The Power Publicist

Archive for October, 2009

We’ve all heard how the money is in the list. But to be successful you must not only have a list, but continue growing it.

No matter what you what you need a bigger list for: to get more followers on your blog or to get more people interested in your products or services, you most likely know that building your list can make the difference in your profits.

Some will go out and buy the first email address list they can find and many may not realize that this can be classified as a form of spamming, especially if the names on that list start receiving information that they had not asked for.

This makes creating a list seem like a daunting task, but it’s not as difficult as you may think. And if you’ve been building your list for a while and feel like you’ve hit a plateau, this list should give you some new areas to concentrate on.  After all, there is always more you can do to increase your list.

Here are some simple tips that can help you build the perfect mailing list:

1. Include your opt-in box to the top side menu of each page (above the fold as they say) and include it to your blog too. RSS feed buttons aren’t always used as many people still prefer good ‘old-fashioned’ email. Plus, you get to attract more people by using a call to action, then just the RSS feed button.

2. Advertise your opt-in page in your article bylines. Instead of linking to a general page of your website, link to a highly-relevant opt-in page where they can get more info on the article’s topic.

3. Write a few guest blog posts for some highly trafficked blogs. Make sure you include links to your opt-in page in your post.

4. Don’t forget your signature! Include a promotion for your opt-in page in your signature lines. Think:  the emails you send out in your day-to-day correspondence, forum signatures, etc.

5. Create a video that includes an enticement to sign up for your mailing list. Verbally invite viewers to your opt-in page and include a watermark on the video with a link to your opt-in page. Post the video on your blog and encourage your readers to republish or link to your video. Publish it to YouTube and other video sharing sites and choose targeted keyword placement.

If you want to see one in action, I’ve recently done this myself at http://www.DiscoverEasyListBuilding.com

6. Arrange a free teleseminar or webinar on a hot area in your niche.  Make attendees sign up for access to the call-in details.

7.  Don’t forget press releases. The media often will promote your freebie at no cost, if it is suitable for their audience.

Want to learn more secrets to building your list quickly? Check out http://www.ListBuildingPromotionSecrets.com

If you want to make money in your business, whether online or offline, there’s one thing you need to have: a list.

Without it, your business won’t grow so you need to create subscriber leads. These are leads to people who may be interested in buying your products and services.

You can gather leads automatically by creating your website in a way that requires everyone that visits sign up for your newsletter to give you their email address. While you can’t force anyone to sign up, you can gently encourage him or her to sign up by showing him or her the benefits of doing so.

Let’s review some of the most important steps you need to take to ensure you build a profitable list:

1. Make sure you put up a good landing page. A landing page is the webpage your prospects will land on and see your offer to get them on your list. It should be well-designed and professional looking. If you don’t have any design skills then hire someone to do this for you.

2. Put a web form on your landing page and offer your customers the opportunity to opt-in to your mailing list. Give something away free to encourage them to opt in. Studies are now showing that asking for less information – just an email address – gets more prospects to sign up.

3. Make sure any freebies you give away are of the highest quality, because the subscribers on your list will judge the worthiness of your products and services based on the freebies they get. You want them to think, “Wow! If this person gives this away for free, imagine what I will get when I purchase something!”

4. Include a lot of professionally written content and interesting information for your visitors. Your customers will want to read interesting things and want to look for more than just a sales pitch. Content sites are a great way to build trust and loyalty. You can build a content site jam-packed with articles and helpful information, then link to your sales page from your content site.

5. Make sure you keep your customer’s information private. If you tell your customer’s you will not share his or her personal information, then don’t share it with anyone. You will ruin your reputation, and word spreads fast on the Internet.

6. Take some time to try the product you offer yourself. Make sure it is something you consider worthy of buying. If you are selling a book you wrote, make sure it has mass appeal and will benefit the target audience you plan to market it to.

7. Provide top-notch customer service. This is THE number one way to stay ahead of the game. If your customers are happy and you resolve their questions and complaints, then you will win their loyalty and trust.

8. Reward customers that refer others to you. Show others you appreciate their recommendations to others. Besides affiliate commissions, send cards and added bonuses every so often.

9. A fast response makes prospects happy. Respond to your customer’s complaints or inquiries immediately, with the goal in mind always being to satisfy your customer.

10. Remain truthful and honest in all you do. A customer will sniff out a scam faster than a dog will a bone. Don’t lie, don’t trick and don’t steal. Be honest and be who you are, and you will do well working on the Web and building your opt-in list.

Want more ideas to build your list?

Check out my new free ebook, Secrets to Building a Profitable List and free tips at http://www.discovereasylistbuilding.com/

Press kits aren’t just for large, high-profile businesses. Whatever your size or line of business, whether you are a start-up entrepreneur, a franchise, a broker or a large commercial company, you need a press kit. While many companies adopt aggressive marketing campaigns, when it comes time to address the media’s request for a press kit, also known as a media kit, many are at a loss.

Think of a media kit as a resume for your company. In it is a collection of company information and articles put together to address questions from the media, investors, potential clients and others.

The goal of the press kit is the same as all other marketing that a company does. It should grab the reader’s attention, make a lasting impression and create enough interest that they will contact you for more information.

There are many items that can go into a press or media kit, depending on the situation, the audience or the use. A media kit for potential investors is much different than a kit for potential clients. Although a press kit should be comprehensive, you shouldn’t put every piece of marketing materials you’ve ever created in it.

Only add information that is current and most relevant to your target reader. When targeting media editors, be respectful of their time.

The Key to Getting Noticed

Busy editors sort through piles of press kits each day. Getting your press kit noticed is the key to publication and action! Remember, getting attention is important not only with audiences, but also with editors. Package your materials in a unique way and make sure the materials are presented professionally.

It’s also crucial to follow up to make sure your intended recipient received your press kit. Plus, follow-up calls provide the perfect opportunity for editors to ask questions or schedule an interview. Use this opportunity to build relationships with editors–in fact, doing so will improve your chances of publication or acceptance by your intended audience. But because the distribution of media kits can get a little expensive, you’ve got to make relationship-building a part of your marketing strategy.

The best thing to do right now is to start assembling part of your press kit, based on available materials. Then, add to it as you see fit and develop new materials. You don’t want to create a press kit at the last minute for the editor, investor or potential client who requests one.

The challenge is to put it together on paper, electronically or both. There is a trend now toward online media kits. A lot of these items can be developed for online distribution; it’s just a matter of putting what you already have online or onto letterhead and fact sheets.

Typically, the media kit doesn’t have to be as fancy as people think. Those requesting media kits just want information–not necessarily glitz. See what items you already have and then work on the rest.

With so many marketing techniques out there, why would you choose publicity above others?

People believe publicity. People don’t trust advertising.

By Michele PW, guest contributor

So we’ve been talking about why profit-pulling headlines are so important if you want to make sales. But how do you sit down and start writing them?

Well, here’s a little system I use:

Get a stack of paper, find a couple of pens (I’m partial to gel colored pens) and let’s start brainstorming.

Start by making a list of all the benefits of your product, service or business. (Benefits, not features. Benefits are what your customers will get out of your product.)

Put that sheet of paper aside. Now pick a headline type and write it on top of the paper. For instance, Question headlines. Underneath start writing as many different types of question headlines you can think of. They don’t have to be pretty, they just have to be a question.

Come up with at least 50 of them. Don’t let your brain or pen stop until you do. No matter how painful. If you get stuck, go back and look at your benefits list and pick a different benefit.

I practically guarantee by the time you reach headline number 50, you’ll have written at the very least one pretty darn good headline. You might have even uncovered a brilliant one.

(And if you REALLY want to make sure you got a good headline, go for 100.)

Try this same exercise with all the headline types and see what new ad concepts you uncover.

About the author:

Michele PW (Michele Pariza Wacek) is your Ka-Ching! marketing strategist. She helps entrepreneurs attract more clients, sell more products and services and boost their business. To find out how she can help you take your business to the next level, visit http://www.MichelePW.com.