Video holds a strong attraction for consumers and if properly adopted in email marketing has the potential to make your business one of the most talked-about and profitable on the web, simply through embracing people's desires to share and be entertained. For proof that consumers want to watch entertaining marketing videos, you need only take a look at the array of advertisements, viral videos, how-to guides and other video shorts hosted on sites such as YouTube.
The question is: how to spread the word? Starting with your own consumers in an email marketing campaign is the most logical step because:
They've already invested in your brand and are more likely to be receptive towards your message
The video will have the most value to them, especially if it has informative brand, service or product content related to their interests and past purchases
They will have friends in their address book who might want to watch the video too, provided the content is strong enough
Two common ways of including video in email are to either embed the video within the body of the message using code or to attach it as a separate file that recipients can download and open at their convenience.
So why aren't more companies using video and email marketing?
The thought of an email marketing campaign with video that displays and plays the moment it's opened is a tantalising one. That's because, to be frank, copy and images alone don't jump off the screen in the same way video with its visual, audio and textual elements combined does. Some companies have even reported increases in 'click-through' rates (leading to more sales conversions) of up to 50% after adopting an 'email and video' approach.
However, the reality is most emails with video embedded or sent as file attachments won't display in email clients and desktop applications. This is usually for one of several reasons:
Spam filters redirect the email to the junk folder or block it completely because they suspect the attachment / code of being a virus
Slow user connection speeds and / or large file sizes prevent users from playing the video in the email
The video player is not supported by the email client or desktop application and fails to load
...and these are just the technical hurdles your email faces; consider for a moment how your audience might react.
Some will be pleased with the video, others will hate it, either because they can't open the email for the technical reasons stated above or because it upsets the consistency of your previous email marketing campaigns (especially if you don't indicate the presence of a video in the subject line or in prior emails). If these upsets occur too frequently, subscribers will get fed-up and either unsubscribe or stop opening your messages.
Does this mean video in email marketing is off-limits?
Not entirely: the embedded and attached video tactics mentioned above are just two out of a possible three. What we haven't mentioned is linking to videos hosted on your site - a safer option that allows your subscribers to view the video at another location without unexpectedly crashing their computers.
By sending an email with a link to the video, they can decide whether to follow the link or not, depending on if they think it is relevant to them and if their connection speed can support it (you could host multiple versions of the video in different sizes to make it as inclusive as possible). This approach keeps the email's file size down, has greater success with spam filters, provides you with a useful metric i.e. how many people have watched the video - and takes subscribers needs and expectations into consideration.
Tip: To improve the search rankings and number of site impressions you receive, it's preferable to host videos on your own site instead of external locations like YouTube. That way any links and traffic the video inspires will be directed to your domain, boosting your rankings.
Best practice tips to get people visiting your video
Here are several easy-to-follow tips that will help promote interest in your email marketing campaign and accompanying video:
Capture subscribers' attention by mentioning the video in the email's subject line; write something intriguing to get the highest open-rate e.g. 'Video Exclusive: How to Interest Subscribers'
To generate further interest once subscribers have opened the email, place image stills from the video prominently in the body. Pick the ones that you feel are boldest and represent the video best
To get the highest click-through rate, make it clear you're linking to a video by combining image stills with related video icons like play buttons and computer media player skins, such as the kind seen on YouTube
Ensure maximum click-through to the video landing page by including hyperlinks on the image stills and a text link to the video beneath it
Make the call to action in the text link unambiguous: 'Click here to be taken to the 'How To Interest Subscribers' video tutorial'
It's possible that some of your contacts' email clients might have images automatically disabled, in which case the image stills will not display. That's why it's important for you to have the text link beneath the image as it provides subscribers with an alternative route to the landing page. As an additional tip:
Adjust the HTML alt tag for the video to provide a description of the image e.g. 'Image Still from Video Tutorial'. That way, if the image fails to load when the email arrives, recipients will know there is supposed to be one displaying and will click the option to 'load images'
Encouraging recipients to share your video
Making a video is easy - making a video subscribers want to share because it's entertaining, informative and relevant is more difficult. Decide on the creative elements that will bring the best result for your video and use these final, additional tips on how to get people sharing it:
People take pride in being the first to know about something big; if your video has viral potential i.e. people are going to want to share it - reinforce the unique position your subscribers are in with flattering copy and clear calls to action e.g. 'Want your friends to be in on the action? Send them an invite / Forward this video to a friend'
Make it as quick as possible for subscribers to forward emails by creating an email template that includes the link and explains why it's been forwarded; include an information field for their friend's names and email addresses on the landing page. Once the names and addresses have been entered, users should be able to click 'send' and expect a fully-working email to deliver on their behalf
Establish credibility (and increase the likelihood of high open-rates) by making sure the email subject line communicates the content clearly and the 'from' name reads as your company
If subscribers enter their friends' first names in the landing page data field, use mail merge to include it in the opening 'Dear...,' which will help build trust
Go one step further towards creating credibility by taking the first name of the person who wants to forward the mail in the data entry field as well. Use mail merge to have it insert automatically in the subject line e.g. 'Daniel Wants To Share This Video With You'
Increase video exposure by supplying a URL and HTML embedding code next to the video, allowing viewers to post the video on their own website or blog
Follow these simple best-practices and you will see an increase in the number of people opting into your email marketing campaigns: that's more qualified leads for you to send campaigns to and turn into loyal customers.
Not only will this grow your email marketing list organically, the resulting inbound links and traffic to your site should see it rise higher in the search engine rankings, meaning a sustained increase in the number of sign-ups you see long after the video has been launched. Embrace your subscribers' desire to be entertained and share with their friends, and create more new sales leads for yourself by combining email marketing with linked video.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Does Your List Hate You?
I began the journey of online home business and the acquisition of ready made websites was surely the vehicle for achieving the successes of the elite.
Or so I thought.
Online marketing techniques and how to be skillful in marketing products are not initially explained when a beginner first enters the "be your own boss and earn truckloads of cash" compendium and competes in the major league economics of the cyber space communities.
Online marketing may be compared to a sporting tournament and is simply this; your playing the game against the experienced professionals with inner circle tactics and enlightened physical and technological tracking senses.
To work smarter and not harder in life is valid; working smarter has connotations of education in market research and understanding of human behavior in order to sell products online. Customer focus is paramount in the planning and operational techniques to internet marketing mastery with much attention to sales products via email. Who is the market for the products of the successful and usually rich. Is it the beginner affiliate or the just the buyers or are they one and the same?
I cannot count the number of rags to riches under the radar successes broadcasts via email campaigns to my in box. Can it be believed that people suddenly appear from no where , on their own, from their own efforts can and do publish extra-ordinary Clickbank profit printouts. The conclusion is the once disguised success story was not an enigma there has to be a teacher/mentor or high profile Joint Venture partner. Of course, that is it! now the learning can be begin.
Every apprentice has a master, including apprentices of the online marketing fraternity. What if you are not an indentured apprentice and why does it take no less than 6 months (if your not on your own) up to 2 years and more months for the first dollar to rise from the Clickbank vaults?, How do newbies attain the insight how to propagate oodles of money to their bank account? Easy answer, follow someone who is already making a killing online.
Okay what if you want to follow and may think eBay, Pay Per Click or Multi Level Marketing is not your cup of tea. There are alternatives and is, and always be that even the now, very successful, make money on autopilot super affiliate evolves not from thin air but from the bringer of knowledge, the teacher that shows the students the only way, right way to online success. The beginner 's selection of marketing technique to employ and whom to follow, has important consequences. being;
Money, that a beginner may not recover should a system of their choosing is not right for them. Not to be a tradesman of many but a master of one marketing technique.
The beginner choices are many and with the right influence perhaps a well organized.,structured learning center for new recruits begins online now.
Or so I thought.
Online marketing techniques and how to be skillful in marketing products are not initially explained when a beginner first enters the "be your own boss and earn truckloads of cash" compendium and competes in the major league economics of the cyber space communities.
Online marketing may be compared to a sporting tournament and is simply this; your playing the game against the experienced professionals with inner circle tactics and enlightened physical and technological tracking senses.
To work smarter and not harder in life is valid; working smarter has connotations of education in market research and understanding of human behavior in order to sell products online. Customer focus is paramount in the planning and operational techniques to internet marketing mastery with much attention to sales products via email. Who is the market for the products of the successful and usually rich. Is it the beginner affiliate or the just the buyers or are they one and the same?
I cannot count the number of rags to riches under the radar successes broadcasts via email campaigns to my in box. Can it be believed that people suddenly appear from no where , on their own, from their own efforts can and do publish extra-ordinary Clickbank profit printouts. The conclusion is the once disguised success story was not an enigma there has to be a teacher/mentor or high profile Joint Venture partner. Of course, that is it! now the learning can be begin.
Every apprentice has a master, including apprentices of the online marketing fraternity. What if you are not an indentured apprentice and why does it take no less than 6 months (if your not on your own) up to 2 years and more months for the first dollar to rise from the Clickbank vaults?, How do newbies attain the insight how to propagate oodles of money to their bank account? Easy answer, follow someone who is already making a killing online.
Okay what if you want to follow and may think eBay, Pay Per Click or Multi Level Marketing is not your cup of tea. There are alternatives and is, and always be that even the now, very successful, make money on autopilot super affiliate evolves not from thin air but from the bringer of knowledge, the teacher that shows the students the only way, right way to online success. The beginner 's selection of marketing technique to employ and whom to follow, has important consequences. being;
Money, that a beginner may not recover should a system of their choosing is not right for them. Not to be a tradesman of many but a master of one marketing technique.
The beginner choices are many and with the right influence perhaps a well organized.,structured learning center for new recruits begins online now.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Small to Medium Sized Businesses
Have you ever wondered why when you click on a search engine and type in a topic why certain sites are on page 1 and others are on page 500? Like so many people trying to succeed on the web, I had no idea. A mentor or mine has recently taught me the key to understanding search engines and how to get your products and services in front of millions of buyers by doing just a bit of work.
Knowing what keywords to use within you web page is the golden ticket to placing yourself at the top of the list with search engines. How segmenting your keyword list with generate the type of "hits" and "sales" to top internet marketers are achieving.
There are 2 types of key words. There are "short tailed" keywords as well as "long tailed" keywords. Knowing the difference between the two will give you the "golden ticket" to the front of the line.
Too many people focus on the short tailed words like cars, motorcycles, or boats. There keyword searches and use are far too general and position themselves in areas of the web where there are 3 or 4 million others. Knowing how to position yourself by using long tailed keywords will place you on search engine pages where the people typing in these keyword phrases are far more motivated to buy.
This is the key to my success! An example of this is such. Don't just use the keyword car parts. Broaden the keywords on you site to include keyword phrases such as 1967 and older car parts for Chevrolet Camaro's. The person who searches the web and types this phrase into a specific search engine is far more concise and motivated. This is who you want to target.
There is one "free" amazing tool on the internet for figuring out how your competition is getting their site to the front line. Pay close attention and I will now show you have you can "poach" off their success and generates huge profits.
Go to a specific search engine and use keywords to find your competition. Copy their URL and go to Google Documents and paste their URL into the specific area provided and you can break down their entire site. By reading their "Meta Tags", you can snatch the keywords from their site that are so appealing to the search engine that is putting them on page 1 for free.
Complete this process for the first 3-4 sites that come up on the page you desire to be on top of and you will have all the keywords you need to implement into your site that will bolt you to the top of the list. Very important! Stay away from the sites at the very top and sides of the page. These sites are spending tons of money a month to be there and they are of no use to you. Focus on non-paid sites only.
I hope this information creates you all a tremendous amount of success.
Knowing what keywords to use within you web page is the golden ticket to placing yourself at the top of the list with search engines. How segmenting your keyword list with generate the type of "hits" and "sales" to top internet marketers are achieving.
There are 2 types of key words. There are "short tailed" keywords as well as "long tailed" keywords. Knowing the difference between the two will give you the "golden ticket" to the front of the line.
Too many people focus on the short tailed words like cars, motorcycles, or boats. There keyword searches and use are far too general and position themselves in areas of the web where there are 3 or 4 million others. Knowing how to position yourself by using long tailed keywords will place you on search engine pages where the people typing in these keyword phrases are far more motivated to buy.
This is the key to my success! An example of this is such. Don't just use the keyword car parts. Broaden the keywords on you site to include keyword phrases such as 1967 and older car parts for Chevrolet Camaro's. The person who searches the web and types this phrase into a specific search engine is far more concise and motivated. This is who you want to target.
There is one "free" amazing tool on the internet for figuring out how your competition is getting their site to the front line. Pay close attention and I will now show you have you can "poach" off their success and generates huge profits.
Go to a specific search engine and use keywords to find your competition. Copy their URL and go to Google Documents and paste their URL into the specific area provided and you can break down their entire site. By reading their "Meta Tags", you can snatch the keywords from their site that are so appealing to the search engine that is putting them on page 1 for free.
Complete this process for the first 3-4 sites that come up on the page you desire to be on top of and you will have all the keywords you need to implement into your site that will bolt you to the top of the list. Very important! Stay away from the sites at the very top and sides of the page. These sites are spending tons of money a month to be there and they are of no use to you. Focus on non-paid sites only.
I hope this information creates you all a tremendous amount of success.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Using Email Lists to Build Your Business
The internet is a powerful tool that brings the world together in ways that no other medium can. No other medium offers the ability for instant feedback like the internet does and no medium offers a company a better chance for real time interaction with their customers than the internet. Part of that instant interaction with customers is the ability to gather email addresses and update customers when things are happening in a real time way. For example, if you were to collect a large email list of customers waiting for your next product release then you could get the hype started for that release by sending out regular updates to that email list and build the anticipation for your new product. It can be said that nothing travels faster than new information on the internet and you can use that to your advantage as you continue to build email lists.
There are many ways you can use to collect email addresses but there are a few things that you need to keep in mind prior to adding an email address to your contact list. First and foremost is the need to get permission to send information to an email address. Always include something in your email sign up form that informs the customer that they will receive update emails from the company once they supply their email address. You can give the customer an option that excludes them from receiving updates and you should honor that request. When a customer requests to be excluded from an email list then any email sent to them can be considered unsolicited and if you continue to send unsolicited emails to a lot of people then you will get labeled as a spammer and that involves the law and losing your ability to send emails. It is in your best interest to get permission to use each and every email address you acquire.
The best way to collect email addresses is to make the email address part of the form required to sign up to get technical support from your company. Of course you need to give the customer the option of not receiving emails from you but if they choose to receive emails then you have the email address of a customer who is already familiar with your product and should be more receptive to product updates and the hype surrounding the release of new products. Word of mouth is the most powerful form of advertising so if you can get your core customers talking about your products because of email updates they get then that can start an internet buzz and that is worth its weight in gold as far as marketing experts are concerned.
There are other forms of collecting emails that can add to your list but may not be as effective as the customers that already have your products. No matter how you add to your email list you are still adding to the amount of people you are sending the word out to and that direct marketing approach is always very powerful. A passive way to collect email addresses is to simply set up a form on your website that allows people to sign up for product updates via email. If you are getting sufficient traffic to your website then this list should be growing on a daily basis. Another great way to add to your email list is to partner with companies that have products complimentary to yours and then put out an internet advertisement allowing people to seek more information about your two products. For example, if your company develops video games then you could partner with a popular video game console maker and announce your newest game and then ask people to submit their email address for future updates.
Email is a direct conduit to an end user and a very valuable way of marketing new products and updates to existing products. As long as you have the address owner's permission to send them emails you have a very positive way of increasing your company's exposure and selling power.
There are many ways you can use to collect email addresses but there are a few things that you need to keep in mind prior to adding an email address to your contact list. First and foremost is the need to get permission to send information to an email address. Always include something in your email sign up form that informs the customer that they will receive update emails from the company once they supply their email address. You can give the customer an option that excludes them from receiving updates and you should honor that request. When a customer requests to be excluded from an email list then any email sent to them can be considered unsolicited and if you continue to send unsolicited emails to a lot of people then you will get labeled as a spammer and that involves the law and losing your ability to send emails. It is in your best interest to get permission to use each and every email address you acquire.
The best way to collect email addresses is to make the email address part of the form required to sign up to get technical support from your company. Of course you need to give the customer the option of not receiving emails from you but if they choose to receive emails then you have the email address of a customer who is already familiar with your product and should be more receptive to product updates and the hype surrounding the release of new products. Word of mouth is the most powerful form of advertising so if you can get your core customers talking about your products because of email updates they get then that can start an internet buzz and that is worth its weight in gold as far as marketing experts are concerned.
There are other forms of collecting emails that can add to your list but may not be as effective as the customers that already have your products. No matter how you add to your email list you are still adding to the amount of people you are sending the word out to and that direct marketing approach is always very powerful. A passive way to collect email addresses is to simply set up a form on your website that allows people to sign up for product updates via email. If you are getting sufficient traffic to your website then this list should be growing on a daily basis. Another great way to add to your email list is to partner with companies that have products complimentary to yours and then put out an internet advertisement allowing people to seek more information about your two products. For example, if your company develops video games then you could partner with a popular video game console maker and announce your newest game and then ask people to submit their email address for future updates.
Email is a direct conduit to an end user and a very valuable way of marketing new products and updates to existing products. As long as you have the address owner's permission to send them emails you have a very positive way of increasing your company's exposure and selling power.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Internet Email Marketing - Quantity Vs Quality
Internet email marketing is all about numbers. The more people you have on your list, the better your conversions will be. Well, that is the myth. The truth is that quality outweighs quantity every time when it comes to email marketing on the Internet. If you have 10,000 untargeted leads on your list, then you are likely to have a very low conversion rate. However if you have 1000 very keen and targeted prospects on your email list, then you are likely to see an excellent conversion rate for every promotion that you send out.
Your optin page is the most crucial aspect of your email marketing campaign; if you can't get people to sign up, then you won't have anyone to promote to. One tip to increase your sign ups is to make sure your optin page or optin form is well laid out, easy to use, and simple for people to sign up. Your form should always appear above the fold of the web page (so people can see it without scrolling down) and that it is highly visible to visitors. You can test a number of different layouts to discover which converts the most number of subscribers.
Finding JV partners to work with can assist your conversions greatly and can also build your list quickly. You can give JV partners content for their subscribers to read that contains information about your site and optin newsletter. Because you are giving free content to your JV partners, they will usually be happy to publish it in exchange for a link to your site or a promotion about your email list.
Email is an extremely powerful form of online marketing and can even take on more importance than your website. A targeted email list is worth its weight in gold and as such, you should spend considerable time not only building your list, but refining the optin process and the actual email campaign.
When it comes to getting the most out of your Internet email marketing campaigns, always put quality before quantity. While it is sometimes feasible to purchase leads for your list, make sure they are highly targeted and interested in what you have to offer or else you are just wasting your business funds.
Your optin page is the most crucial aspect of your email marketing campaign; if you can't get people to sign up, then you won't have anyone to promote to. One tip to increase your sign ups is to make sure your optin page or optin form is well laid out, easy to use, and simple for people to sign up. Your form should always appear above the fold of the web page (so people can see it without scrolling down) and that it is highly visible to visitors. You can test a number of different layouts to discover which converts the most number of subscribers.
Finding JV partners to work with can assist your conversions greatly and can also build your list quickly. You can give JV partners content for their subscribers to read that contains information about your site and optin newsletter. Because you are giving free content to your JV partners, they will usually be happy to publish it in exchange for a link to your site or a promotion about your email list.
Email is an extremely powerful form of online marketing and can even take on more importance than your website. A targeted email list is worth its weight in gold and as such, you should spend considerable time not only building your list, but refining the optin process and the actual email campaign.
When it comes to getting the most out of your Internet email marketing campaigns, always put quality before quantity. While it is sometimes feasible to purchase leads for your list, make sure they are highly targeted and interested in what you have to offer or else you are just wasting your business funds.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Email Marketing Tips For Beginners
Many companies are operating just fine without a website. But to thrive in today's economy, a company must market themselves using email marketing.
Your customers or clients need to hear from you so they know you're still in business. Sending an offer or a discount on your products or services would be a great way to say thank you for their continued business. With prospects, email marketing builds a relationship and greatly improves the chance of them buying or using your services. Research shows it takes 7 to 9 points of contact to ever make a sale and you may never make it to the second point.
The question we often receive is this: "Don't I have to have a website first? How can I use email marketing without a website"?
Email marketing works great without a website. Think of how you do business now. How are your customers buying from you now? Do they call you when they need you again? Or do they stop by your store? Either way, email marketing reminds them of your business and places your phone number or address at their finger tips. When they need you, you are there - in that inbox where people look multiple times a day.
If you have a website, remember that people need to know about it and think of searching for it. With the millions of sites on the internet, how will they find you? If you're not prepared to spend money on a website that pulls internet browsers to you, be proactive by sending emails to them.
Studies show that 86% of people will buy from you again when given a valuable follow-up offer! 86 percent! That number is huge. It costs several times more to get a new client than to keep an old one so it is crucial to build loyalty with your existing customer base. When you have a list of interested prospects, stay in touch with them by sending valuable content to build credibility and trust. Email marketing is the best way to turn prospects into buyers.
One way to increase subscribers to your email list is with a lead capture page. This is a "one-page website" with the sole purpose is to capture one's email address. You advertise an offer such as "50% Off Hair Color; Go to www.phoenixhairsalon.com to get your coupon". A person goes to that site, enters her email address and we email her the coupon. Now we have her email to continue emailing her! Ah ha! This lead capture page is extremely economical to build and maintain because it's only a one-page site, nothing as complicated as a full blown website.
Your customers or clients need to hear from you so they know you're still in business. Sending an offer or a discount on your products or services would be a great way to say thank you for their continued business. With prospects, email marketing builds a relationship and greatly improves the chance of them buying or using your services. Research shows it takes 7 to 9 points of contact to ever make a sale and you may never make it to the second point.
The question we often receive is this: "Don't I have to have a website first? How can I use email marketing without a website"?
Email marketing works great without a website. Think of how you do business now. How are your customers buying from you now? Do they call you when they need you again? Or do they stop by your store? Either way, email marketing reminds them of your business and places your phone number or address at their finger tips. When they need you, you are there - in that inbox where people look multiple times a day.
If you have a website, remember that people need to know about it and think of searching for it. With the millions of sites on the internet, how will they find you? If you're not prepared to spend money on a website that pulls internet browsers to you, be proactive by sending emails to them.
Studies show that 86% of people will buy from you again when given a valuable follow-up offer! 86 percent! That number is huge. It costs several times more to get a new client than to keep an old one so it is crucial to build loyalty with your existing customer base. When you have a list of interested prospects, stay in touch with them by sending valuable content to build credibility and trust. Email marketing is the best way to turn prospects into buyers.
One way to increase subscribers to your email list is with a lead capture page. This is a "one-page website" with the sole purpose is to capture one's email address. You advertise an offer such as "50% Off Hair Color; Go to www.phoenixhairsalon.com to get your coupon". A person goes to that site, enters her email address and we email her the coupon. Now we have her email to continue emailing her! Ah ha! This lead capture page is extremely economical to build and maintain because it's only a one-page site, nothing as complicated as a full blown website.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Public Speaking - 5 Tips For Writing an Engaging Speech
To be considered a great public speaker, you need to start from the beginning: crafting an engaging speech. The task may seem daunting but by breaking it down into small parts, even the most reluctant writer can create an interesting and impressive speech. Some speakers utilize the services of speech writers to ensure the quality of their material; their expertise lies within the delivery of the speech. However, many of us cannot afford that luxury and need to write our own. Follow the following 5 Tips for Writing a Public Speech to get started
Choose a Topic You Care About: The easiest speech to write is one for which you already know and understand the topic. Writing a speech, and then delivering on a topic that doesn't interest you will also likely disinterest your audience. Write about something that interests you, or better, one that you feel passionate about. If you have been assigned a topic, you need to decide what it is that makes you care about that topic and then write about it so that your audience will want to hear about it.
Know Your Audience: Think about the make-up of the audience that will be listening to your speech. There's a difference in how you interact with your professional and social peers; delivering a public speech follows the similar difference in expectation. Age, education and venue are other factors to consider. You want to speak to your audience in an engaging manner, so you must be sure that you are communicating to them in familiar terms.
Combat Writers' Block by Starting with a Bullet List A list of general ideas does not need to have perfect formatting, nor even be typed on a computer. You can write this on the back of a lunch napkin, for all it matters! What does matter is that you have ideas that are relating to or are sub-categories of your main topic/title. If you haven't gotten that far, write down topic ideas, then take those titles and write a list of ideas. Once you have something in writing in front of you, the task will not feel so large.
Start Writing for Each Point Once you have 4-5 ideas written down, pick the one that immediately jumps out at you and start writing. Don't worry about sentence structure, perfect wording or order. You'll have time later to edit, right now you simply want to write. As you write you will likely find yourself swerving towards a line of thought and ideas that hadn't been forthcoming in step 3 are suddenly filling your head. Go with it! It's always easier to remove content and edit for too much length than it is to add more.
Edit & Proofread Read the written draft once, fixing mistakes, wording and sentence problems. You may want to remove entire sections, change their order or add more to a section in order to complete a thought. Then, read it aloud and repeat. Words that appear great on paper often do not "hear" as well to your audience. I recommend repetition of this step at least 3 times. Feel like you're missing something? Have someone else read the draft to ensure you're not lulled into a rhythm that causes you to miss important or difficult.
Choose a Topic You Care About: The easiest speech to write is one for which you already know and understand the topic. Writing a speech, and then delivering on a topic that doesn't interest you will also likely disinterest your audience. Write about something that interests you, or better, one that you feel passionate about. If you have been assigned a topic, you need to decide what it is that makes you care about that topic and then write about it so that your audience will want to hear about it.
Know Your Audience: Think about the make-up of the audience that will be listening to your speech. There's a difference in how you interact with your professional and social peers; delivering a public speech follows the similar difference in expectation. Age, education and venue are other factors to consider. You want to speak to your audience in an engaging manner, so you must be sure that you are communicating to them in familiar terms.
Combat Writers' Block by Starting with a Bullet List A list of general ideas does not need to have perfect formatting, nor even be typed on a computer. You can write this on the back of a lunch napkin, for all it matters! What does matter is that you have ideas that are relating to or are sub-categories of your main topic/title. If you haven't gotten that far, write down topic ideas, then take those titles and write a list of ideas. Once you have something in writing in front of you, the task will not feel so large.
Start Writing for Each Point Once you have 4-5 ideas written down, pick the one that immediately jumps out at you and start writing. Don't worry about sentence structure, perfect wording or order. You'll have time later to edit, right now you simply want to write. As you write you will likely find yourself swerving towards a line of thought and ideas that hadn't been forthcoming in step 3 are suddenly filling your head. Go with it! It's always easier to remove content and edit for too much length than it is to add more.
Edit & Proofread Read the written draft once, fixing mistakes, wording and sentence problems. You may want to remove entire sections, change their order or add more to a section in order to complete a thought. Then, read it aloud and repeat. Words that appear great on paper often do not "hear" as well to your audience. I recommend repetition of this step at least 3 times. Feel like you're missing something? Have someone else read the draft to ensure you're not lulled into a rhythm that causes you to miss important or difficult.
Public Speaking - 5 Tips For Writing an Engaging Speech
To be considered a great public speaker, you need to start from the beginning: crafting an engaging speech. The task may seem daunting but by breaking it down into small parts, even the most reluctant writer can create an interesting and impressive speech. Some speakers utilize the services of speech writers to ensure the quality of their material; their expertise lies within the delivery of the speech. However, many of us cannot afford that luxury and need to write our own. Follow the following 5 Tips for Writing a Public Speech to get started
Choose a Topic You Care About: The easiest speech to write is one for which you already know and understand the topic. Writing a speech, and then delivering on a topic that doesn't interest you will also likely disinterest your audience. Write about something that interests you, or better, one that you feel passionate about. If you have been assigned a topic, you need to decide what it is that makes you care about that topic and then write about it so that your audience will want to hear about it.
Know Your Audience: Think about the make-up of the audience that will be listening to your speech. There's a difference in how you interact with your professional and social peers; delivering a public speech follows the similar difference in expectation. Age, education and venue are other factors to consider. You want to speak to your audience in an engaging manner, so you must be sure that you are communicating to them in familiar terms.
Combat Writers' Block by Starting with a Bullet List A list of general ideas does not need to have perfect formatting, nor even be typed on a computer. You can write this on the back of a lunch napkin, for all it matters! What does matter is that you have ideas that are relating to or are sub-categories of your main topic/title. If you haven't gotten that far, write down topic ideas, then take those titles and write a list of ideas. Once you have something in writing in front of you, the task will not feel so large.
Start Writing for Each Point Once you have 4-5 ideas written down, pick the one that immediately jumps out at you and start writing. Don't worry about sentence structure, perfect wording or order. You'll have time later to edit, right now you simply want to write. As you write you will likely find yourself swerving towards a line of thought and ideas that hadn't been forthcoming in step 3 are suddenly filling your head. Go with it! It's always easier to remove content and edit for too much length than it is to add more.
Edit & Proofread Read the written draft once, fixing mistakes, wording and sentence problems. You may want to remove entire sections, change their order or add more to a section in order to complete a thought. Then, read it aloud and repeat. Words that appear great on paper often do not "hear" as well to your audience. I recommend repetition of this step at least 3 times. Feel like you're missing something? Have someone else read the draft to ensure you're not lulled into a rhythm that causes you to miss important or difficult.
Choose a Topic You Care About: The easiest speech to write is one for which you already know and understand the topic. Writing a speech, and then delivering on a topic that doesn't interest you will also likely disinterest your audience. Write about something that interests you, or better, one that you feel passionate about. If you have been assigned a topic, you need to decide what it is that makes you care about that topic and then write about it so that your audience will want to hear about it.
Know Your Audience: Think about the make-up of the audience that will be listening to your speech. There's a difference in how you interact with your professional and social peers; delivering a public speech follows the similar difference in expectation. Age, education and venue are other factors to consider. You want to speak to your audience in an engaging manner, so you must be sure that you are communicating to them in familiar terms.
Combat Writers' Block by Starting with a Bullet List A list of general ideas does not need to have perfect formatting, nor even be typed on a computer. You can write this on the back of a lunch napkin, for all it matters! What does matter is that you have ideas that are relating to or are sub-categories of your main topic/title. If you haven't gotten that far, write down topic ideas, then take those titles and write a list of ideas. Once you have something in writing in front of you, the task will not feel so large.
Start Writing for Each Point Once you have 4-5 ideas written down, pick the one that immediately jumps out at you and start writing. Don't worry about sentence structure, perfect wording or order. You'll have time later to edit, right now you simply want to write. As you write you will likely find yourself swerving towards a line of thought and ideas that hadn't been forthcoming in step 3 are suddenly filling your head. Go with it! It's always easier to remove content and edit for too much length than it is to add more.
Edit & Proofread Read the written draft once, fixing mistakes, wording and sentence problems. You may want to remove entire sections, change their order or add more to a section in order to complete a thought. Then, read it aloud and repeat. Words that appear great on paper often do not "hear" as well to your audience. I recommend repetition of this step at least 3 times. Feel like you're missing something? Have someone else read the draft to ensure you're not lulled into a rhythm that causes you to miss important or difficult.
Friday, March 6, 2009
Business Opportunities and What Happened to Yahoo?
Not long ago, actually a few years back, I used Yahoo on a daily bases. I preferred them to Google. It just felt all more 'friendly' to me - their home page, people, I watched on TV a story about them...
On my friend's advice I started to use Google here - there. I still preferred Yahoo, though. Especially the simple feature they provided - a single tick in a box to choose Australian sites only for search. It was convenient.
Once I started to get deeper into internet, building website, I immediately recognized the importance of Google.
But what had happened to Yahoo? I still prefer their home page - not sure for how much longer. They got the most annoying way of advertising. And I found it takes them a long time to 'listen'. This had been 'topped up' by the special way of using misleading headlines to grab our attention.
Imagine you click on an article. It is interesting and you have little time in between work. BANG! A side to side banner covers your page. And guess what? You are asked to give a feedback on that ad!
If I want to eat McDonald's I simply stop there when I'm hungry (if that would be my wish). Not to wipe it in front of my face - are they expecting me to get up and buy one? Not in their wildest dreams!
These ads are highly disturbing. We are advised in marketing not to do anything even close to it.
Who did come up with such an idea? They seem to have stopped this after two months or so just to restart it all again! (By the way, I have sent them feedbacks, of course...) Believe me it can really make people feel annoyed...It was very strange - I would not expect this from Yahoo. A puzzle.
But it didn't stop there... I respect and like Nicole Kidman. When I saw an article with a heading "Nicole goes post-op transsexual' - I automatically clicked on it. Did I read what it said? Possibly not.
Once opened the heading was suddenly different "Nicole PLAYS post-op transsexual'. To me there is a difference between to 'go' (to become) or 'to play'.
We all know the keywords and headlines should be relevant to the article. So we don't mislead our readers and search engines with it. Why would someone in a position of Yahoo need to crave for attention? Trying to make it look 'juicy'?
Talking about headlines, to be relevant to the subject, I had no idea how to connect this topic to be relevant for my use while not misleading you about the content. It would be funny to commit the same sin.
By the way I'm talking about Australian site. Was it happening worldwide? I have no idea. And guess what? I still have my Yahoo home page.
To the previous paragraph (I lost my plot...); there are ethical ways of marketing. No need to wipe a flashing banner under anyone's nose. You bet it will make me 'click'. Which direction? Yep. Off that site!
Business opportunities are endless. Trying to reach customers with screaming - yelling advertising does not go well with me. Having technology doesn't necessary mean we have to use it. We are lucky the armed forces are not that eager to show off their latest weapons in a similar manner.
Would you like to establish your own online business? To build successful web sites but you have no idea how? If yes, please, continue reading - it will tell you all you need to know in Business Opportunitie.
Copyright © 2008 Tibor Santa This article may be freely reproduced as long as URLs are active and there are no changes made to text.
Tibor Santa is a publisher living in Australia. His deep interests in Eastern medicine reflected in studies of Japanese Acupressure, practicing Martial Arts, Qi Gong, Yoga, Reiki, and other forms of healing.
On my friend's advice I started to use Google here - there. I still preferred Yahoo, though. Especially the simple feature they provided - a single tick in a box to choose Australian sites only for search. It was convenient.
Once I started to get deeper into internet, building website, I immediately recognized the importance of Google.
But what had happened to Yahoo? I still prefer their home page - not sure for how much longer. They got the most annoying way of advertising. And I found it takes them a long time to 'listen'. This had been 'topped up' by the special way of using misleading headlines to grab our attention.
Imagine you click on an article. It is interesting and you have little time in between work. BANG! A side to side banner covers your page. And guess what? You are asked to give a feedback on that ad!
If I want to eat McDonald's I simply stop there when I'm hungry (if that would be my wish). Not to wipe it in front of my face - are they expecting me to get up and buy one? Not in their wildest dreams!
These ads are highly disturbing. We are advised in marketing not to do anything even close to it.
Who did come up with such an idea? They seem to have stopped this after two months or so just to restart it all again! (By the way, I have sent them feedbacks, of course...) Believe me it can really make people feel annoyed...It was very strange - I would not expect this from Yahoo. A puzzle.
But it didn't stop there... I respect and like Nicole Kidman. When I saw an article with a heading "Nicole goes post-op transsexual' - I automatically clicked on it. Did I read what it said? Possibly not.
Once opened the heading was suddenly different "Nicole PLAYS post-op transsexual'. To me there is a difference between to 'go' (to become) or 'to play'.
We all know the keywords and headlines should be relevant to the article. So we don't mislead our readers and search engines with it. Why would someone in a position of Yahoo need to crave for attention? Trying to make it look 'juicy'?
Talking about headlines, to be relevant to the subject, I had no idea how to connect this topic to be relevant for my use while not misleading you about the content. It would be funny to commit the same sin.
By the way I'm talking about Australian site. Was it happening worldwide? I have no idea. And guess what? I still have my Yahoo home page.
To the previous paragraph (I lost my plot...); there are ethical ways of marketing. No need to wipe a flashing banner under anyone's nose. You bet it will make me 'click'. Which direction? Yep. Off that site!
Business opportunities are endless. Trying to reach customers with screaming - yelling advertising does not go well with me. Having technology doesn't necessary mean we have to use it. We are lucky the armed forces are not that eager to show off their latest weapons in a similar manner.
Would you like to establish your own online business? To build successful web sites but you have no idea how? If yes, please, continue reading - it will tell you all you need to know in Business Opportunitie.
Copyright © 2008 Tibor Santa This article may be freely reproduced as long as URLs are active and there are no changes made to text.
Tibor Santa is a publisher living in Australia. His deep interests in Eastern medicine reflected in studies of Japanese Acupressure, practicing Martial Arts, Qi Gong, Yoga, Reiki, and other forms of healing.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
The Princess Academy
After hearing a number of people recommend Shannon Hale's The Princess Academy, I couldn't resist trying it out myself. I found it to be a delightful read, perfect for children and young adults, and rather engaging even for us 'big people.' More than your average fairy-tale, the novel creates a protagonist that exceeds the usual boundaries.
The premise of the novel is fairy-tale typical. When the priests of Danland determine that the prince's bride will come from the slopes of Mt. Eskel, an academy is set up to permit potential brides to learn the knowledge and manners of the court. Young Miri is one of the twenty girls taken from the quarry-rich village down the mountain. As she learns more about life beyond what she has yet experienced, she finds herself struggling with her desire to marry the prince. She wants to help her family to have a better life, but she also loves her home and does not wish to leave. When bandits capture the school, Miri must use not only her book knowledge but also the knowledge she has gained about herself to rescue herself and her friends.
Although the novel has a fairy-tale premise, Hale goes beyond the simple story and creates three dimensional characters that are both realistic and engaging. The headmistress appears cruel and overly harsh, but by the end of the novel we recognize her motivation. Miri's desire to "marry the prince" and leave he rhumble home is both typical and human, but she also struggles with her love of Mt. Eskel. And though the motivations of one of the more spiteful girls is rather psychologically typical - bad childhood and all that - it is also presented in a credible light that makes it not completely trite.
What I most enjoyed about this novel, however, was the way that Miri uses the knowledge gleaned from the academy not just to acquire a husband, but instead to improve life for her village and her family. Through her studies and desire to read, she finds that the villagers have long been cheated, and uses that information to improve life for all. When she realizes that her older sister and the boys (and even the parents!) also wish to learn, she sets up an academy in her village so all can study. In doing so, she teaches young readers that even children have power to apply what they learn, if they but seek it; that knowledge and study both have real-world applications and can make life better now instead of just 'after graduation.' The young women are empowered by their mind and by exploring and expanding on their natural gifts and talents, and these are the things that really matter.
In short, rather than just being a fairy tale where the prince is astounded by beauty, The Princess Academy encourages young adults - especially young women, who are the most likely target audience - to apply themselves and to seek benefits from that application now rather than later. Between this premise and the engaging and excellent writing style that makes the story live in the reader's mind, this is a book I would recommend to anyone.
The premise of the novel is fairy-tale typical. When the priests of Danland determine that the prince's bride will come from the slopes of Mt. Eskel, an academy is set up to permit potential brides to learn the knowledge and manners of the court. Young Miri is one of the twenty girls taken from the quarry-rich village down the mountain. As she learns more about life beyond what she has yet experienced, she finds herself struggling with her desire to marry the prince. She wants to help her family to have a better life, but she also loves her home and does not wish to leave. When bandits capture the school, Miri must use not only her book knowledge but also the knowledge she has gained about herself to rescue herself and her friends.
Although the novel has a fairy-tale premise, Hale goes beyond the simple story and creates three dimensional characters that are both realistic and engaging. The headmistress appears cruel and overly harsh, but by the end of the novel we recognize her motivation. Miri's desire to "marry the prince" and leave he rhumble home is both typical and human, but she also struggles with her love of Mt. Eskel. And though the motivations of one of the more spiteful girls is rather psychologically typical - bad childhood and all that - it is also presented in a credible light that makes it not completely trite.
What I most enjoyed about this novel, however, was the way that Miri uses the knowledge gleaned from the academy not just to acquire a husband, but instead to improve life for her village and her family. Through her studies and desire to read, she finds that the villagers have long been cheated, and uses that information to improve life for all. When she realizes that her older sister and the boys (and even the parents!) also wish to learn, she sets up an academy in her village so all can study. In doing so, she teaches young readers that even children have power to apply what they learn, if they but seek it; that knowledge and study both have real-world applications and can make life better now instead of just 'after graduation.' The young women are empowered by their mind and by exploring and expanding on their natural gifts and talents, and these are the things that really matter.
In short, rather than just being a fairy tale where the prince is astounded by beauty, The Princess Academy encourages young adults - especially young women, who are the most likely target audience - to apply themselves and to seek benefits from that application now rather than later. Between this premise and the engaging and excellent writing style that makes the story live in the reader's mind, this is a book I would recommend to anyone.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Email Marketing Software Helps You Keep Track of Your Marketing Campaign
For an advertising or marketing campaign to run smoothly and effectively good organization is required; for larger emailing campaigns this usually requires some kind of email marketing software. However, email marketing software has a lot more to offer than you would probably imagine.
Prospect Finder
Finding prospects can be a very time consuming activity. Some email marketing tools allow you to collect targeted email addresses from visitors to your web site. Creating a newsletter for visitors adds value to your site and keeps your company in front of your prospects.
Autoresponders
Responding to your prospective clients with a well-written and partial sales email is vital to winning business and gaining repeated business. Using email-marketing software you can set up autoresponders that will send these emails for you as soon as your visitors or customers complete certain actions, which are predefined by you.
Verify, Verify, Verify.
With modern legislation on spamming it is common practice to verify email addresses; getting prospects to click on a verification link makes them an opt in lead, meaning you can contact them as you will regarding your service or your product. Don't forget, though, you must always offer them the opportunity to stop receiving communication from you.
Removal Service
Once you have your bulk email list up and running and you've been contacting people on a regular basis to forge a good relationship and sell your products you will undoubtedly get emails that become dead links. You should be removing these to save time, effort and space in your email.
Spamming policies mean you should also always offer your prospects the chance to stop receiving your targeted emails. Even though you won't want to let go, sometimes you have to.
Obviously, email marketing software offers you the capability to send targeted emails to everyone on your email lists. That's what this software was originally intended for and what it is most commonly used for to this day. You can organize your prospects into categories and even status. You could run several campaigns at once and your email marketing software will keep track of which prospects belong to which campaign and therefore, send the correct email to them.
Most email marketing software will be able to schedule emails for you, so you could for instance send an email to new prospects that contains a link to your catalogue. After a week you may wish to contact them to answer any questions. This technique will put your company name back in their minds and possibly produce more sales. Or, perhaps you sell a consumable good that most people buy once a month. You can set your email marketing software to contact your customers one month after purchase, perhaps offering them a discount for repeated business.
All of these are genuine ways to use email marketing software. Bearing in mind that some estimate as many as 70% of Internet users from the USA have made purchases on the back of an email marketing campaign, most agree they are useful tools to help your website or business succeed.
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