This will increase your click-through rate considerably, as relevant text ads combined with quality content are highly effective.

Although the AdSense program is free to apply, your site will be reviewed and must be approved in order to begin displaying the ads.

As there have been many sites turned down, you'll need to ensure your site meets Google's criteria prior to applying. You can find the guidelines at the following web address: https://www.google.com/adsense/policies

They're basically looking for quality sites offering content. The keywords here are "quality and content." If your site is under construction, loaded with advertising and/or broken images and links, don't even waste your time applying, as you won't be accepted. However, if you have a quality site and provide your visitors with content, you will most-likely be accepted.

The more content pages you have, the more advertising revenue you can make. It's really that simple. If you don't have your own content, there is a wealth of content available on Internet completely free. Subscribe to any of the following article announcement groups to receive new article submissions each day:

Article Announce - All types of articles

AABusiness - Business oriented articles, including: Business, Ecommerce, Sales, Networking, Business Communication, Internet Marketing, Promotion, etc.

AAInternet - Internet oriented articles, including: Ebooks, Ezines, Search Engines, Web Design, Web Development, Web Sites, etc.

AAHome - Home and Family oriented articles, including: Parenting, Relationships, Cooking, Recipes, Crafts, Gardening, Home, etc.

AAHealth - Health and Fitness oriented articles, including both physical and emotional health.

AAGeneral - General Interest oriented articles.

With your subscription to any of the above groups, you'll not only receive new article submissions delivered to your email, but you'll also have access to the archives which contain thousands of quality articles.

Visit the following web address for further information: http://www.web-source.net/articlesub.htm

Once you've located articles that are relevant to your website, simply create a page for each. For example, if you find ten appropriate articles, you can create ten new content pages in which you can display Google AdWords ads. Not only will you be adding valuable content for your visitors, but you'll also increase your website's traffic and revenue. It's a win-win deal no matter how you look at it.

Once your site has been approved, you simply select the style of ads you'd like to display and paste the code into your web pages where you'd like the ads to display.

Although all of the ads are text ads, there are currently four layout options to select from:

  • Standard 468 x 60 banner format (displays up to 2 ads)

  • Vertical 120 x 600 skyscraper ad (displays up to 4 ads)

  • Horizontal 728 x 90 Leaderboard (displays up to 4 ads)

  • 300 x 250 Inline rectangle (displays up to 4 ads)

Although all four ad styles can be effective, the "skyscraper" ads placed toward the top right side of your page or the "Leaderboard" ads placed at the top of the page generally will provide a higher click-through rate than the other two styles.

However, each page is different and will produce different results. For this reason, you may want to test your pages and display the style that produces the highest click- through rate.

Once you begin displaying the ads on your website, you can visit Google and log in to your account to see how the ads are performing. You can view the number of impressions, clicks, click-through rate and your earnings.

If you're concerned about displaying ads that may compete with products or services you're promoting, Google offers an option to filter out unwanted ads. In addition, you can display the ads along with any affiliate programs you may be promoting, as long as the ads don't look like Google ads.

Google AdSense is the hottest advertising revenue program on the Internet. Isn't it about time you got paid for your content?

Visit Google AdSense for further information:
https://www.google.com/adsense

Copyright © Shelley Lowery

About the Author:

Shelley Lowery is the author of the acclaimed web design course, Web Design Mastery. http://www.webdesignmastery.com And, Ebook Starter - Give Your Ebooks the look and feel of a REAL book. http://www.ebookstarter.com Visit Web-Source.net to sign up for a complimentary subscription to Etips and receive a copy of the acclaimed ebook, "Killer Internet Marketing Strategies." http://www.web-source.net



You have permission to publish this article electronically, in print, in your ebook or on your web site, free of charge, as long as the author bylines are included.

Posted here by NafeesaRasheed

 http://www.naffu-workfromhome.com

According to a recent study conducted by Ferris Research, a market and technology research firm specializing in messaging and collaboration, Spam will cost U.S. businesses over $10 billion in 2003.

Spam not only clogs our servers and in-boxes, but it also costs us hours and hours of lost time in productivity.

Although the estimated cost of Spam focuses mainly on lost productivity, this picture may be much broader than you realize.

Some of the more popular email providers, such as AOL (America Online), Yahoo! and Hotmail, are now utilizing filters to cut down on Spam. These filters are dumping Spam and/or bulk mailings into a separate location. Although this may cut down on Spam in your in-box, these filters are also dumping some legitimate email messages.

What's more, some hosting services not only filter the email messages, but they're also blocking entire hosting companies. For example, the blocking host may have gotten some Spam complaints about a few marketers that host with ABC hosting company. (Keep in mind, ABC hosting company may host thousands of sites.) Rather than block the offending marketers, the blocking host decides to blacklist the entire ABC host.

What this means is if you try to contact someone and their hosting company has blacklisted your host, your email will not go through -- it will bounce right back to you.

If you suspect you may not be receiving all of your email, contact your host and ask them if they're using Spam filters or have blocked entire hosting companies.

How Much Will Spam Cost Your Business?

How much time do you spend sorting through the Spam in your email each day? Add it up sometime -- I'll bet you'll find you spend a lot more time than you even realized -- time that could have been spent on your business.

If you're publishing an ezine or sending out any form of opt-in mailings, how many subscribers are actually receiving your mailings? Most-likely, not nearly as many subscribers as you may think. How many lost sales has this cost you?

How many messages, such as information requests, customer support requests, etc., have you not received due to filtering?

How many messages have you replied to that your customers or potential customers have never received due to filtering?

As customer service says a lot about your business practices, how many customers will you lose?

The list goes on and on. But the point is this, Spam is costing you dearly.

Protecting Your Email Address

So how can you defend yourself? Well, it depends on which side you're on -- how to protect yourself, and/or how to make sure your messages are getting through.

In order to protect yourself against Spam, you first need to understand how your email address is obtained.

There are many unethical businesses online that collect and sell email addresses. They use robots that travel from link to link in search of email addresses. Their customers are led to believe that these email addresses belong to individuals who want to receive mailings. However, much of the time, this isn't the case.

Never purchase a list of email addresses from anyone other than a reputable company. The only company I can recommend is Post Master Direct. http://www.postmasterdirect.com

To protect your email address from these robots, instead of displaying your address on your site, use a feedback form. Not just any type of form, but a form that doesn't display your email address within the hidden form fields. The only form I can recommend is Master Feedback. You can pick up a free copy here:
http://willmaster.com/master/feedback/index.shtml

Anytime you're filling out a form online and you're asked to provide your email address, make sure you review the site's "Privacy Policy" to ensure that your email address will not be sold or shared with a third party.

Protecting Your In-box

To protect your in-box, you can use a Spam filtering software program. Although there are several available online, the best one I've found is Mail Washer. This program will enable you to view all the email on your server without actually downloading it into your email program. Once you've reviewed your messages, you can create filters and bounce the Spam messages back to the sender. Although you can pick up the program free, consider supporting the developer and register the software for a small fee. http://www.mailwasher.net

Avoiding the Spam Filters

If you're sending out a mailing to an opt-in list, there are a few steps you can take to make sure your message won't trip the Spam filters:

1) Avoid using trigger words, such as Spam, fr*e, r*move, etc. Although the list is far too broad to list here, you can learn more by reading the following articles:

Spam Filters Run-Amuck by Timothy A. Gross
http://www.iprofitsystems.com/articles/spamfilters.html

CLIP & SAVE guide to avoiding Spam filters by Debbie Weil
http://www.imakenews.com/wordbiz/e_article000094161.cfm

2) Avoid using JavaScript within your messages.

3) Avoid using "bad" words.

If you'd like to ensure your messages are getting through, consider opening email accounts with the popular providers. You can send your mailings to these accounts and monitor their reception. If your mailings land in the dump, you can make some adjustments or even contact the company.

If you would like to test your outgoing email messages to ensure they won't trigger a Spam filter, Ken Evoy offers a great service called SpamCheck. This free service will enable you to send a copy of your publication, or any email message, to a specific address and it will return a report of possible words that will trigger the Spam filters.

Send your publication including the subject and body to:
mailto:spamcheck-websource@sitesell.net

Conclusion

The Spam problem continues to get progressively worse. Although there isn't a simple solution to the problem, the information provided in this article should assist you in not only avoiding Spam, but also avoiding the filters for your legitimate mailings.

It's really a shame we're even in this position. However, we cannot allow Spam to continue to infiltrate our businesses. We must take the necessary steps to ensure our success.

Copyright © Shelley Lowery

About the Author:

Shelley Lowery is the author of the acclaimed web design course, Web Design Mastery. http://www.webdesignmastery.com And, Ebook Starter - Give Your Ebooks the look and feel of a REAL book. http://www.ebookstarter.com Visit Web-Source.net to sign up for a complimentary subscription to Etips and receive a copy of the acclaimed ebook, "Killer Internet Marketing Strategies." http://www.web-source.net

You have permission to publish this article electronically, in print, in your ebook or on your web site, free of charge, as long as the author bylines are included.

Posted here by NafeesaRasheed http://www.naffu-workfromhome.com

 

OWNING AND OPERATING  a home business online or offline is for serious people.

So, Starting your own business isn't easy and requires time, money, consistancy, hardwork and dedication!

If you keep putting your dreams on hold, odds are you will never begin. Your dreams will forever remain . . just dreams.

Researching  will require a lot of your time. But it will be time well-spent!

by NafeesaRasheed

 

 Part of running a successful business is making it grow and marketing is the key to growing a business.
by Vishal P. Rao

 
Part of running a successful business is making it grow. Home-based businesses are no exception. In fact, it can be even more important if you are just starting out or lack a potential client base. The key to growing a business is marketing.
Marketing is how you connect with individuals who may become customers or clients and includes methods such as affiliate programs, newsletters, trade shows, web sites, brochures, advertising, and more. The potential marketing methods available are almost limitless in scope and deciding on an approach may seem daunting, but a little preliminary effort can help you narrow down the field of options and help you make the best choices for your business.

Determine Targeted Audience

No matter what marketing method you choose, you first need to decide to whom you plan to market. Mass marketing to a general audience simply is not cost-effective for most businesses so you must decide early on which segments of society are most likely to purchase your products or services. Begin by asking yourself some simply questions:

What needs does my product/service fulfill? 
Will businesses or consumers be more likely to need what I offer? 
Who are the clients I already have? 
Who does my competition market to?
With the answers to these questions, you can begin to decide on your targeted audience. However, you can refine it further by contacting sample populations of that audience and getting feedback from them on whether or not they would be interested in your product/service. You can use surveys, chat rooms, email questionnaires, or telephone polls to generate that feedback.

Set a Budget

Many inexperienced business owners make a major mistake when they begin their marketing efforts: they do not set a budget. Without a budget, these business owners can easily find all of their profits being funneled into marketing efforts.

Before you make a decision about what types of marketing methods to choose, you need to first establish how much you can spend in order to receive the desired results. Most businesses use the 10% rule. According to this rule, if you decided to implement a marketing program that would generate $5000 in monthly sales, then you should spend only $500 a month on marketing.

Applying the 10% rule prevents businesses from spending more on the marketing efforts than is generated by those efforts. You must also remember to be realistic. If you currently generate $200 a week in sales, do not anticipate marketing results of $10,000 a month and use that number as the basis for your marketing budget. Instead, start small at first and build on successful marketing attempts.

Evaluate Marketing Methods

There are a wide array of marketing methods available, but not all of them are appropriate for every business, audience, or product/service. Before deciding on a method, you need to carefully evaluate what will work best for your situation.

For example, if you run an online business, you may want to focus most of your marketing efforts on the Internet medium instead of mailing brochures to people who may not even own computers.

Also take into account your audience. If you are marketing to businesses, your methods will be different than if you are marketing to consumers. If you sell to parents, your methods are different than if you sell to college students. You may even need to develop more than one method in order to meet the needs of all of your potential audiences.

Finally, remember your budget. A television commercial may be more effective than an ad in the yellow pages but it may also use your entire marketing budget. To make the most of your budget, you want to start small and test your efforts before plunging into a major investment. After all, if the commercial flops, you won't have anything left in your budget for alternative marketing.

Once you complete these preliminary efforts, you can begin to explore marketing methods more effectively which will allow you to pick the methods which should provide the best results for your particular business.

 -- Vishal P. Rao is the editor of Home Based Business Opportunities - A website dedicated to opportunities, ideas and resources to make money from home. Visit him at: http://www.home-based-business-opportunities.com 

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Published here by NafeesaRasheed

Hello !

The Home Business is Combination of Personal Peace and Professional Satisfactions.

I do earn /will earn whatever in destiny ,not less not more but to get about what i wish is good luck,thanks to almighthy Allah.

NafeesaRasheed