Darling Online Marketing

5 Reasons Newbie Email Marketers Should Avoid Buying Email Lists

Posted on 18. Nov, 2011 by Darling.

Are you toughing out this economy and trying to inject your business with a sudden influx of sales?

Have you heard that an email list is practically a sure fire way to print your own pay check whenever you want?

Wouldn’t it be great if there was a magic bullet system that you could just plug your business product or service into for a small investment and it would start spitting out dollars?

If you answered yes, yes, and of course then you are prime prey online for bulk email list dealers.   Here are 5 reasons why you should not purchase an email list. 

1.  Permission Marketing and Opting In – The bulk email list dealer will tell you that all of their subscribers opted in.  What they don’t tell you is that they didn’t opt in to receive messages from your specific business.  If a subscriber did not opt in to YOUR list for YOUR product or service, they are not interested in anything YOU have to say.  Sorry… but that’s the cold hard truth and you need to hear it.
    
2. Deliverability– (A little technology lesson) When you send an email to someone, it is sent from the email provider’s web server to the email recipient’s web server.  The web servers have IP addresses.  IP addresses can be blacklisted for sending too many requests or receiving too many SPAM complaints.  IP addresses can simply be blocked by default when dealing with email.  

   If you purchase 100,000 email addresses and send a blast to those people from your web server, it is highly likely that the email message will not even be received by a large percentage of the people on the list.  The remaining ones are likely to report it as spam since they don’t know who the heck you are and don’t care what you have to say. 

   If you message is not even delivered, what do you think your return on your investment for purchasing the list will be?

3. Open Rates – This goes hand in hand a bit with deliverability.  Let’s just imagine your email blast actually makes it to someone’s inbox and doesn’t bounce or get labeled SPAM.  If you have a list that does not consist of targeted subscribers that chose to opt in to YOUR business messages, your subject lines would have to be extremely creative to get someone to actually open up the email and read it.

   If you just spent a few grand on a huge email list from a dealer (a.k.a. data farmer), then you are going to want your message read!  There are standards with email marketing as far as open rates and click through rates go.  Of course they vary greatly depending on your market and how good you are with crafting subject lines.  When purchasing a bulk email list, the chances are almost certain that your open rates will not come close to even the lowest average open rate. 
   

4. Relationships– When buying a bulk email list from a dealer and then sending out a blast asking people to buy your stuff, expect disappointment.  Really.  People are bombarded with marketing messages and you as a marketer of your business products and services must find a way to stand out from all of that noise and Be The Obvious Choice!

   People that have huge lists that talk about being able to practically print themselves a paycheck just by sending out an email blast are not doing it with purchased email lists.  They are doing it with an email list they built from the ground up.  They are doing it with a huge list of people that WANT to hear from them because they have built a relationship with that list of subscribers.

   I know it may seem weird to consider a relationship with an email list but once you do build this relationship with your own list, you will find your open rates increasing, your click through rates increasing, and ultimately, your bank account increasing.
   

5. Money – Do you want to make your money work for you or would you prefer to just throw a couple grand into the dumpster outside?  I believe you would like to make your money work for you.  Buying huge lists from a dealer simply equate to throwing money into the dumpster outside in my opinion.  

   If you have a few grand to do that with, consider other strategies to build your own list.  There are tons of alternatives.  If you get set up correctly, a few grand could easily equate to a few grand of willing subscribers to YOUR list.  People that you would have the opportunity to build a relationship with.  People that would not only see your message in their inbox but actually open it up to hear what you have to say, see what you have to give them today, or learn what you are trying to help them with.  Those very same people will be the ones that contribute to your big payday…. (multiple paydays).

As an SEO Specialist and local online marketing consultant, it is my mission to help small business owners not only get found at the top of search results to increase traffic to your site but to help you grow your customer email list so that you can make a lot more money out of your online marketing efforts now and for a very long time into the future.

Please leave your comments and feedback below on this topic.  

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Aside from SEO, What is the Best Way to Drive Traffic to Your Website?

Posted on 01. Sep, 2011 by Darling.

What?  No, you did not just ask me what to use other than SEO did you?  It’s okay, it makes me smile inside.  SEO or search engine optimization takes time to develop and see sustainable results from.   SEO is just one piece of your online marketing puzzle.  It is a HUGE  piece of the puzzle, so please don’t ignore it. 

But, until all of the optimizing of all of your content on all of your web properties with all of the links pointing to your hub or main website start to get you found in the top 3 of natural search results to Be The Obvious Choice Online for what you do, you will need to find alternatives to driving targeted traffic to your website.

 So, what is the best alternative?  I believe the best traffic generation strategy is through list building and email marketing.  But, for some of you, you may see this as a catch 22 situation.  You need your website to get found so that you can add subscribers, so that you can then send them back to your site. 

There are other ways to go about this though that are often overlooked.  You may not have a really huge list yet and you may not exist anywhere in search for anything that you do.  But, that does not have to stop you. 

In the world or Internet Marketing, we like to build JV partnerships or Joint Venture partnerships to help grow each other’s list and drive traffic to our sites.  These types of partnerships are often overlooked by many small businesses that operate locally.  But this concept can be put to great use just by building on a referral marketing partnership you may already have established in your community.

First, you need to have something awesome to give away.  This is your “foot in the door” offer.  This is something you can give to your new website visitor when they sign up to your email list.

Then, the best situation is to have a dedicated landing page for these new visitors.  On this landing page, you only want your visitor to do one thing.  That is to enter their email address so you can give them that really awesome free gift you have for them.

Identify a good referral marketing partner that has a large email list of potential customers for you.  Of course this is not going to be a direct competitor of yours.  But, if you build websites you may want to form a good relationship with an online marketer.  If you do plumbing, you may want to form a good relationship with a good Realtor. 

The idea here is that your free gift is something that your JV partner or referral marketing partner would be thrilled to give away to his subscribers.  That partner will send out an email letting people know what it is they are giving away and where they can go to get it.  Their subscribers then click through the link in the email to YOUR website page where you can give them the really awesome free thing. 

Now, you are on your way to building a targeted subscriber base that you can drive to your website again and again to communicate with them.  As they see you as the “go to” person for what it is you do, you will get more paying customers.

There are some people with such huge lists that just don’t worry about SEO or search engine optimization.  When you have a list upwards of 20,000 to 30,000 subscribers, you will see that it really is the best thing for driving traffic to your website, making an offer, and literally printing yourself a paycheck whenever you wish!

It takes time though.  Don’t be fooled.  It takes time.  But, the nice thing about using JV and referral marketing partnerships with list building to drive traffic to your website is that you can see results sometimes a little faster than SEO or search engine optimization alone.

Don’t ignore SEO though, why not start now with both?  Then, you have a couple of watering holes to go get some business out of after awhile.  

Please leave your comments and feedback below on this topic. 

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Effective Online Marketing Using Email

Posted on 15. Jul, 2011 by Darling.

I include a training module in my forthcoming Be the Obvious Choice Online membership club because it is the one single most powerful money making tool in your online marketing toolbox.

If you see the value of having a targeted contact list of people you can provide value to and make money to build your business then you will begin to apply strategies to build your list.

For many, this is when they realize that their entire online marketing system is not really working for them as it should.  Having and properly using an email marketing list is probably the single most valuable asset in your Be the Obvious Choice System.  Everything else is built to feed that list.

SEO implementation serves the goal to get you in front of targeted traffic and your ideal customers.  Social media use will feed into your SEO to also get you in front of your targeted market to build your list. 

Having a website that works like a well oiled machine to capture that SEO and social media traffic into your marketing funnel serves the purpose of building your list.  Using that list involves sending people back to your site sometimes for more information.  Properly using your list and balancing out providing value for free with selling your valuable services and products is what will make you money over and over to build your business.

Every single financially free business owner that I have had the honor of talking to that uses the Internet to market their business says the same thing.  Building a qualified email list allows them to build freedom in their life and business.   Freedom to travel, freedom to do whatever it is they truly want to do, acquire whatever they desire, and live the life they choose.

What are you doing today to build up your list?  

If you are new to using an auto-responder email service and are looking at Aweber, check out these tips on using Aweber in your email marketing efforts.

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Email Marketing: Are you Leaving Money on the Table?

Posted on 01. Jul, 2011 by Darling.

Are you leaving money on the table or are you building your database?   I mean, not collecting email addresses in Outlook, Gmail, or your Yahoo address book but using an auto-responder system that keeps you in compliance with Spam regulations, gives you flexibility to set up drip marketing campaigns, allows you the ability to stay top of mind, and gives you the power to write payday checks?

Building up your list for email marketing is super important but nurturing that list is paramount.  Take care of the list you build.  That list is more than just data.  There are people on the receiving end of your messages.  A good list of highly targeted people on your email marketing list who are interested in your services and products will be worth much more than a list of thousands that you never took care of.

Why is that the case?  For one, your email gets delivered to the inbox and not dumped into the spam folder or bounced back to you.

Second, your email gets opened because the recipient knows who you are and that you will take care of them and their problem.

Third, if you are selling something, the email is more likely to convert if you get this far.  You have no hope of converting an email into a sale to write your payday check if you cannot get the email delivered and/or opened.

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Tips For Getting Customers to Read Your Emails

Posted on 24. Jun, 2011 by Darling.

Getting subscribers to sign up for your email newsletter is only half the work of your email marketing campaign. Just like online marketing, successful email marketing requires you to reach as many people as possible to generate business. It is not enough to have a big subscriber base; you have to get people to actually read your emails.

AWeber posted an example of how three businesses got a unique open rate over 50% titled Learn How These 3 Businesses Get Their Emails Read. In the world of email marketing, a unique open rate over 50% is very high. The common denominator between how all three businesses achieved their success is that they start with the subject line. The subject line is your email’s first impression and can be a big factor in determining who reads your emails.

Besides the three examples, AWeber also offers tips of their own for business who are struggling to get more people to read their emails. If you are not happy with how your email campaign is going, Learn How These 3 Businesses Get Their Emails Read may have the suggestions you need.

Chris Darling is the creator of the Be The Obvious Choice System for owners of service based businesses across the nation. She works with those that struggle with getting their websites found by effectively using local search SEO and Social Media sites for their business. The main goal is to provide Pain Relief for Your Social Media SEO Aches and set the stage to earn more online revenue from new contacts, clicks, and phone calls. If this speaks to you and your online business goals discover if it is time for Darling Online Marketing.

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5 Tips for using AWeber for Email Marketing

Posted on 08. Jun, 2011 by Darling.

Email marketing is essential to online marketing. Many businesses choose AWeber as their email list management service because of their excellent reputation. If you are planning on using, or already using AWeber, there are some tips you should know.

1. By law, AWeber has to include your address in the footer of every email. Businesses that do not want people potentially walking through the front door of their office or home office should set up a P.O. Box so that they do not have to disclose their location.
2. If you transfer a mailing list from another service, AWeber requires your login information to verify that the list is legitimate. Do not send your login information via email. Emails can be intercepted and someone else could gain access to your mailing list. Call AWeber and provide them the information over the telephone.
3. If you are new to using AWeber, give yourself time to learn how to use the service before you start building a subscriber list. Things will go much smoother in the long run if you set-up your service properly from the beginning. Even if you are already using AWeber, knowing all the available features may help you find new ways to reach customers.
4. Many people worry that using AWeber’s templates to create an opt-in form will make their form look too similar to those on other sites and hire a designer to create a custom form for their website. AWeber recommends against this because it could cause deliverability issues. AWeber offers plenty of features and options that you can use to make sure your opt-in form works with your website and doesn’t look “cookie-cutter.”
5. Even if someone chooses to unsubscribe from your mailing list, AWeber retains their email address and shows a “Stop” field in the subscriber tab. Despite the fact that these people are no longer receiving your emails, AWeber still counts them as part of the number of monthly subscribers that determines your monthly charge. Delete everyone who has unsubscribed so that you’re not paying for subscribers you no longer have.

Using AWeber does require a bit of a learning curve, but it’s well worth investing your time in. A well-managed email list is a tremendous asset to any business. Spending time learning how to use AWeber will make your asset even more valuable.

Chris Darling works with owners of service based businesses who struggle with getting their websites found by effectively using local search SEO and Social Media sites for their business. Find Pain Relief for Your Social Media SEO Aches and set the stage to earn more online revenue from new contacts, clicks, and phone calls. If this speaks to you and your online business goals discover if it is time for Darling Online Marketing.

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What Is The Value Of One Email Subscriber?

Posted on 25. May, 2011 by Darling.

The success of an email marketing campaign can be very hard to measure. Successful SEO and social media marketing campaigns offer site analytics and direct customer feedback. Email marketing is not always so straightforward because many sales generated by email marketing are made offline.

So, how do you know what each email subscriber is worth?

The number varies per subscriber. Some subscribers never intend to become customers and have very little value, while others may become valuable customers who bring in a lot of business. Somewhere in between is a gray area of people who might become customers. That is where you can find your best chance of success. You can measure the success of your email marketing campaign by the number of conversions (paying customers) it generates.

Here are some tips to make your email subscribers more valuable:

• Provide advice or share useful tips related to your business. Customers are much more likely to read emails they feel contain knowledge they can use. Earn their loyalty and establish your credibility first. Worry about making sales later. Even subscribers who are just fans and not customers have value because they may recommend your email newsletter to someone else.
• Never send out emails that are flat-out sales pitches. People are quick to opt-out of lists that they consider spam.
• Don’t inundate your subscribers with emails. One email a week is enough to remind them you are there.
• When you do finally throw in a special offer or coupon, include it casually at the end of your email after you have already given them something of value.
• Make your subscribers feel like they have a choice about your offer, never pressure or hard sell them. For example, after you have given them great tips on how to optimize their website, you could add, “If you would like a free website analysis, please visit our webpage at http://yoururl.com.”

Building an email list takes time and money. Once you invest both, your next goal is naturally to try to get good return on your investment. If you want the highest possible number of valuable subscribers then you have to offer something significant to them in return for joining your email list.

Chris Darling works with owners of service based businesses who struggle with getting their websites found by effectively using local search SEO and Social Media sites for their business. Find Pain Relief for Your Social Media SEO Aches and set the stage to earn more online revenue from new contacts, clicks, and phone calls. If this speaks to you and your online business goals discover if it is time for Darling Online Marketing.

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Creative Email Marketing Ideas

Posted on 13. May, 2011 by Darling.

Are you struggling to get a good return on investment out of your email newsletter? Is it time to find a different approach? Sending weekly emails that don’t bring in new business is frustrating and time consuming. Before you spend any more time and money on your email campaign, you need to consider trying different tactics to see which produces the best results for your business.

8 Fresh Ideas for Email Newsletters by Robyn Bradley offers the solutions you are looking for. Bradley’s suggestions are perfectly tailored for local businesses. The articles suggests different ways to mix-up the content of your email newsletter to make it more appealing to your customers as well as ideas that could help you bring in more business.

Some consistency is good, but too much of it can kill your email campaign. Sometimes you need new ideas. Instead of feeling frustrated, read 8 Fresh Ideas for Email Newsletters to find out how you can use creative email marketing to generate new and repeat business.

Chris Darling works with owners of service based businesses who struggle with getting their websites found by effectively using local search SEO and Social Media sites for their business. Find Pain Relief for Your Social Media SEO Aches and set the stage to earn more online revenue from new contacts, clicks, and phone calls. If this speaks to you and your online business goals discover if it is time for Darling Online Marketing.

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5 Tips For Getting More Email Subscribers

Posted on 06. Apr, 2011 by Darling.

Email opt-in lists are a great way to boost your online marketing campaign. Emails newsletters help you reach your target audience and keep them informed about your latest offerings. However, with the ever-increasing amount of email spam, many people are reluctant to sign up for email lists. If you want to build your subscription base, you have to do more than just ask people to sign up.

Don’t do this in the picture!

1. Offer an incentive for people to sign up for your email list. Special reports, e-books, software tools all make great incentives. Service-based businesses might consider offering a free quote. Be creative and offer people something they want in exchange for signing up.
2. Make it clear that your email list is a resource, not just a selling tool. Use a clear call to action like, “Sign up for weekly home improvement tips” that presents your list as something of value to them. Avoid using advertising taglines like, “Get special home improvement offers in your inbox.”
3. Include a link or a statement about your privacy policy. Reassure site visitors that you are not going to sell off their email address to someone else.
4. Take advantage of offline opportunities. If you have retail space, hold contests where entrants leave their business card or sign up with their email address; just make sure you clarify that by doing so they are agreeing to join your email list. Take advantage of networking events. If someone hands you a business card, ask if they would like to be added to your email list.
5. Leave subscribers a way out. It may seem counter-productive to tell people they can unsubscribe from your email list at any time, but actually, it reassures them of your credibility. Customers will feel safer signing up if they know they can opt-out at any time.

Every email you send should be of importance if you want to retain your subscribers. Provide short tips, important news or relevant information of interest. If people feel like your email list is of value to them, they will be more inclined to recommend their friends sign up for it. Email list building takes time and effort, but a loyal email following will help turn your online contacts into customers.

Chris Darling works with owners of service based businesses who struggle with getting their websites found by effectively using local search SEO and Social Media sites for their business. Find Pain Relief for Your Social Media SEO Aches and set the stage to earn more online revenue from new contacts, clicks, and phone calls. If this speaks to you and your online business goals discover if it is time for Darling Online Marketing.

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How to Format Marketing Emails

Posted on 12. Jan, 2011 by Darling.

Formatting your marketing emails is not just about style and design; it is about branding. Every aspect of your email should present a consistent image. You would never want your competition misrepresenting you, so you should never compose your emails in a way that misrepresents your business.

Who is it From?

• Always email from a recognizable business email address. johndoe@widgets.com is a good example. An email coming from johndoe345@yahoo.com doesn’t seem as credible. Never use your personal email account(s) for marketing emails.

What is your Subject Line?

• The subject line is a key part of your email. The subject line is what readers look at to decide if they are going to read your email or delete it. Identify your business in the subject first and then add a modifier that grabs the reader’s attention. Identification builds trust. Readers are more likely to open an email from someone they know.

Where is the Content?

• Your content should directly build off your subject line. Don’t try to lure readers in with a clever subject line and then write about something different. Besides being inconsistent, the “bait and switch” approach creates distrust. You can split your email into different topics, but make sure the first section is the one related to your subject line.

• Create the most engrossing content you can, especially if you are sending out marketing emails on a regular basis. Good content is what keeps readers loyal. You should have a structured format, but you can alter it a bit between emails to keep things interesting.

When is it Time to Say Goodbye?

• A good marketing email should ideally range from 250 – 600 words and be broken up into short paragraphs. Internet readers prefer to skim information quickly. Similarly, someone reading an email in between other things going on in their life can’t read a tome of information in one sitting. Make your point, present your information succinctly and you will see them again later.

If you have ever heard of the five Ws of journalism, (Who, What, Where When, & Why) then you may have noticed one missing from this article. The Why is self-evident. You send out marketing emails to build your small business, but the emails you send should present the same reliable image you would show in person.

Chris Darling works with owners of service based businesses who struggle with getting their websites found by effectively using local search SEO and Social Media sites for their business. Find Pain Relief for Your Social Media SEO Aches and set the stage to earn more online revenue from new contacts, clicks, and phone calls.  If this speaks to you and your online business goals discover if it is time for Darling Online Marketing.

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