I have been a subscriber of Eric Holmlund’s Blog, Eric’s Tips, for a while and
have always liked his style and content. Seems like a genuinely
nice guy. However, a couple of months ago, Eric polled his
subscribers about what they really wanted most of all from
his, or any, Newsletter. What he found, overwhelmingly, was
everyone wanted to know how to start and run a successful
online business. No real surprise there but what he did WAS
a surprise. He cut back about 95% of his “promotional-type”
Blog posts and replaced it with a completely “FREE to his
Subscribers” 120 video plus written lessons entirely focusing
on the process of building and running a successful online
business!

This is an example of a Marketer who completely “Gets” it!
Eric Holmlund is giving of his time and knowledge to anyone
with an interest in Online Marketing, totally free for subscribing
to his Newsletter.

I am recommending that you get over to his Eric’s Tips Blog and subscribe. It’s free to do that and then play “catch-up”
since he just posted Lesson #15. All the previous lessons are
available via links on his blog.

This is an awesome chance to get info you would easily
have to pay thousands for elsewhere, I promise.

Make it a Great Day and please leave your comments or
questions here after you’ve visited Eric’s Blog.

We all like to look at our email stats, especially when we have
good open rates and our list size is increasing. What should be
done, then, if you notice that your list is growing smaller or
your open rates have gone down? It’s time to get some answers
and do something about it.

When subscribers to your list don’t open your emails anymore it’s
known as list fatigue. They’re not exactly unsubscribing and yet
they’re not opening your emails. Why is this happening? Without
taking into account the bounces, here are some probable causes:

1. Perhaps they are no longer interested in the subject of your
emails. They may have new interests, and there’s not a whole lot
you can do about that.

2. Are the spam filters catching your emails? Make sure you’re
not using words that the filters think are spam. Do a search for
the current list of spam words and find other ways to say the
same thing.

3. Sometimes subscribers opt-in with an email address that they
don’t check very often, if at all. What you need to do from the
beginning is encourage them to sign up with their primary email
address.

4. You might be sending them too many emails and they’re getting
tired of you. If this is happening, slow yourself down and don’t
send so many, especially the promotional kind.

5. You’ve given them helpful information in the past and they
stay on hoping you’ll send them something else they need. So
far, your email subject lines have been boring. Take a good look
at the content of your emails. Are you sending valuable
information or just promotions? Also look hard at your email
subject lines. They need to be intriguing and catchy. Start a
swipe file of your favorite lines.

The best bet is to try to prevent inactive subscribers before
they happen. Here are some ways to engage your subscribers:

1. Give high quality content. People will rush to open your
emails if you always over-deliver.

2. Survey your list and find out what information they want from
you. This shows you care about them and their needs. It also
gets your emails opened.

3. Hold a contest that’s relevant to your niche and get your
readers to respond.

4. Give people a call to action and be specific. Ask them to
respond to an email you sent or leave a comment on your blog.
Ask them about their successes or ask them what their opinion is
on such-and-such product.

5. Drop tantalizing hints about what the next email is going to
be about. Leave them wondering and wanting to read your next
email.

List fatigue happens, but you can take active measures to
minimize it. Always remember that you’re writing your email to
real people and when you have something good to say, they’ll want
to read it.

When you first start your blog, you have so much to say that you
have no problem posting every day. After a while, you begin to
run out of ideas and you can’t seem to come up with fresh
content. Every blogger has this problem from time to time. So how
do you keep the blog going – keep it fresh and full of value?
Here are some ideas:

Do a top 10 list – “The top 10 mistakes people do when trying
_______ for the first time.” “The top 10 tips for ______.” Lists
tend to be easier to write and take less time to formulate. If
you can’t come up with 10, perhaps you can make it the top 3 or
top 5.

Interview an expert – Approach someone who is very knowledgeable
in your blog niche and you may find they’ll be happy to do an
interview, especially if they have a new product just launched
and would like the exposure. Put together some thoughtful
questions and ask them to write out their answers. The beauty of
this blog post is that aside from asking the questions, the
interviewee does all the work!

Answer a recurring question/problem – Go to the forums you
frequent in your niche and look for a recurring question that
people have. Doing a little research and coming up with answers
makes for an excellent blog post. You also can become the
expert.

Blog about other blog posts – Have you read a blog post recently
that caused you to stop and think, or offered up a huge
glittering gem of priceless information? Blog your opinions,
insights, and inspiration you’ve gotten from that person’s post.
Be sure to provide a link back so your readers can read the
original post.

Use the weather – Look around you at the season and tie it into
your niche. Does the hot weather inspire you to share a story on
your internet marketing blog about going fishing while your
internet marketing business is still making you money? Does the 4
feet of snow outside make you think about reading your favorite
books? If so, you can do a niche-related book review with your
Amazon or other affiliate links attached.

What’s up in your business world – Blog about what you’re working
on now. Using a personal tone, explain what your current project
is. Letting a few tidbits escape builds anticipation and helps
your readers feel like they’re now on the “inside”.

I can always find great content at Bryan Winters’

InfoGoRound.  I recommend his service totally. And,

he has a neat way to let you get your membership

FREE every month. Go check it out…

http://www.AnyOneCanDoThis.biz/Suggests/IGR.php

Have a great Weekend!

Bob Kimball

This is a timeless article written a few years ago by

Marg Mc Alister. It has a bunch of impact still. Take

a few minutes and see if it hits you between your

eyes.

**********************************************************************

Hindsight, we all know only too well, is a wonderful thing. For
example, if we had only known that the ceiling on membership at a
popular site was going to be subscribed so quickly – we would
have joined up the minute we heard about it.

If we had only known that niche marketing was going to be so
wildly popular we would have focused on that instead of MLM.

If we had only known that Google was going to change its
algorithm and the rules of AdWords were going to change we would
have…

Stop.

Stop, stop, stop.

In the world of Internet marketing, you can safely bet that the
only constant is the rate of change! There’s always news of the
latest product dropping into your email inbox. There’s always
another promise of quick and easy money. Google will keep
changing its algorithm, and new search engines are quite likely
to pop up to challenge Google.

What can you do about this? Four main things:

(1) Continue To Educate Yourself.

Understand that those who rise to the top of any field – whether
it’s internet marketing or something else – are good at what they
do. This means that they never stop learning. There are always
new materials, new techniques and probably new ‘experts’ showing
the way.

Most of us learn in three main ways: (a) from experts who
specialize in a certain niche related to our field; (b) from
others who are following the same path as we are, and (c) by
trial and error, from our own results.

You will find that the more you immerse yourself in the world of
internet marketing, the more you will be able to analyze which
products, services and opportunities are right for you.

(2) Focus. Pick One System And Give It A Fair Go.

Countless people who start out on the internet with high hopes
follow the same pattern. They get excited about a new product or
system. They throw themselves into it and invest long hours (and
potentially quite a bit of money) in getting it up and running.
It might be e-books sold from mini-sites; it might be setting up
an eBay business; it might be directory-type sites with text
manipulators; it might be AdWords or content sites optimized for
AdSense.

Then one day they get wind of another new system (probably one
created by someone who claims “the gurus are angry with me for
giving away all their secrets…”). Discouraged by the lack of
results with the first “opportunity”, they decide to let it rest
for a while and try the new one. Back they go into the cycle of
try-the-new-product, get-discouraged,
discard-it-and-try-the-next-thing.

And so it goes on. Months pass. Perhaps years pass. They struggle
to pay the credit card bills mounting from buying into every new
system that comes along… with very little money coming in to
offset their ‘investment’. As they look back, they start
muttering “If I had only known then what I know now…”

If you can recognize yourself in this scenario, the good news is
this: Now you DO know better. You don’t know what the next new
product will be that’s going to set the internet world abuzz, but
you do know enough to choose a system that’s right for you and
stick to it.

(3) Take The Time to Plan.

Give yourself from two to four weeks to regroup. Go through all
the products you have on your shelves or on your computer. Make a
list. Decide which products you now know (so wise with
hindsight!) to be worth keeping. Then analyze the ‘keepers’ and
pick on the best system for YOU to use at this time. (This will
depend upon your level of knowledge and which one you would enjoy
most. Work with your strengths.)

Finally, devise a game plan. You are going to focus on this ONE
method and devise a practical time-line to achieve results. Don’t
be in a rush. Make sure you give yourself enough time to see it
‘take hold’ so the money starts flowing in. That will give you
the motivation to continue.

Clear the decks, physically as well as mentally. Put all the
products that don’t fit in with your plan in boxes or on disk for
safekeeping. You may return to them one day, but if you’ve chosen
the system that’s right for you, you probably won’t.

4. Don’t Get Distracted by New Products.

Resolve to buy ONLY products or services that will save you time
or money in implementing the system you have chosen. Never buy
anything on impulse. Print out the sales letter, read it through,
then put it aside. Read it through again the next day. Does it
still seem so appealing? Check out a few forums to listen to the
buzz. If a product doesn’t deliver, you’ll soon hear about it. If
it is exceptional value, you’ll hear about that, too.

Some questions to ask: “Will this help me to streamline the
business I have chosen? Is it worth the money? Will it make a
significant difference?” And above all, “Do I need this, or is it
just another distraction?”

Resolve to make this the year you will succeed. No more pocket
change. No more “If I had only known…”

You DO know.

So make it work.

Blogging is the latest, greatest thing that you hear about on
the internet. But does that automatically make it the right
thing for you or your business?

First, let’s look at what a blog is. A blog is simply a
special type of website. It has features that set it apart
from other websites such as: the content entries (posts) are
arranged in chronological order with the newest content at the
top; reader comments are usually an important part of a blog;
a subscription system called RSS is offered so readers know
when the blog has been updated; and the posts are arranged
into some type of archive system so readers can find
information easily.

The best way to find out if a blog is right for you or your
business is to look at the top 5 reasons to start a blog.

1. You don’t need any programming skills. Whether you use a
free blogging platform like Blogger.com or WordPress.com, or a
self-hosted blogging platform like WordPress.org or Typepad,
you can literally have a site up and running within minutes.
Simply select a theme and go.

2. You can add content easily and often. Adding content to a
blog is no more difficult that typing a Word document and
hitting save. In the case of a blog, though, when you hit
publish your information is immediately available to the whole
internet community.

3. Search engines love them! Search engines are ravenous for
up-to-date, useful content to meet the demand for information
on the internet. By their very nature, blogs provide fresh
content on a regular basis–usually daily.

4. They build communities. Blogs are meant to stimulate
conversation between the blog owner and the blog readers.
Through this interaction, they build communities and the blog
owner can learn valuable information for his business (if it’s
a business blog).

5. You can monetize them easily. Whether through Google
Adsense, Yahoo! Publisher, or affiliate links, monetizing a
blog is one of the easiest ways to begin making money online.

Those are the top 5 reasons to begin a blog. Blogs have other
advantages as well.

They are simple, flexible and focused. Because they are simple
to master, it makes it possible for more people to have an
online presence or even begin making money online. Because
they’re flexible, a blogger is able to design a site with the
look, feel, and features that he and his readers desire. And
finally, because blogs are focused on a specific niche or
topic, they are able to attract focused readers and buyers.

One good way to get a feel for blogging is to get a free blog
from Blogger.com or WordPress.com. Simply write and develop
your own blogging voice on whatever topic comes to mind. If
you want to make money with your blog, however, you should get
self-hosted blogging software, decide on a market niche, and
focus your content to match that audience.

Blogging is still one of the easiest ways to start an online
presence and also one of the easiest ways to make money
online.