You Did It Wrong So Just Give Up

How would you rate your online business?

• Super - My site and system are up and I'm making a "good" profit.
• Great - My site and system are up and I'm making some money.
• Average - I am making some progress and will be ready soon.
• Good - I am working on it but haven't finished anything yet.
• Fair - I have no idea what to do but am learning.
• Poor - I tried but am ready to give up

Now I'll tell you that my business goes between Great and Super on a monthly basis since I don't have everything in my plan done yet. However, last week I listened to a recorded seminar that almost threw me into the "Poor" category.

No, I am not mentioning names because I don't want you to go searching for the same recording I heard. It was just way too depressing.

However, I will share what was said that made me almost quit and then tell you why I didn't.

The speaker gave a definition of what an online business is and stated that everyone is doing it wrong. He quoted from books I had read and agree with. He showed some impressive charts. He made some statements that made a lot of sense. And he told us how to compute what our time was worth (his example showed our time as being worth $210 an hour.)

But the "gotcha" statement was: If you can pay someone else to do a job for less than what your time is worth, then you should because if you don't, you're wasting your time and you don't have a "real" business. (This is not an exact quote since I was in too much shock to write it down.)

When I heard this speaker's proclamation that all online business owners should be paying someone else to do just about everything there is to do to have an online business I went from feeling "OK" with my business to "I may as well throw in the towel now and give up."

Fortunately, 1 of my readers back in 2003 gave me the nickname, "The Lady Conqueror" because I don't give up without a fight. (Thanks Hodges, it was that nickname that reminded me to "push back and "fix it ".)

But how do you fix the problem of not wanting to or being able to hire someone to do most of the work for your online business?

Answer: Examine exactly what was said and know exactly where you are in your online business.

Here's what I did to examine what was said:

1. The speaker's statement that we're all doing it wrong - That was a good attention grabber.
2. The speaker's definition of business and his quotes from well known authors affirmed his attention grabbing statement.
3. His charts and statements were great because all online business people could emotionally identify with them.
4. His walk through on computing what our time was worth was impressive since he used numbers we could easily assume as our own. And the end value was very flattering (I've never earned $210 an hour - have you?)

Hey, I just listened to a video "sales letter"!!!!! (Oops, I forgot to mention he was having people register for his next big coaching session.) By the way, I computed the hourly rate after I regained my senses and found his end result was 3 times what it should have been.

To know where you are in your online business:

1. First understand that a business should be able to operate when you're not around so until you've got it going like that you are considered "self-employed."
2. For most people starting any type of business, "self-employed" is the first stage. (You think Bill Gates started by hiring everyone who works for him now when he first got started?) Since we're all working to get to "business", that's the term I'll keep using for us.
3. Until you get to where you want to or can afford to hire out some of your work, you automate as much as possible.
4. When you start making an income you re-invest in your online business to not only expand but to also hire-out some of the work.

In case you're wondering if I pre-registered for this speaker's next coaching session the answer is - No.

Not because he's not good - he's probably a great mentor if you have a ton of money to spend to start or expand your business. But from his sales pitch I suspect that:

• Most newbies can't afford his coaching or his methods.
• Many of those who think they can afford his coaching will find that they've overextended their budget and can't afford to implement his methods.
• Of those who can afford to implement his methods only a few will because most won't be able to come up with projects to spend their money on.

So while he'll make a ton of money from the 1000 who buy his coaching, only a few (less than 10) will use what he has to offer and make any "real" money.

While I may be wrong in my suspicions, at least I have conquered my feelings of giving up. I know where I am in my business and no matter how my business rates, I am feeling good about it.

Can you say the same?

To Your Success,
Susan

PS The day after I sent this article to my readers I discovered an inexpensive eBook that explains how to get your business going in 6 steps. While the product is extremly short it contains links to 6 online videos that show exactly how to do each of the steps. I've read the eBook and watched the videos and even learned some things myself. And no, I didn't buy any of the stuff he recomended but the steps he shows can all be done manually - it just takes a little more work! (The tool he's promoting just makes doing some of the 6 steps easier and faster - oops, guess that's a way to automate.)

Anyway, take a look because "Six Steps to Success" is more in line with what people just getting started can understand, can do and can AFFORD.

Susan

2 Tips For The Price Of 1

I've been thinking about today's tip for several days. Not because I didn't know how to word it but ...

I didn't know what to write about. You know - writer's block - even I get it occasionally.

So I gave up and went to an eBook to get some ideas for a topic (I usually go through my email to see what the "hot" topic is when I have this problem but didn't find anything this time.)

Thinking I might find some good tips in "PC Safety 101" I started reading. It does have some good info and it recommends some good products but that's not all.

Currently there are 20 private label rights articles being given as an added bonus. (You have to actually read the eBook to get them.)

Tip 1: Read the eBooks you get - free or paid for - because they might have more in them than you bargained for.

Tip 2: Overcoming Writer's Block
(1 of the bonus articles in "PC Safety 101 ." with no changes except to correct some spelling errors.)

What is writer's block?

Well, I just can't think of a single darn thing to
say. Oh well, I'm outta here!

Sound familiar? No! Oh, get real! We've all
experienced this phenomenon when we absolutely have to
write something, particularly on deadline. I'm talking
about. . . . .uh, I can't think of what the word is .
. . oh, yes, it's on the tip of my tongue . . . it's:

WRITER'S BLOCK!!!!

Whew! I feel better just getting that out of my head
and onto the page!

Writer's block is the patron demon of the blank page.
You may think you know EXACTLY what you're going to
write, but as soon as that evil white screen appears
before you, your mind suddenly goes completely blank.
I'm not talking about Zen meditation
stare-at-the-wall-until-enlightenment-hits kind of
blank.

I'm talking about sweat trickling down the back of
your neck, anguish and panic and suffering kind of
blank. The tighter the deadline, the worse the anguish
of writer's block gets.

Having said that, let me say it again. "The tighter
the deadline, the worse the anguish of writer's block
gets." Now, can you figure out what might possibly be
causing this horrible plunge into speechlessness?

The answer is obvious: FEAR! You are terrified of that
blank page. You are terrified you have absolutely
nothing of value to say. You are afraid of the fear of
writer's block itself!

It doesn't necessarily matter if you've done a decade
of research and all you have to do is string sentences
you can repeat in your sleep together into coherent
paragraphs.

Writer's block can strike anyone at any
time. Based in fear, it raises our doubts about our
own self-worth, but it's sneaky. It's writer's block,
after all, so it doesn't just come and let you know
that. No, it makes you feel like an idiot who just had
your frontal lobes removed through your sinuses. If
you dared to put forth words into the greater world,
they would surely come out as gibberish!

Let's try and be rational with this irrational demon.
Let's make a list of what might possibly be beneath
this terrible and terrifying condition.

1. Perfectionism. You must absolutely produce a
masterpiece of literature straight off in the first
draft. Otherwise, you qualify as a complete failure.

2. Editing instead of composing. There's your
monkey-mind sitting on your shoulder, yelling as soon
as you type "I was born?," no, not that, that's wrong!
That's stupid! Correct correct correct correct?

3. Self-consciousness. How can you think, let alone
write, when all you can manage to do is pry the
fingers of writer's block away from your throat enough
so you can gasp in a few shallow breaths? You're not
focusing on what you're trying to write, your focusing
on those gnarly fingers around your windpipe.

4. Can't get started. It's always the first sentence
that's the hardest. As writers, we all know how
EXTREMELY important the first sentence is. It must be
brilliant! It must be unique! It must hook your
reader's from the start! There's no way we can get
into writing the piece until we get past this
impossible first sentence.

5. Shattered concentration. You're cat is sick. You
suspect your mate is cheating on you. Your electricity
might be turned off any second. You have a crush on
the local UPS deliveryman. You have a dinner party
planned for your in-laws. You . . . Need I say more.
How can you possibly concentrate with all this mental
clutter?

6. Procrastination. It's your favorite hobby. It's
your soul mate. It's the reason you've knitted 60
argyle sweaters or made 300 bookcases in your garage
workshop. It's the reason you never run out of Brie.

FACE IT - IT'S ONE OF THE REASONS YOU HAVE WRITER'S BLOCK!

How to Overcome Writer's Block

Okay. I can hear that herd of you running away from
this article as fast as you can. Absurd! you huff.
Never in a million years, you fume. Writer's block is
absolutely, undeniably, scientifically proven to be
impossible to overcome.

Oh, just get over it! Well, I guess it's not that
easy. So try to sit down for just a few minutes and
listen. All you have to do is listen ? you don't have
to actually write a single word.

Ah, there you all are again. I am beginning to make
you out now that the cloud of dust is settling.

I am here to tell you that WRITER'S BLOCK CAN BE
OVERCOME.

Please, remain seated.

There are ways to trick this nasty demon. Pick one,
pick several, and give them a try. Soon, before you
even have a chance for your heartbeat to accelerate,
guess what? You're writing.

Here are some tried and true methods of overcoming
writer's block:

1. Be prepared. The only thing to fear is fear itself.
(I know, that's a cliché but as soon as you start
writing, feel free to improve on it.) If you spend
some time mulling over your project before you
actually sit down to write, you may be able to
circumvent the worst of the crippling panic.

2. Forget perfectionism. No one ever writes a
masterpiece in the first draft. Don't put any
expectations on your writing at all! In fact, tell
yourself you're going to write absolute garbage, and
then give yourself permission to happily stink up your
writing room.

3. Compose instead of editing. Never, never write your
first draft with your monkey-mind sitting on your
shoulder making snide editorial comments. Composing is
a magical process. It surpasses the conscious mind by
galaxies. It's even incomprehensible to the conscious,
editorial, monkey-mind. So prepare an ambush. Sit down
at your computer or your desk. Take a deep breath and
blow out all your thoughts. Let your finger hover over
your keyboard or pick up your pen. And then pull a
fake: appear to be about to begin to write, but
instead, using your thumb and index finger of your
dominant hand, flick that little annoying ugly monkey
back into the barrel of laughs it came from. Then jump
in quickly! Write, scribble, scream, howl, let
everything loose, as long as you do it with a pen or
your computer keyboard.

4. Forget the first sentence. You can sweat over that
all-important one-liner when you've finished your
piece. Skip it! Go for the middle or even the end.
Start wherever you can. Chances are, when you read it
over, the first line will be blinking its little neon
lights right at you from the depths of your
composition.

5. Concentration. This is a hard one. Life throws us
so many curve balls. How about thinking about your
writing time as a little vacation from all those
annoying worries. Banish them! Create a space, perhaps
even a physical one, where nothing exists except the
single present moment. If one of those irritating
worries gets by you, stomp on it like you would an
ugly bug!

6. Stop procrastinating. Write an outline. Keep your
research notes within sight. Use someone else's
writing to get going. Babble incoherently on paper or
on the computer if you have to.

Just do it! (I know, I stole that line from
somewhere?). Tack up anything that could possibly help
you to get going: notes, outlines, pictures of your
grandmother. Put the cookie you will be allowed to eat
when you finish your first draft within sight ? but
out of reach. Then pick up the same type of writing
that you need to write, and read it. Then read it
again. Soon, trust me, the fear will slowly fade away.
As soon as it does, grab your keyboard ? and get
writing!

To Your Success,
Susan

PS You can find this and other PLR articles included as an added bonus inside
"PC Safety 101."

When Knowing It All Can Hurt Your Business

Recently I heard Kevin Bidwell state that these 4 words were 1 of the biggest obstacles that many online business people must overcome:

"I already know that."

I must admit that I really didn't believe him when I heard the statement because I've never felt that way and my readers are always sending me questions.

However, today I do believe him because I've now seen at least 2 other "internet gurus" make the same statement.

Since I am now a believer I decided to check and see what it was that other people already know and no longer need to learn about.

Here's a list of 5 things that people think they already know and no longer have anything to learn.

1. They think they know what they're promoting and they think it's products or services.
   
   Wrong - products and services may be what people are paying you for but they are not what you should be promoting. You should be promoting your business.
   
   
2. They think they know the most important thing they have to do make money and it's getting traffic to their site.
   
   Wrong - you do need traffic but more importantly you need to know how to make money from the traffic you do get. Having a site seen by 10,000 people who buy nothing is worth less than a site seen by 100 who buy what you're selling.
   
   
3. They think they know how to use viral marketing - they give away an ebook or sign up for a viral advertising site.
   
   Wrong - True viral marketing is much more involved than giving away an ebook you hope will get passed around or adding your page to a list of others in the hopes that someone will actually buy your product when they sign up for the same viral site.
   
   
4. They think they know how to use autoresponders because they have 1 set up to send out their periodic mailings.
   
   Wrong - Autoresponders are great tools and 1 of the most under used. Sending out a thank-you for ... and your broadcast messages are not why you set them up and use them.
   
   
5. They think they know many ways to get traffic to their site because they do them.
   
   Wrong - While there are many good ways to get traffic to your site, using all of them and mastering none of them is not the best way to get traffic. You need to identify which sources of traffic you want to use and master those few methods before moving on to others. Successful online marketers work on mastering the traffic strategies that provide the most traffic with the least effort.

While I could go on and list other things that people think they already know about I think you get the point...

There's always more to learn.

So next time you catch yourself thinking, "I already know that" -

Remember, you may know a lot about it but you may have more to learn to use or do it effectively.

To Your Success,
Susan

PS You can get more detailed information about the 5 things you may already know about but aren't using correctly by clicking here. It's a quick read and contains some very powerful information that you can use right away.

Tools of the Trade

In this high tech world it's easy to forget 2 of the most basic and important tools you need for your online business - inexpensive tools you already have and may not be using.

You remember the internet because that's where your online business is located.

You remember your computer because without it you can't connect to the internet.

You remember your host, autoresponder, and ad tracker because you use them to build your business and make it grow.

But do you remember to use the 2 tools that should be within reach all the time, a pen and a pad of paper?

Sure you have these things close to the phone to jot down notes and numbers. You may keep them handy in the kitchen to make your grocery list and by your computer to take notes. But do you have them handy when your relaxing and not working your business?

When you're enjoying time with your friends and family, doing your favorite hobby or just vegging out in front of the TV, you should always have your 2 take-along tools of the trade with you.

Why?

Because when your not sitting and forcing ideas out of your conscience mind your subconscious is working it's hardest and some of your best ideas will be created. And unless you take note of those ideas when they pop-out, you'll forget them.

Our minds are strange and mysterious things. They work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and they never sleep. They house all the things we've seen and learned, all our likes and dislikes, all our memories and dreams. They torment us by putting tunes in our head that we can't get rid of but won't tell us the name of the tune. They remind us that we've been somewhere before but won't tell us when. They create million dollar ideas in 1 instant and then forget those ideas in the next.

Now if you're a very organized person you have a place to make your "To Do List" with all the things you need to get done. You have your list for what you'll do the next time your at your computer. You have a calendar, a place for your notes for things you need to remember and a list for future projects. And you may be using electronic tools to hold all this information so you can pull it up on your computer screen with a few button pushes.

But even if you use electronic tools to hold all this valuable information you still need to keep a pen and a pad of paper handy when you're not at your computer so you can jot down those unexpected ideas or things you've forgotten. Then, when you get back to your desk you can transfer those items to the appropriate list.

Remember, you have no control over your subconscious mind. It will work every second of every day about anything it wants. It may decide to solve a problem that you've been thinking about. It may decide to come up with a new product or headline for a sales page. Your subconscious mind will give you what it wants in an instant and unless you write it down it will take it away just as fast.

Some of the things your subconscious mind will come up with may not be of any use when fully thought about but some of them could be real jewels. So take note of all your subconscious ideas and give them some thought. Write down those ideas with enough information so you can put your conscious mind to work on them when you want.

While we may be living in a high tech world where most people think that only those things that plug in or run on batteries are of value, we, as internet marketers must remember to use 2 of the most basic and yet most powerful tools ever created - pen and paper.

To Your Success,
Susan

To Dream ...

What would you like to do if you had enough money to quit your job and your online business could take care of itself? - What would you do in all that extra free time?"

That's the question I asked my subscribers recently.

When I asked the question I knew some would think that it was another of our "just for fun" questions and others would figure I'd use it to tell them how to define their goal.

Actually, neither of these are the reason I asked the question.

While it is fun to dream and making our dream a reality is why most of us start an online business, there is another reason to dream about what you would do if you didn't have to work.

Your dream of a bigger house, traveling all over the world, driving a race car, sailing across the ocean or whatever - is something you're interested in.

But more than that ...

... It's something you can use to find the niche for your online business.

Now before you start telling me why you can't use your dream to help you identify a niche market let me give you 5 reasons why you can.

1. If you're interested in something then there are probably a lot of others who are just as interested. Of course you would have to do some basic research to find out if the group is large enough and if they spend enough online to make it worth pursuing - but you have to do that anyway.
2. If your dream is not specific enough to identify a market then you need to work on your dream. If you had enough money and time to live your dream you'd have to know the specifics or how would you make it come true?
3. Think your dream is too big? Then pick a piece of it to start.
4. Think your dream is too small? Then expand it. It's your dream and you can make it as big or as little as you want.
5. But it's only your dream. You don't know anything about it. To that I have to ask, why not? If you really want and expect to someday have your dream come true you should start learning some things about it now.

One of the mistakes most people make when they are trying to pick their niche market is to think - "I am not an expert so no one will care what I have to say."

But what exactly is an expert?

An expert is someone who knows more about something than someone else - not everybody else - someone else.

So if you learn a little about your dream you are an expert to those who share the same dream and haven't learned as much as you.

All the internet marketing gurus tell you to pick a niche that you either know about or are passionate about. But what is your passion? Is it your job? Is it your family? Is it something you already know or do? Or is it something you want to do but don't have time for?

If your dream is your passion then remember some of the important words in that old song "The Impossible Dream."

To dream the impossible dream,
...

And the world will be better for this
...

You can read all the lyrics and listen to the entire song at:
http://www.reelclassics.com/Actors/O'Toole/impossibledream-lyrics.htm. (To hear the song click the music notes next to the song title.)

So dream your impossible dream. Then put it to work and make it happen.

To Your Success,
Susan

19 Formatting Tips To Improve Your Sales Letter

Before I list 19 simple ways to improve your "sales" letter you need to understand 2 things:

1. For this article, an online "sales" letter is defined as any web page where you want to get an action from your reader - a sale, a sign-up, go to another page, etc.
2. It's the words and the way you format the words on your "sales" letter that cause the reader to do the action you want. The words - not the pictures - do the work and cause the reaction of your site visitor.

Now that you know what a "sales" letter is and it's the words that are the most important part, here are 19 tips for writing effective "sales" letters.

1. Have an attention grabbing headline at the top of the page where your visitor can see it without scrolling.
2. The best color to use for your headline is red. It can be any shade of red but red works the best to get someone's attention.
3. Put your name close to the top of the page before the body of the "sales" text.
4. Put your name at the bottom of the "sales" text.
5. Use a picture of your real signature or one that looks real.
6. Use sub-headlines within your "sales" letter.
7. Sub-headlines should be the same color as you main headline.
8. Don't underline text in the body of your "sales" letter. (People assume underlining means it's a link and may try to click on it.)
9. Draw attention to your testimonials by having them in separate boxes.
10. Put some space between the testimonial and the border of the box containing it so it will stand out. A different background color for the box is good too.
11. A good testimonial should state specifically what they liked about your product, ezine, etc. Use some method to highlight the specific thing they liked.
12. If you are selling a product on your page do not use red for the price. Subconsciously red means stop.
13. Bonuses are good when they relate to your main offer. Unrelated bonuses can work against you.
14. Use some method to highlight the important parts of your "sales" letter for those who just skim the page.
15. Even though PayPal has some "bad press" within the internet marketing community, it is still one of the best payment processors to use because it is so widely known and trusted. So if you use another payment processor you may want to include a PayPal button as an additional method of payment.
16. Just like they work on paper, sticky notes on your web page capture your visitors attention for a few seconds. Make those seconds work for you.
17. White space is very important because it makes the "sales" letter easier to read. Use it to separate paragraphs and important list items - especially when the list items have a lot of text.
18. Chose an easy to read font and make it an easy to read size and color.
19. Make sure you include a "call to action." That means you tell them exactly what they are to do - buy, sign-up, go to, etc.

Remember, every time someone visits your "sales" letter they've come with the idea not to do what you want and it's your job to sell them the idea that they "want" to do your desired action.

It's your words and how you format them on your page that make the difference.

To Your Success,
Susan
FriendsWhoCare Newsletter

Tracking Your Business To Success

Recently I asked if you were tracking your ads and 2/3's of
my subscribers stated they didn't - most said it was because
they didn't know how.

Because "not knowing how" seemed to be the biggest reason, I
won't bore you with all the reasons tracking is important. Just
know that it is.

Now before we get started I am going to admit that I am Not a
tracking guru. Like most of my readers, I do everything myself
and don't have time to set up tracking links for everything.
Also, since I don't have the time to set up a lot of tracking
links, I haven't installed a tracking program on my host nor do
I pay a service to track my stats. So until I start paying
someone to help me with my business, I use the stats provided by
my hosting service and 1 free service that also provides some
traffic. (I do have the ability to create tracking links through
my autoresponder and have access to a professional tracking
service but very seldom use them.)

With that said, here are 3 ways to get information to help
you track what's going on with your business:

1. Use the information provided by your hosting service.
   
   Gathering statistical information for your business is another
   reason to have your own domain name and using a hosting
   service. The information provided is easily accessed, can tell
   you some very valuable information and doesn't create any
   additional work. (This is assuming your hosting service
   provides statistical information and most do. If yours doesn't
   you should find one that does.)
   
   Using the stats provided by your host you should be able to
   see things like what pages are visited most frequently, what
   country your visitors are coming from, what type of browser
   they're using, how many unique visitors you're getting, the
   most popular keywords used to find your site the page, what
   robots and spiders are visiting your site, the links used to
   access your site and how many times an eBook has been
   downloaded..
   
   Looking at my June stats today, June 7, I can tell you that
   I've received 45 hits from Downloadfreegifts. This doesn't
   tell me how many have signed up but it does tell me how many
   have visited my signup page. (That's why I told you how I
   track where my sign ups are coming from.) I also know how many
   have visited the newsletter page with the poll so I know how
   many look at the poll as compared to how many who vote - Big
   difference! I can also see what people are downloading from my
   site. (Good for finding out if people are stealing your
   products.)


2. Use a free tracking service.
   
   Free tracking services usually only provide you with a
   redirection URL (good for hiding affiliate links) and the
   number of hits to your link. This is not very much information
   but it can still be useful.
   
   Using these services is very easy since all you have to do is
   sign up, enter the url you want to track and a short
   description so you can remember what your tracking, copy the
   url they create and start using that url in all your ads.
   
   I've signed up for 2 of these free services:
   
   trackthatad.com and linkbrander.com.
   
   I haven't really used trackthatad but do
   use linkbrander since I also get additional traffic for using
   their links. (Also, trackthatad has some annoying pop-ups for
   their tutorials that appear on just about every page.)


3. Use the tracking links provided by your autoresponder
   service.
   
   Many autoresponder services have the capability to create
   tracking links. Again, all you have to do is enter the url you
   want tracked and a brief description so you'll remember what
   you're tracking. They create a link and that's the 1 you use.

Now here's 1 easy way to track your ads in ezines...

When you enter the url you want to track in the tracking service
you're using add - ?ezinename

to the end of your url (ezinename is the name of the ezine where
you're placing the ad.)

Example:

http://www.friendswhocare.us/join.htm?marketingtips

Do this for every ezine you're using. Place the appropriate
link for the ezine in the ad you submit.

After the ads have run you can check how many hits came to
each link and you'll know which ads worked the best. You'll want
to do this for several weeks and be modifying your ads until you
find one that works. After you've found one that works keep
using it. You may find that different ads work better in
different ezines.

You do not need to be a tracking expert or pay a lot of money
to start tracking your ads. You don't have to upload scripts or
put page counters on your web pages. With all the free services
that are now available you can get some basic stats to start
tracking your ads - today.

To Your Success,
Susan

PS If you're looking for an inexpensive, reliable hosting
service that provides some good website stats here are the 2 I
use:

RealMarketing.com and PushButtonPublishing.com

I highly recommend PushButtonPublishing.com because they also provide my autoresponder (with tracking capability) and a good tracking service in addition to many other services that I use all the time.

Building Your List - Part 4

So far we've discussed what you need to do to grow your list, what to do when you don't know what to write about and the important items to administer for an autoresponder.

This week we are going to discuss knowing where your subscribers are coming from - also called tracking.

Part 3 - Know Where Your Subscribers Are Coming From

In our excitement to get our online business going and starting a list many of us don't create a way to track anything.

With so much to learn and all the work to be done we put "tracking" on the bottom of our To Do List and sometimes forget to get around to it. (Yes, I said we because I was just as guilty as you when I started.)

Big Mistake!

Now I am not going to repeat all the words you've read before about why tracking is important so you'll know how and where to spend your time and money. Instead, I'll give you an example of how our kids instinctively know how to use tracking to their advantage.

Example:

Halloween is a big holiday here in the states where children dress up in costumes and go door-to-door to collect candy.

The first year a child goes out to make the rounds to collect goodies they have no idea what they're going to get so they pretty much go to every house within the limits given by their parents. However, they are mentally noting who is giving what.

When it's time to quit, most of them will ask, "Can we please go back to xx house because they gave xx?" (Money always attracts repeat visitors.)

Now the the second year the child goes out they somehow remember who was giving the "good stuff" and want to go there first. They also remember who gave the "icky stuff" and have no problem with walking past that house to go to another.

As the child gets older and their boundaries expand, they start becoming selective as to which houses they will go to and which ones are "not worth their time." They've been tracking the treats given and now want to use that information to their advantage to collect as many "good treats" as time permits.

Learn from the children!

Track everything that can affect your business, your time, your money and your list.

Now there are several ways to track where your subscribers are coming from and I'll list 3 of them below. You'll notice that none of them include the use of a tracking system because those systems count visitors to a page and not who signs up.

Method 1:

1. Create a separate page for every method you are using to attract subscribers. They can all look alike or they may be different depending on how you're promoting them.
2. Go into your autoresponder system to create the form to include on 1 of the pages and add 1 custom field. Name the field something like: Referred By:
3. Copy the form onto your sign up page.
4. Now if you're using an html editor like FrontPage you can select the input area for the custom field and select Properties from the Format menu. Enter something in the Initial Value box - a value that will identify this page.
   
   If you have to type the code yourself it will look something like this:
   <input type="text" name="custom1" size="40" maxlength="70"
   value="How you identify this page">
   The bolded words are what you must add.
5. Test your form.

Now when someone signs up, the autoresponder will store the information in the custom field and you should be able to access it.

Method 2:

The above method for tracking is used when someone fills out a form to become a member of your list. Some autoresponder systems allow you to simply have new subscribers send an email to your system. If your system has this capability you may be able to add a Subject to the email they send to identify where they are coming from. Be sure to test this method because adding a subject line to the subscribe email message may work for some but will not work for all.

Method 3:

If your using an autoresponder system that does not allow the use of custom fields or adding a subject line, another way to find out where your subscribers are coming from is to create a separate autoresponder and sign up page for every place you are getting traffic. And although this method will work it is time consuming because you'll have to go to multiple lists to do your mailings and make any changes to your message sequence. I only recommend this method as a "last thing to try method."

Tracking where your subscribers are coming from is as important as tracking your ads because it tells you where you are getting your subscribers. And by knowing where you get most of subscribers you know where to spend most of your time to get more.

To Your Success,
Susan Carroll
FriendsWhoCare Newsletter
http://www.friendswhocare.us

PS Partnering in giveaways is a great way to add subscribers. Create a page and form for each 1 you are currently participating. When a giveaway ends, you can re-use the page for a new giveaway simply by changing the identifying value in the custom field.

If you're using a separate autoresponder for each giveaway you can re-use them the same way. Simply the record the dates associated with each giveaway so you'll know which ones worked the best.

While giveaways are a great way to add subscribers they are not created equally. Some will produce more than others. Knowing which ones work the best for you will help you decide which ones to join in the future when the giveaway owners host another.

Building Your List - Part 3

So far we've discussed what you need to do to grow your list and what to do when you don't know what to write about.

This week we are going to discuss setting up your autoresponder.

Part 3 - Setting Up Your Autoresponder - The Important Stuff

While it would be nice to include the step-by-step instructions for setting up your autoresponder it's simply not possible with all the different administration control panels being used. I've personally seen 6 different admin panels and doubt that I've seen them all.

So rather than walk you through setting yours up, I will list the important things to administer.

The 4 Basic Things You Need To Administer On Your Autoresponder:

1. The Message Sequence:
   
   Whether you're doing a multi-part mailing or just the thank-you message to those who join your list, you must edit your message sequence.
   
   The first message may be numbered 0 or 1, depending on the system your using, and it is the message sent immediately after someone has joined your list. (If you're using a double opt-in system it's sent after they have confirmed their request to join your list.) This is the message where you thank them for joining and send the link to the gift you've promised. (On single opt-in systems you can give your gift on the thank-you page however, I suggest you don't. If you do give the link on your thank-you page, it's a good idea to repeat it in this message.)
   
   After the first message you may add content to other messages as you desire. Just remember to always put in a "Subject" for every message. Also, if you add additional messages after you've started getting subscribers, the subscribers you already have may not get the new messages.
   
   Most autoresponder systems allow you to control how close together the messages are delivered. So if you want your messages to be sent 1 day apart, enter a 1. If you want the message to be sent 2 days after the last message, enter a 2 and so on.
   
   Also, most systems will allow you to personalize your messages with things like the name and email address of the person your sending the messages to. This is done by inserting a tag in your message where you want the persons information. Again, the format for these tags is different depending on the system your using but you should be able to find how yours should be formatted easily.
   
   
2. From Email Parameters
   
   Most paid for autoresponder systems allow you to enter both an email address and a name used as the "From" for the messages from your autoresponder. It is recommended that you do not use the autoresponders email address. Use a valid email address and the name you want your subscribers to become familiar with. (A free autoresponder system may not allow you to administer this information and will use the email address you entered when you signed up for the service.)
   
   
3. Thank-You Page
   
   This is another item you may not be allowed to administer with a free system because they will use 1 standard page for everyone who uses their system. (FreeAutoBot does allow you to administer this page. Read the Help for "Add Lead.")
   
   The Thank-You page is the page seen immediately after someone submits the form to join your list. If you're using a double opt-in system it's a good idea to remind them to check their email and confirm their request. For a single opt-in system you can deliver your gift, tell them to check their email or anything else you decide to do like make them a 1 time offer.
   
   
4. Set Personalization
   
   Many autoresponder systems will allow you to select how some things like dates are formatted and what name to use when no name is in the database for a subscriber. (Because many systems allow people to subscribe by sending an email, the subscribers who have joined this way may not have a name in the database.) While the default may be acceptable for things like dates, you need to make sure that you have an acceptable value for missing names.

Depending on the autoresponder system you choose, you may have many other items you are allowed to administer. Things like: Email Reject Filter where you block users from certain domains or email addresses from joining your list; modify the remove link provided in your mailings; the header and/or footer information that is to be added to all your messages; tracking links; and set up and share campaigns. All of these are advanced features and you can learn about them after you have your system going.

After you have your autoresponder set up you need to start getting people to sign up. Many systems allow people to join by simply sending an email to your autoresponder (some require certain words in the subject line of the mailing.) If your system has this capability you should be able to easily find it either within the administration area or in the email the system sent you when you created your autoresponder account.

Another way to get people to sign up is by submitting their information via a form. Every autoresponder system will give you the code for this form. The free systems may give you the generic code and identify what you must modify before you use it while the paid for systems will create the fully functional code for you automatically.

The last way to get names onto your list is by entering them yourself either 1 at a time or uploading a list. Because online autoresponder services need to protect themselves from those who would use their system to send spam, they have all implemented some restrictions on how this can be done. In the event you decide to enter names into your system you'll have to read the policy and restrictions for the system you're using. (A word of caution, if you enter someone's information and they report back to the service that you sent spam, you may get your account deleted.)

One last thing about using an autoresponder - To send out fresh content to your list, you will use the "broadcast" or "email all" feature. With this feature you get to enter a message and then send it to everyone on your list. (Great for sending out newsletters.)

The 2 biggest things to remember when setting up an autoresponder are:

1. Read the tutorial they give you and use their online help. Every system tries to make it as easy as possible for their users.
2. Test. Once you have your system in place and your form created, sign up and see what happens. If it doesn't do what's expected then go back into the system and fix it.

Setting up an autoresponder may sound like a big, scary task that you're not ready for but it doesn't have to be. You can sign up for a free one and play with it for awhile to become familiar with how it works. You don't have to know anything about programming to use the free and paid for online services and they all provide enough help to get you started.

The hard part of setting up an autoresponder isn't learning how it's done - it's finding the time to set up all the messages you may want to have automatically delivered.

To Your Success,
Susan Carroll
FriendsWhoCare Newsletter
http://www.friendswhocare.us

PS This tip was written for the use of online autoresponder services. And while many may choose to purchase and use their own system on their site, I didn't cover the additional things you need to know to use your own system (loading scripts, modifying scripts, splitting your list to avoid hogging all you hosting provider's bandwidth, how to avoid being blacklisted by email providers, etc.) Until you're ready to either learn all the things just mentioned or hire someone else to load and maintain your system I suggest you use one of the online services and let them take care of the really big and scary stuff.

Building Your List - Part 2

Last week we discussed what you need to do to grow your list.

This week we are going to discuss the biggest problem identified
by those of you who don't have a list.

Part 2 - "I don't know what to write about"

Believe it or not, not knowing what to write
about is a problem shared by both those who don't have a mailing
list and many who do.

Just imagine you've got a list and you're
suppose to send out some useful information every week. Maybe
you've even gotten the first 10 mailings planned out. Now, weeks
11, 25 and 51 come along. What are you going to write about?

If thinking about mailing useful content on a
regular basis makes you shutter because you don't know what to
say then here are 5 suggestions:

1. There is no rule that says how often you have to
   email your list. Yes, you do need to do it on a regular basis
   and often enough that they remember who you are but you can
   decide to do it every 2 weeks or twice a month or as new
   information becomes available. You can always change the
   frequency of your mailing after you've gotten more comfortable
   with doing them and sending them less often means you don't have
   to come up with as many things to write about.

2. There is no rule that says you have to write an
   ezine to have a mailing list. In fact, a lot of people start
   their lists by offering a report or ecourse. These reports and
   ecourses are broken down into pieces and each piece is sent
   separately. (It's done this way so those who receive your
   mailings will learn to recognize your name.) Many affiliate
   programs offer pre-written reports and ecourses for your use.
   And although the pre-written material may include restrictions
   about how it can be used and modified, most don't restrict you
   from sending additional email to your list.

3. Because you're not required to have an ezine to
   have a mailing list, you may decide to send another type of
   information on a regular basis. Things like:
   
   * A store that adds new items or offers sales can offer to
   notify them when new items are added or a sale is being offered.
   
   * A site for product reviews can offer to send new reviews.
   
   * A directory site can send announcements for new listings.
   
   * A motivational site can send motivational quotes: a sport site
   can send scores; a fun site can send jokes and cartoons; etc.
   
   * If you have a site that just has your opinion about different
   things then offer to let them know when you've posted something
   new.

4. Unless you state that the content in your
   mailings are original, there is no rule that says you have to
   write the content. Go to some of the article directories and do
   a search on any topic. If it's a topic people are interested in
   there will be hundreds, maybe thousands, of articles already
   written and available for your use. And yes, using other
   peoples' articles can still work for you. The trick to using
   other peoples' content is to include a short introduction to the
   article. (Hopefully you can write a few words about why you
   liked or disliked, agreed or disagreed with the article.)

5. There is no rule that says you have to email
   long articles. You can send short quotes, jokes, tips, etc. And
   you can find an abundance of those things online for you to send
   out.

Now that you know that you're not required to
publish an ezine to have a mailing list and you have some ideas
on things to write and where to get information, the

Big question is:

What should my mailings be about?

And the answer is:

Whatever you want.

Look at your site. Hopefully it's focused on 1 targeted niche
and you can offer something for that group. Do they want to know
about sales? Do they want to learn how to do something? Do they
want to express their opinion? Think about what it is that your
site visitors are looking for and then offer it.

If you can't identify the targeted audience for your site
then you need to clean it up and get it more focused. You can't
provide everything to the everybody so don't even try.

Now I don't know how many mailing lists you've signed up for
but over the years I've signed up for hundreds. Why did I sign
up? Because every 1 of them offered something I thought would
benefit me.

I've received motivational quotes, tips on how to use a
Microsoft software application, product reviews, new product
announcements, traffic tips, list building tips, new recipes,
new forum topic announcements and a host of other things.

Do they all send email on a regular basis? Yes.

Do they all provide something of interest to a targeted
niche? Yes.

Do they all send ezines? No

Do they all send original content? No

And while I do unsubscribe to a lot of the lists I sign up
for, surprisingly, I have stayed subscribed to many where the
above questions and answers are still true.

When you got up this morning, maybe you didn't have a list
because you didn't know what to write about. But today is the
day to look at your business, decide what it's about, figure out
what your potential customers are looking for and then offer to
provide related information if they sign-up to your mailing
list.

To Your Success,
Susan

PS Here are 3 very important things to remember after
you've chosen what to write about:

1. "If at 1st you don't succeed, try, try again." In other
   words, if people don't sign up when you actively promote your
   mailing offer, either re-work the offer or offer to send
   something else. If people unsubscribe faster than they
   subscribe, try changing the format, the frequency, or the type
   of information.


2. Always protect the privacy of your subscribers and allow
   them to unsubscribe at any time.


3. Don't abuse your list by sending too many mailings. One of
   the fastest ways to get people to unsubscribe is to send
   multiple email ads too frequently.

Building Your List - Part 1

During our recent polls on building a list for your online business we uncovered some of the problems you have with either starting or building your list.

All of these problems need to be addressed so this week is the first tip in a series of articles about starting and building your list. And while each of these problems deserves to be discussed first, they will be discussed according to the number of votes received.

According to your votes, 90% of you have started a mailing list for your online business so today's tip addresses the problem of "not getting many sign-ups." If you are in the 10% who have not started your list, please read and remember or save a copy of today's tip because you'll need to remember this information when you start your list.

Part 1 - Growing Your List

A few years ago getting subscribers was extremely easy for anyone with a few dollars to invest in their online business because you could buy names, load them into your autoresponder and start sending them email. And depending on where you bought them and how much you were willing to spend, you could build a list of 10's of thousands in a short time.

However today, with all the laws against spam and the organizations fighting it, buying names for your list is not a wise or safe way to build your list. Instead, you must either pay someone to promote your list or do it yourself.

Should you pay someone to promote your list? This depends on you, your budget and how they are going to promote your list. There are a few legitimate co-registration services online however, they are very expensive.

A couple of years ago I tried 2 of the more affordable "guaranteed signup" services that promise to deliver subscribers and I didn't get a single new subscriber for the dollars I invested. (If you read the actual agreement instead of the attention grabbing headline, they only promise to have your signup page shown a certain number of times.)

Most "guaranteed signup" services don't work because they show your site as a pop-under for another site. Because most web users now use a popup blocker, your site never appears on their screen. And even if it does, the viewer wasn't expecting it and doesn't know where it came from so they usually close it because it was just an annoyance they don't want to deal with.

The best ways to build your list is to promote it yourself and to get others who already have a list to promote it. If you're not getting many signups when you promote your list then you need to redo your offer until you find 1 that works.

Since you've already started your list, you already know why it's important. Now here's the MOST IMPORTANT thing to remember about building your list.

Every time you advertise anything it should include a way to build your list.

When you advertise, free or paid-for, you should be sending visitors to a signup page - not a page that has a signup form - but a "real" capture page designed with the purpose of getting someone to signup for your list. Sure, you want to sell something and make a few dollars but making a few dollars now and not getting the names of those interested whether they bought or not will cost you a lot more future dollars.

Think of your online business like 1 of the successful local businesses in your area. First they had to get people to know they were open and where they were located. Then they offered free samples or had a grand opening sale. If people liked what the business had to offer, even if they didn't buy anything the first time they visited, they came back.

Just like that local off-line business you have to find people to visit your site and give them a sample of what you have to offer. The big difference between the off-line business and your online business is that most people will remember where the off-line business is located but they won't remember your site's web address. It's because of that difference you have to get their email information.

Now many of you have seen my home page with it's content and small signup box and are thinking, "her page isn't designed like a capture page." Your right. I did that page more than 3 years ago and have been trying to redo it in my spare time - something I never seem to have.

It's because my home page is not a capture page that I don't promote it.
Where do I send people when I advertise? Well, over the years I've used several different capture pages and the ones I am currently using the most are at: http://www.friendswhocare.us/join.htm, http://www.friendswhocare.us/articlewriting/index.htm and http://www.friendswhocare.us/webdesign/content/page1.htm. I have had others that were more simple and more effective but these are the ones I choose to use now because even though I get fewer signups, the signups I get are more interested in what I have to offer.

After seeing some of my capture pages you may have some questions like:

• Where do I advertise these pages?
  Answer: Everywhere, ads, traffic exchanges, giveaways, link exchanges, ad swaps, articles, etc. (And like you, I get more signups from giveaways than anywhere else.)

• Do I make a sale when someone signs up?
  Answer: Not usually but I have had quite a few signup under me in free traffic generating programs.

• Do I make sales to my list?
  Answer: Many of you already know that answer since you've purchased items. And, as my list grows so do my sales and I appreciate every one of them. Thank you.

Now in case you still think that building your list is a secondary activity and advertising a product is still what you want to do, here are the results of an unintentional experiment I've been running over the last 3 years. Your results may be different if you use different offers and means of advertising however the overall picture of what's happening will still be the same.

One of the ways I get traffic to my site is through the use of traffic exchange programs. One of the programs I use allows me to have several pages shown to other users and they all get the same number of visits.

Over the last 3 years I have used this program to show my different capture pages and I have also shown different sales pages and 2 affiliate sites.

From my capture pages I have added several hundred new subscribers.
From my sales pages - not a single sale.
From my affiliate sites - 7 signed up as free affiliates for 1 program but I never made any money and for the pay-to-join affiliate program - no one has signed up. (I've had the pay-to-join affiliate page up the entire 3 years.)

Now obviously I don't send you to my capture pages after you've signed up but how did these same sales pages and affiliate sites to when I told you about them?

I made sales from all the sales pages. The number and amount I made was different for each of them but I always sold at least 10 or more and made anywhere from $65.00 to $170.00. (No, I didn't make $3,943. since I make my offers affordable for almost everyone and have a small list.)
As for the 2 affiliate programs I offered, I only got 6 to sign up under me in the free program however they all upgraded and became paying members. And in the last 6 months 4 have signed up under me in the pay-to-join program.

To grow your business you have to grow your list.

To grow your list you have to:

1. Market it through the use of capture pages.
2. Send ALL your traffic to 1 of your capture pages.If a capture page doesn't work, modify it until you find 1 that does.
3. Use as many ways to advertise your capture pages as you have time and can afford.

Remember, you have to promote yourself and your list to those who don't know you and you promote your products, services and affiliate programs to those who do.

To Your Success,
Susan

Do You Know Which Way "Up" Is?

I guess I am just getting too old for all this new internet marketing technology because now I don't even know the difference between "up" and "down".

Maybe you can help me out.

Over the last couple of days I've been getting a lot of sales pitches telling me about a product where the starting price was only $.10 and was raised by a dime every time someone bought it.

Well I finally got curious enough to check it out and discovered I had to give them my mailing info to read about this product.

Did that and then read the sales page with the "it's never going to be lower than it is right now" price of $6.80.

Now I didn't want the product for reasons I'll explain in a minute but left the page open while I went off to do some other things.

A couple of hours later I went back to the sales page and did a refresh. (They said not to do that because my locked in price would be gone and I'd have to pay the new "it's never going to be lower than it is right now" amount of $7.10.

Well, they weren't making a ton of money but they did earn 30 cents in 2 hours.

Now here's where I started getting confused about up and down ...

This morning I got an email thanking me for checking out the product and reminding me that if I hadn't purchased the product yet, "The price is going up by the sale, and it's never goingto be lower than it is right now ..."

Being curious about how sales were going, I clicked the link and found the new price of ...$4.80.

Now I have a BA in math and thought I knew how to add. So someone please tell me - did they change the rules of addition when I wasn't looking?

No?

Then how come $4.80 is higher than $7.10?

Figuring there's a good reason $4.80 is higher than $7.10 I assumed it had to do with how I got to the page with the price. (like different sellers) So I went back to last night's page, re-entered my mailing info and saw that page's new "it's never going to be lower than it is right now" amount of $4.80.

I guess I am just too old to understand which way "up" is but if you do - please help me out.

I hope you got a chuckle out of the above true story and learned something but even if you didn't there's a lesson to be learned in why I didn't buy the above product.

The product was for some pre-built web pages that were already earning the owner an income. And the sales page asked if you wanted to learn how to earn money while doing nothing.
There was proof of income and the owner was selling exact copies of 3 of these income producing sites.

Imagine, not having to pick a niche, not having to select keywords, not having to get content, not having to optimize for the search engines and not having to build the page and being able to earn income just by putting a copy of his pages on your site.

Sound too good to be true?

Well it is.

Sure his pages may be making him some money and he's getting his traffic from the search engines but what's going to happen when there are 68, 71 or 48 exact copies of his pages? They can't all be in the top 10, 20, 30 or even 40 sites listed for a search.

The truth is, we're all lazy and would like to make money without working and there are a lot of places that offer you the opportunity to do just that.

But remember, when something sounds to good to be true - it probably is. And whether the price is going up, down or staying constant, buying into a false promise at any price is too expensive.

To Your Success,
Susan

Boy, Did I Feel Dumb!

This is a true story and please don't laugh too hard because it'll hurt my feelings. But a good chuckle is OK.

A couple of nights ago I stayed up way past my bedtime to answer some subscribers' question. (Yes, I do it myself and no one but me sees your messages.)

One of the questions sent was - "What should my USP be?"

I stared at this question for several minutes - not trying to come up with a good answer. But rather, trying to figure out what the question was.

In my defense, it had been 21 hours since I'd gotten any sleep and several body parts were telling me I should lay down. But did I listen? No, I wanted to get that 1 last question answered.

So, I stared at this question wondering what the heck was a USP.

I finally gave up and replied with the question - "What's a USP?"

Boy, did I feel dumb when the sender replied with - "Unique Selling Position."

So today you get 2 tips for the price of 1.

Tip Number 1: When you're too tired to work your business properly, go to bed.

Tip Number 2: What your Unique Selling Position should be:

First let me tell you what your USP is not:

• It's not your logo
• It's not your slogan or branding phrase
• It's not you trying to please everyone everywhere
• It's not you modeling your business the way someone else did.

So if your USP is not all of the above - what is it?

Your Unique Selling Position should be what makes you different from all your competition.

And as simple as the phrase sounds, it's 1 of the hardest things most internet markets have to define.

Here are some things to help you find your USP:

1. Have those who know you best list your best qualities like: good sense of humor, explains things well or knows a lot of trivia, etc. Incorporate 1 or more of these qualities into your business.
2. Have everyone who is involved in your business write down every reason someone would want to do business with you and then remove all the reasons that are true for your competition

What's left is what makes your Unique Selling Position.

Here's an example of what I mean:

Last night I was investigating the "pixel advertising" craze and visited at least 25 or more sites that offer it. Of all those sites, only 2 stick in my mind as sites I would revisit if I was in their targeted niche, "pixel advertising" and here's why:

• Both sites had a well defined primary niche that wasn't "pixel advertising":1 site was for people who like crossword puzzles and the other was for teens.
• Both sites had incorporated this secondary niche in a unique manner that screamed - "Buy an ad." (The crossword puzzle site had made a crossword puzzle on the pixel ad grid and letters were uncovered as you clicked on the different ads. The teen site had reduced the size of the pixel grid so that it appeared next to their site's secondary headline like a picture.)
• By incorporating their secondary niche with the first in a unique way, they had a definite USP for "pixel advertising" and that's what I was searching for.

While I can't tell you how well these 2 sites defined the USP for their primary niche, I can tell you they did a fantastic job for their second and it's one that makes money. They sell a lot of pixels.

The bottom line is:

To define your USP you must know your business, know what your customers want and know yourself. After you combine all this information and remove what your competition has to offer, you'll have created your own Unique Selling Position.

To Your Success,
Susan

Oops - Lost Another One

Have you wanted to check out a site and seen

"Page Not Found" (also known as the 404 error page)?

Bet you didn't sign-up, buy anything or bookmark it for future reference.

In fact, every time a "Page Not Found" error comes up on someone's screen, the owner of those sites should say - "Oops, I lost another one ... and it's my fault"

Sure, when your page comes up not everyone will take you up on your fantastic offer. But if they see the famous "Page Not Found" error page - you don't even have a chance to present your offer.

But ...

You can fix ALL the possibilities of having a 404 error displayed on your site easily and here's how.

1. Go into the root directory for your site and see if you have a file named ".htaccess" If you don't, you need one. If you do, you need to edit it.

2. Go to http://www.htaccesstools.com/error-document/

3. Place the url of the page you would like your visitor to see instead of the 404 error page in the box under "404 - Not Found"

4. Click the "Create .httaccess file" button and copy the code.

5. If you already have a .htaccess file in your root directory you can simply edit it, paste the code into it and save. You're done
   

6. If you don't have a .htaccess file then open your favorite text editor and paste the code into it.

7. How you save the file correctly is very important.
   
   * The file name is ".htaccess" - don't include the " but
   do include the . (period) in front of the h
   
   * You have to select "all file types" from the menu of types
   allowed in the save box that came up
   
   * You do not add any extension type to the file name - in
   other words - there is not . (period) after the file name with
   any extension type like txt or doc.




8. Upload the file you just created into your root directory

The page you choose to redirect to for the "Page Not Found" error can by any page you chose. It can be a page on your site. It can be another site. It can be an affiliate link.

After you've defined where your 404 page will send your visitors you'll know they won't see any of those error pages on your site again and they only time they might get to one is if you've redirected them to a non-existing page on someone else's site.

To Your Success,
Susan

PS To see the page I created for those nasty 404 error pages go to:
http://www.friendswhocare.us/notfound.html and look at the actual url in the address bar.

I Love My Job

Have you ever seen 1 of those plaques in a tourist shop that stated something like -

" A bad day fishing is better than a good day at work."

(If you're not a fisherman you can use whatever your favorite hobby is.)

Now I always got a chuckle out of those silly plaques but never bought one. Instead, I bought a coffee cup for my coffee cup collection and it said -

"I love my job."
"I love my job."
" I love my job."
" I need the money."

Now why do you suppose people buy things that make fun of their job?

While I can't speak for everyone I know I got mine because there were days when I didn't want to go to work. I worked at a place that was casual and most everyone was nice. I had good bosses and I liked what I did. But still, there were days when I just didn't want to go to work.

But now I have an online business and according to all the "gurus" I can work my own hours, work in my pajamas and make lots of money while I'm asleep.

And it's sorta true.

I do set my own hours although there's never enough of them.

I have worked in my pajamas with the curtains closed so no one would see me.

I've even made some money while I slept.

But you know what?

There are still days when I don't want to go to work - even though I can work my own hours, dress however I want, have a great boss (me), like everyone I work with (you) and enjoy what I do.

So what's wrong with me?

The same thing that's wrong with you.

We're all human and we have "off" days (sometimes 2 or 3 of them.)

Even if you truly like your online business you will occasionally have days when you just don't want to do anything. These types of days are usually caused by:

• Stress - You need to do some non-business related work and you've been putting it off. It's hard to concentrate on a sales page when you need to balance your checkbook or file your taxes. Take the time to relieve your stress and do the task you've been putting off.
  
• Burn Out - You've been working your business every minute you could and haven't taken any time to enjoy your life. To quote from a wise fellow internet marketer, "Internet marketing is what you and I do but it is not your life." Take some time for yourself and your family.
  
• Frustration - You've done a lot of work and it seems like it's never going to get finished or you finished but didn't get the expected results. This is a hard one because there's no one good solution. If you can find help to get finished or rework your project - get it. If you can't get any help then step back from your project, break it into small, manageable pieces and tackle one piece at a time. As you finish each piece, reward yourself with something.
  
• Depression - Everyone gets depressed for lots of different reasons so this is another hard one. If you know what's causing your depression you have a better chance of getting over it. If you don't know what's causing it and it lasts a long time you may need to see a doctor. (No, I won't define a long time because I am not a doctor.)
  
• Loneliness - You work your business alone and don't talk about it to anyone. This is one of the biggest reasons many quit their online business. You need to talk to someone. If you don't have any family or friends to talk to then join some forums or find some others with online businesses and communicate online.

Being motivated every day at your job or online business is hard. Fortunately, with your online business you have some control over what you can do to help you get motivated again.

To Your Success,
Susan

PS By the way, I am not an exercise fanatic but do recommend that you get some exercise every day. Taking some time to keep your muscles in shape and your blood circulating will help you both physically and mentally. And the great thing about exercise is that you can actually accomplish something beneficial to both you and your environment. You can:

• Take a walk outdoors and carry a liter bag.
  
• Jog or bicycle to run errands close to home or visit friends who live close by. Why pollute the air by driving 3 blocks to the mailbox when you don't have to?
  
• Mow the grass or shovel snow when necessary. (Just be careful to not overdo it.)
  
• Offer to help a neighbor who has difficulty doing their yard work or putting out the trash. (This will make them feel better too and you might find someone to talk to.)
  
• Become an adult leader for a youth group - scouts, baseball, basketball, etc. (This will take away some of your time and you can't eat as much as they do but it's very rewarding in addition to being a physical challenge.)
  
• There are many other ways to get some daily exercise so exercise your mind and find one. (And trips to the refrigerator don't count.)
  
  
  
  

Do You Know Who's On Your List?

Since many subscribers say selling to their own list is the hardest part of internet marketing let me ask you:

Do you know who is on your list?

No, I don't mean their names and email addresses.

I mean the types of people on your list.

Basically there are 4 types of people on your list:

1. Those who will never buy or join anything you offer. They don't even take your freebies.
2. Those who never buy but do take some of your free products.
3. Those who buy your primary product.
4. Those who don't buy your primary product but will purchase other things if the "right" offer is presented.

So how do you use this knowledge about your subscribers?

1. Don't worry about group 1. This group is of no value to your business because if they don't ever buy from you they probably won't buy from any of your paid advertisers either. It's because of this group that many online publishers clean their list regularly.
   
2. For group 2 to be of value you must periodically give some form of viral product away. Make sure it's something of value and it's branded with your information. Then, hopefully, some of those in this group will share your free product and help you with your viral marketing efforts.
   
3. Groups 3 and 4 are where you want to focus most of your effort. You need to send them additional offers on a regular basis.
   
   The offers you send them should primarily be for products and services related to why they joined your list. You can surprise them occasionally with offers aimed at a different target market but don't do it too often and don't expect too many sales.
   
   If sales are still slow in coming from these 2 groups you should investigate and find out what types of products they are looking for and you should start testing different ads, sales letters and product prices. While selling to these groups may not be "rocket science," it's not always as easy as everyone claims it is either.

Many beginning online marketers think they will make enough income by selling 1 product or service to their own list. While this is always possible it is highly improbable.

Instead, you've got to keep growing your list and market additional products and services. After you've mastered the art of selling to your own list you're ready to venture into the other many ways of growing your business.

To Your Success,
Susan

10 Reasons Why People Don't Buy

Last week I asked what you thought was the hardest part of having an online business and 50% stated that converting visitors and subscribers to customers was the hardest.

Let's assume you've got a quality site, a quality product, targeted traffic, a list and a good sales page. But you're not getting many sales and you want to know why - right?

So today we'll cover the 10 most common reasons people don't buy.

1. You're not getting the target market your aiming for.
2. When people visit your site or read your ezine they are looking for free info and not planning to buy anything.
3. You are trying to sell something your visitors and readers need but don't necessarily want.
4. You don't make your product offer enough times.
5. Your price is either out of their budget or so low they doubt the quality of the product.
6. Your sales page may not be as good as you think it is.
7. Your conversion rate isn't bad - you just don't get very much targeted traffic.
8. Your buying process is either obscure or too complicated.
9. You're advertising your sales page and not your ezine.
10. You're too soft sell.

Which of these apply to your business?

That's what you have to find out and here are some pointers.

1. Do some research.
   * Find out if your readers are the target market for your products.
   * Find out what your readers want - not need.
   * Find out how much traffic you're getting.
   * Find out where your traffic is coming from.
   * Find out if people actually buy what your selling online.
   
2. Do some testing.
   * Try changing your sales page.
   * Try different prices.Ask someone in your targeted market to read your sales page and ads. Then ask them if it made them do what you wanted them to do. If it didn't, find out why not.
   
3. Count how many times you've offered your product to your readers. If you offer it once, that's not enough. If you've offered it multiple times, review items 1, 2 & 3 above.
   
4. Find out if you're too nice. Examine what you give away for free and what you are trying to sell.Remember, your site visitors and ezine readers think they already have everything they need.

To sell your product you have to put it in front of them where they can see it, it's attractive, it captures their attention and it sounds like something they want. Then tell them what to do and make it easy for them to make the purchase.

Maybe they won't buy it the first time you offer ... but if you offer it a few more times and keep pointing out how they will benefit from having it, you should make some sales.

To Your Success,
Susan

Where Are You Sending Your Traffic?

One of the many things you learn when you have your online business is that you are always learning new things. And, believe it or not, even the experts read info products written by others to discover new techniques to increase their profits. (OK, some of them have others reviewing the products and they just read the summary for new ideas.)

Now I am like you, getting new things and reviewing them myself. And 1 of the things I did a few months ago was join a brand new program to learn some techniques for getting traffic through writing.

Today I want to share 1 of the first lessons given in this program. Unfortunately I can't give you the entire 13 PDF report or copy it into the newsletter ... But ... I can give you a summary of what it teaches.

1 of the first surprises in this report is the sad fact that most people who write articles and submit them to article directories and ezine publishers to get traffic to their site aren't getting very much traffic from all this effort.

Why?

Because they aren't doing it right.

No, the report isn't selling a tool to send your article to a gazillion directories or ezines. Instead, it tells you how to increase traffic with the articles you write no matter how many or how you submit them.

Within the report there are 7 steps to drive traffic to your site by using content. Today we are going to briefly cover 6 of those steps.

1. Determine your goal.
   Most people write articles to get traffic to their site but that's not the goal of the successful online marketers. They don't want more site visitors - they want more names on their mailing lists. They may need more site visitors to get more names BUT getting more "leads" is what they really want. So here's the real goal for submitting your article:
   
   Create and publish content that will get targeted prospects to join your mailing list.
   
   
2. Set up a list management system - better know as an autoresponder system.
   The report suggest you have 2 lists: 1 for subscribers and 1 for publishers who use your articles.
   
   
3. Capture email address of the readers.
   Because this is why you submitted your article you need to know the best technique for getting readers to join your list.
   
   And the technique is - Provide additional information on your site.Here are some ways to get readers to visit:
   
   * Provide references to your content or ebook in the article.
   * Only submit part of the article and have them read the rest on your site.
   * Tell them they can get additional information about the topic of the article with a link to your site in your bio that's included with your article.
   
   
4. Use curiosity.
   The link you include should not point directly to the additional information. Instead it should point to a "squeeze" or "capture" page. (You know, a page that promotes the additional free information and allows them to read it after they've entered their email information.) In addition to the free information, you may even want to add an additional incentive like a free gift if they sign up.
   
   
5. Spice up your bio that's included with the article.
   Because everybody and their brother is an expert on your topic and they all have the best whatever it is your promoting don't copy their bios for your own.Be different. Add some humor, offer a free gift relevant to the article or say something that will peak the readers curiosity. Your bio is your little ad to get targeted visitors to your site.
   
   
6. Use the same resources over and over again.Create several subscriber "squeeze" or "capture" pages and use them over and over again as you write more articles. (You can see 1 of my bios at the end of this article. By the way, if you sign up for the report you'll get 3 unadvertised bonuses on the Thank You page - even if you don't confirm your subscription! Of course you won't get the report unless you confirm and that's what you signed up to get.)

Writing content to drive traffic to your site is hard enough so if you're going to do it, do it in such a way that you get as many targeted prospects to join your list as possible.

To Your Success,
Susan

PS Today's tip comes from 1 of the resources made available at:
TrafficWriting.com where Kevin Bidwell teaches how to
"Get Read and Get Paid."

Is Your Headline Working?

To make money on the internet you have to sell something.

To sell something you have to have people read either your sales page, you ad or both.

Your sales page headline and your email subject line are responsible for getting 75%, 85% or maybe even up to 95% of you copy read.

So what makes a good headline?

You have to use some psychology and use words that will grab the attention of your reader. Words like: Discover, Secret, Reveal, Save, ...

You have to use some psychology and make a statement that offers them something they think they "need" to know.

You have to use some psychology to get them emotionally involved.

You have to be truthful because once they start reading your sales copy they won't stay around if your sales copy doesn't stand behind the headline. (The one exception to this is when use a "stupid" headline and then explain, up-front, that you were just getting their attention. This sometimes works but not always.)

Because there's a lot of information about what make a good headline, let me tell you a few of the things that make a bad headline.

1. Using the word "Buy." - No one is looking for a way to spend money so don't send them away by telling them to "Buy the Best ..."
2. "Let Me Tell You" - No one wants anyone to tell them anything. They may want you to reveal or share information - but they don't want you to "Tell" them.
3. The word "Things" is much to broad. Be more specific when your write your headline and tell us what those "things" are. Are they secrets, ways to do something, tips, tactics, etc. ?

I once wrote an example headline with no product or sales page. And even though I explained it was just an example of how to get someone's attention, I had readers write and say the headline took them to a page not found.

Here's the example I wrote:

"Shhhhhhhh .... Want To Know A Secret?"

Remember, when you write your headline write something that would make you want to read it. If you can't get your own attention then it's doubtful you'll get anyone else's.

To Your Success,
Susan

PS Need some help writing a good headline?
Check out "Advertising Headline Templates That Make You Rich" because it may be exactly what you need.

4 Easy Ways To Improve Your Response Rate

If you've been studying online marketing for awhile you're familiar with the term 'AIDA' since it's the standard formula for creating a sales or signup page.

But just in case you're not here's what it stands for:

1. Grab the reader's Attention.
2. Get the reader's Interest.
3. Create a Desire for your product or service.
4. Call for Action. (Tell your reader what to do.)

So you write a catchy headline and try to use 1 or more of the latest 'buzz' words.

Then you write something you hope will get the reader's interest and describe the 'benefits' of your offer.

And of course you've put a signup form or a payment link on your site.

But ...

Nothing's happening. No sales - No signups.

Well the first thing you have to check is to make sure you've got some traffic to your site.

Ok, you've got some decent traffic so what's the problem?

There are lots of possibilities and I am going to list 4 of the biggies.

1. Your page loads so slow people don't stick around to read it.
   
   True, a lot of people have fast connections but they've also gotten used to fast loading web pages so your landing page needs to come up quickly. Because my homepage takes too long to load, I've created several fast loading pages to promote my site and newsletter and you should consider doing the same.
   
   If you don't want to create smaller landing pages you can also divide your page into sections by using tables. Have the top portion of your page in 1 table so it will come up quickly and give the reader something to read while the rest of your page loads.
   
   
2. Your site is hard to read.
   
   When you're picking the colors and fonts for your site make sure you pick ones that are 'easy on the eyes' and show up well on the monitor.
   
   You should also write short paragraphs with empty space between them.
   
   And one of most effective things you can do is create bullet or numbered lists. Be sure to put some space between the bullet items and if the list is really long you should alternate either the color or bold style of the list items. (Changing fonts or font size is not recommended.)
   
   
3. Your page requires special software to be seen or heard.
   
   Now maybe you've got all the extra downloadable software to make all your banners, ad boxes, audio and video work but a lot of people don't. In fact, I'm one of them.
   
   Almost every day I come across sites that tell me I need to download something to see or hear a page properly. While I know how to download these things, a lot of people don't.
   
   So if you've got something on your page that requires special software make sure the software is easily attainable, free and most visitors already have it.Don't rely on the part of your page that requires extra software to do most of your selling because a lot of visitors will never see or hear it.
   
   
4. Your page is full of extra clutter.
   
   In your attempt to build a list you've created a signup form. Then you wanted to add content so you did. Next you need to sell something so you've put up a few ads. You need traffic so you've added several banner exchange banners to your page. And lastly, you've added a popup.
   
   With all these things going for you, your visitors will surely find something to click on. Right?
   
   Wrong. You've given them too many things to click on. Now when they see your sight it looks like a flashing sign that says "I'm new at this and trying anything that will get your attention."
   
   Remember the other marketing acronym - KISS. (Keep It Simple, Smarty!)
   
   Ok, I changed the last word but you get the point.
   
   Don't clutter your page with so many things your visitor is overwhelmed with choices. Focus on 1 thing.
   
   Sure, your homepage may be a content page with a signup form and some ads. But what's it's focus?
   
   If it's the content then that's what fills most of the page and the other things are smaller and unobtrusive.
   
   If it's primarily a signup page then the content is promoting your mailings and the signup box is bigger and included in or at the end of the content. Any ads on the page are smaller and unobtrusive.
   
   Now I don't use banner exchanges but know the banners have to be shown for you to get credit. Rather than have several on you home page, use 1 at the bottom and maybe 1 at the top of your main page. To get exposure for your other banner exchange programs, try splitting your main page or creating some other page that most visitors will visit and then you can place 1 or 2 more on that page as well. (You could create a text link that promotes free traffic and points to your page full of banner exchange banners along with some words saying that by joining these programs they can get more traffic for their site.)

There are other things that can cause your response rate to be less than acceptable so you should be testing different headlines, wording, formatting, etc. while you're making sure you're not committing 1 of the above biggies.

Creating a page that performs well doesn't mean you have to use a lot of images, make it unique with unusual fonts and colors, use all the latest technical gadgets or promote everything you've joined.

If your landing pages are simple; fast loading, easy to read, readable by everyone and focused on 1 thing, you're on the right path to getting a good response rate.

To Your Success,
Susan