In the world of ecommerce, millions of sites are fiercely competing with each other to gain new clients. For any ecommerce site to succeed, it must capture the interest and the trust of its visitors. It is not enough that your site is impeccably designed or has the latest in animation of content. You should focus your efforts not only in attracting visitors but also in leading them to make a purchase. There are dozens of marketing strategies you can use to attract more buyers and pump up your sales. One of them is by establishing an excellent and professional reputation for prompt and efficient response.

As more potential customers visit your site, you should expect a flood of inquiries and requests for information. This is an excellent opportunity for you to capture more clients and lead them to buying from your site. Thus, it is important that you carry out an efficient and prompt response to every email you receive. The fastest and most effective way to do this is by utilizing Autoresponder services.

Autoresponder services use a computer program that automatically returns a prewritten message to anyone who sends an email to your site. It is widely used for responding to consumer inquiries and visitor comments and suggestions. Autoresponder services are also used by e-zines in responding to people who subscribe or unsubscribe to their online magazines. Companies, who send out their e-newsletter regularly, also use Autoresponder services.

How can effective Autoresponder services help boost your business? The answer lies in its ability to return a prompt response to any e-mail the site receives. By responding rapidly and efficiently, you create a very good impression on your potential customer. Good Autoresponder services help you get important information back to these customers immediately. An effective Autoresponder service helps you communicate your message promptly, creating a sense of professionalism and efficiency that your clients will definitely appreciate.

Another very important advantage of Autoresponder services is that it saves time with multiple marketing tasks. Certainly, you do not have enough time to personally make and send all correspondence. Autoresponder services allows you to send thank you letters, newsletters, product information, brochures, orders etc. to hundreds of clients almost immediately and simultaneously. Autoresponder services are also indispensable in any email marketing campaign.

Choosing the right Autoresponder services is very important. What then should you look for in an Autoresponder service? First, you should pick an Autoresponder service that is reliable and can give you 24/7 service. You cannot afford to lose a customer because your Autoresponder service failed to answer his query or request for information. The ability to respond promptly is the first thing you must look for in any Autoresponder services.

Another key factor you should consider when choosing Autoresponder services is flexibility. Good Autoresponder services allow you to customize unique responses that will have maximum effect on the customer. You should avoid creating an impression that the customer is communicating with a machine instead of a real human being. Excellent Autoresponder services lets you provide the information that is specifically targeted for what the potential customers are looking for. Because any email from potential customers essentially represent the customer’s intent on getting more information about your product, which can ultimately lead to direct sales, all emails are important. Thus, a top Autoresponder service must fulfill all these duties to help you boost your business.

You have joined a great business and you want to create a downline to make it a success. Or you have found something that you believe will interest a good majority of the web users.

You make your decision to begin a mass emailing campaign. Have you got what it takes to write an email and get the replies flying in?

Most of us send out emails almost every day we do it so often with out even thinking about it, as a result they are often written and sent out less than perfect and fail to produce the desired result.

The purpose of sending out mass email is usually intended to attract visitors to view a website rather than make a sale, therefore it is important to take your time and define your aim precisely before writing the email.

Keep it simple and brief; avoid using long or technical words as some people may not understand them. Do not use three words where one will suffice. If the email is long and full of waffle boredom will set in and without a doubt it is likely to be deleted before reaching the end of it.

The opening paragraph is vital. If it does not click with the reader right away you have wasted your time sending it.

Even the best writers spend time editing and rewriting their article or email.

Start with an eye catching headline. It might be a question or statement. You must grab their attention right away. Look at it from your readers point of view, is it forceful enough or exciting to make you want to read on and discover the end result?

Headlines hook prospects and lead them to the next line. There you start to build their interest to ensure they read the next sentence… and each subsequent one.

You might even find it is worth offering a free gift or a monthly newsletter that would help their business. There are plenty of free e-books on the web that you can give away.

If the intention of your email is to make a sale then offer a guarantee or a full refund this should dispel any fears they may have.

A cheeky way to test out your email is to send it to a couple of friends who are interested in business, add a message at the end of it and ask them to email you.

If you don’t receive a reply then you know your email was discarded before they reached your message, it is then a good idea to edit your email and remove any unneeded text.

1. Remove your limits

Reduce your subject to a single core word and then brainstorm around it. For example, if you’re trying to write about “Study Skills”, expand your thinking to “School”. Now jot down everything that comes to mind when you think about School, and when you run out of ideas start asking yourself open questions around the subject and noting your answers.

Examples:

What did I enjoy about school?
What scared me?
What did I wish I’d known from Day 1?

This will help you get back into the mindset of someone struggling with school issues of all kinds and you’ll start to get a feel for their concerns and worries.

2. Restore your focus

Once you’ve started to understand the general feelings of your readers, allow your mind to focus back on your original topic of Study Skills. From your new perspective, what questions would you ask? What would you want to know? Is this really a “Studying” issue or is it more about Time Management or being able to work without distractions or being paralyzed by the fear of not doing well?

3. Be your audience

Write each question on a separate sheet of paper; don’t stop until you have at least ten and preferably more. Stay in the mindset of your readers until you feel you’ve asked every major question that concerns them.

4. Take a step back

Put your pile of question aside for a few hours, overnight if possible. Don’t consciously think about them; just go about your day as usual. Give your subconscious time to process them without any further prompting from you. If new questions come to mind jot them down somewhere safe and then forget about them.

5. Get out your pen and write

When you’re ready, sit down with your pages of questions and simply start to answer them. Writing your answers by hand can give you access to ideas that might be missed if you type them. Don’t edit yourself at this stage. Using Speech to Text software or a digital recorder can also be helpful in bypassing the internal editor.

Imagine someone sitting in front of you asking for advice and just talk to them. Keep your tone natural and conversational and stay with the question-and-answer format.

6. Edit lightly

Trust your first instincts. Proof-read and correct any obvious errors, but don’t do any major editing until your piece has had time to “sit” for a while. Again, leaving it overnight will give you a fresh perspective the next time you look at it, but even if your deadline doesn’t allow for that it’s important to give yourself a break from it.

When you’re pushed for time, writing several articles at one sitting can create enough change of focus to make you “forget” the one you’ve just written.

7. Polish it up

Short articles are unlikely to need major editing if you’ve written them as described here. They will flow easily and naturally already and having each Q & A on a separate sheet makes it easier to select only the ones you want. Your job now is to put them in a reasonably logical sequence and make sure they’re understandable and that the reader is led smoothly from one question and answer to the next.

8. Top and tail it

Write a brief introductory paragraph as a “teaser” for the main article. Many article directories now put the first paragraph of each piece into RSS feeds which are picked up by other websites, so you’ll want to make sure that your two or three major keywords appear at least once in that first paragraph.

Write another short paragraph to summarize the major points of the article and provide some ideas for the reader to explore the subject further. Don’t of course forget your own resource box: use the format [a href="http://www.yourwebsite.com"]Your Website Name[/a] (replace the square brackets with angle brackets) for your link, so when your article is converted to html your link will automatically be live.

9. Submit it!

“You don’t have to get it right. You just have to get it going.” — Mike Litman

The quote above has to be the most important idea for many a business person. It’s the antidote to the dread perfectionitis disease that paralyzes you.

Perfectionitis is born of a perfectly reasonable impulse: to produce a quality product.

But it is the “impossible standard” aspect of it that makes it dysfunctional. It is the kind of impulse that makes a parent say “No one’s good enough for my Billy” (or Susie). And because getting it perfect is nearly impossible, making public your effort is well nigh impossible.

One of Dan Kennedy’s lessons is that half of winning is just showing up! So he and Litman are on the same page.

To have a newsletter and not write to your subscribers is to not show up!

What are the problems with not showing up?

- No one remembers you. Harsh but true. Oh, you may be a memory in passing, but people have their own lives. You are a blip on most people’s screens. The only way to become a bigger blip is to show up.

- You miss opportunities to announce and to sell. Does this really need any elaboration? Didn’t think so.

- You miss opportunities to BUILD on previous opportunities, and so forth.

- You miss chances to establish yourself as an expert in your chosen field.

Besides the inverse of the above, what ADVANTAGES arise from just showing up and communicating to your list?

- You become more comfortable in communicating.

- You build momentum, so that coming up with ideas to communicate is easier.

- You have opportunities to answer the question, “What have you done for me lately.”

- You have a store of information which you can archive and then refer your subscribers. For example, you can write, “As I mentioned two weeks ago (url), you can enhance your writing ability by…” And on the archive page, you can advertise.

Yes, the tragedies of not showing up are tremendous. Perfectionism can literally KILL your business!

And the benefits of “just showing up” are equally huge.

Moreover, they can cascade and reinforce each other.

So how can you move yourself to “just show up?”

1 – Use Litman’s comment at the top of this article to remind yourself that perfectionism is NOT a good pole star.

2 – Write short pieces. You don’t have to write Moby Dick. Short pieces that deliver real information that they can use is what people mainly want.

3 – Give yourself a schedule. And stick to it.

4 – Ask for feedback on what you write. You may find that people like it, even though it’s not “perfect.” And if they criticize, you’ll have information on how to improve.

Do these things and perfectionitis will be a thing of the past, for you will more consistently show up.

A recent survey showed that more than eighty percent of Americans want to write a book. This extraordinary statistic is somewhat puzzling considering that the National Endowment for the Arts estimates that only fifty-seven percent of Americans have read even 1 book in the last twelve months!

What is it that makes people — even non-readers — want to put pen to paper?

Perhaps it’s the desire for fame and fortune, the need to earn the respect of others, or maybe it’s just the wish to leave some mark on the future, a permanent record of a life lived.

Whatever the reason, for those who actually complete a manuscript, the odds of seeing it published by a reputable firm are slim.

For the estimated 2 million manuscripts currently completed, there are only 64,000 publishers of record, and only a fraction of those are actively seeking new manuscripts.

So what are the millions of hopeful authors to do?

Well, the first step would be to ensure their manuscripts are the best they can be. This can be done by re-writing, editing, proofreading by an outside firm or even by a well-read and literate friend.

Even then, most of those two million books stand no chance of being accepted by a traditional publisher. Those authors that do make the cut are not necessarily the best writers, but rather are those who can sell themselves and their stories most convincingly.

Some authors, after rejections from the trade, will find themselves victims of vanity publishers, who take advantage of the hopes and aspirations of writers to extract an exorbitant fee to ‘publish’ their book.

Luckier will be the writers who publish through firms like iUniverse and Lulu, for although their books will likely never see wide distribution, at least their losses will be minimal.

And finally there are the select few who decide to become publishers themselves, even if it is only to self-publish their own book.

These publishers will find great obstacles, and a great deal of work in this route, but the challenge and reward of having one’s success or failure entirely in one’s own hands is a powerful feeling.

Whether they choose to publish electronically, or use short run printing service like Lightning Print, or even to go full boar with a print run of 1,000 or more, their success depends on how well they sell themselves and their story to others.

And so, if you are about to embark on a new manuscript, educate yourself thoroughly about the industry, its scams, and potential pitfalls. And more importantly, learn to market yourself well, for this, more than any other skill, is the determining factor in your success or failure.

Before writing an article, have you ever felt overwhelmed by a blank sensation, not knowing where to start?

…I’ll bet you have!

This checklist should help you eliminate some common problems in writing articles:

1. Have a specific purpose in mind.

Always have a specific purpose in mind before you begin writing: you should be crystal clear about what are you hoping to accomplish by writing your article.
Is it an article clarifying an issue for your customers, to attract prospects, to improve the link popularity for your website?

2. Know your target population.

Before writing an article, conduct research on the target population. What are their experience, their interest, and their wants in the chosen topic? What pain or problem do they try to avoid?

3. Develop a detailed outline first, stressing on the benefits.

Now that you have a purpose and a target, organize your article so that scanning it quickly will show immediately to your reader how he will benefit from it and what are the most important points.

4. Stop your reader in his tracks with your title.

Your title should grab the reader’s attention and ‘force’ him to read your first paragraph. Using your most important benefit usually does it.

5. Start your article with the most important information

Again, do not keep your most important information for the conclusion! Give it immediately and develop on it in the following paragraphs.

6. Keep jargon to a minimum.

If possible, avoid jargon as well as prejudices and insinuations. Write your article so that even a child can understand it.

7. Make your article warm and personal.

Speak direct to the reader. Use a lot of ‘you’.
Reading your article, the reader should feel warmth and empathy, knowing that you have the same problems and goals than him.

8. Keep sentences short and simple.

Using short and simple sentences will allow a fluid and easy reading, preventing your reader to get bored.

9. Have someone from the target population critique your article.

Who can give you a better feedback than someone from your target population? It will help you

10. Spend more time rewriting than writing.

Besides formatting your article for easy reading and nice presentation, be sure to use tools or an external editor to carefully proofread your writing for grammatical and spelling errors.

Remember that the more writing you do, the better you will get. After sometimes, when you are in the habit of writing, article writing will not seem as difficult as now!

If you want to make money online a good strategy that won’t cost you a dime is to write articles that relate to your product or service.

Search Engines are constantly on the “look out” for freshly written content that has been submitted online. So how do you come up with ideas for your next article? Here are several suggestions that may help…

* Hang out in online forums. Watch what people are talking about. Look at the questions they are asking. The topics that are bringing the greatest number of visitors would make for an excellent article.

* Take a look at what information is being broadcast on TV, radio, newspapers, and online. This information is usually a hot topic.

* Read blogs. What are people posting about? What kind of comments are they leaving? What questions do they have? Blogs are the hot internet marketing medium right now and you can literally find them everywhere on any topic. This is an excellent source for your next article idea.

* Survey your current customers or website visitors. Ask them what kind of article they would like to see in your next ezine or published on your website.

* Check bookstores online. What are the top sellers? This can be a good way to come up with an article that catches the attention of what people are reading.

* Be seasonal. Write about what is going on that time of year. Holidays, festivals, sports, graduations, etc. all make for an article that someone will want to read.

* Write an article about a current fad. There is always something that is hot at the time and could make for interesting reading from you.

* Keep track of what your customers and prospects are asking you. If you get an email or phone call with a question this may make for a good article. Others may have the same question, but are afraid to ask it.

* Start a swipe file on what others are writing about. If it is of interest to you it will probably be of interest to others. Never plagiarize the work of others, but you can certainly get good ideas this way. The biggest benefit of a swipe file is having it handy to refer back to over and over whenever you are ready to write your article and are not sure what you want to write about.

Hopefully this will give you some ideas on how to come up with your next article. The internet marketer who can write interesting articles has a huge leg up on their competition. If you can master this strategy there is no limit to how much money you can make online.

Who couldn’t use some great ad copy tips once in awhile?! Here are secrets shared by ad pros to use in your promotions online and off.

1. DIGITAL IMAGES – Add images with your ad copy. Rule of thumb here is NOT “the more the merrier.” So choose one or two of your best images. Don’t have a camera or not great with it yet? Don’t worry. Surf the Internet or check software packages for images that grant you permission for use. Simply type “free images to use” into your favorite search engine. Or check places like Amazon.com or Ebay.com for affordable image packages that fit your industry needs.

2. PRICE – List your price and don’t irritate people by playing games and hiding it or leaving it out. People are bombarded with sales commercials, postal mail, email, radio and television ads, etc. They don’t and won’t waste time on hunting for your price. Plus whenever you offer rewards or free bonus items in your ad copy, make sure to include the dollar value beside each so that people know they’re getting a god deal and your package holds more value overall.

3. TESTIMONIALS – Continually gather testimonials of all lengths from your clients and sprinkle them throughout your ad copy. Group some inside a yellow or blue (or other color that coordinates with your marketing piece) box. List some in individual boxes along with a photo of the person sharing comments and his or her company name to add credibility. No need to be book-length comments, either.
“Those 1-liners stand out and pull readers!”

4. HAND WRITTEN NOTE – Include a hand written notation or actual letter with your ad copy. Write the note on the edge of the ad so that it stands out, or write it on a small different colored sheet of paper. For online use, scan it and publish it on the web page or visit your favorite search engine and find a third party solution under “website handwritten notes” for companies like 3M Worldwide at www.3m.com . The addition of a personal touch can always help increase sales. Note: If your handwriting is difficult to decipher, maybe ask a friend or colleague to re-write your copy first before it going to press.

When you’re finished, with your ad copy, go back and check for areas of improvement. Even tiny changes can make hug differences in response rates. So go take a peek!

Telling a story or sharing product and service information is fine in an ad. But the bottom line is that you want to close a sale. The difference in ad copy doesn’t have to be earth shattering. It can be very slight, in fact. Here are ways to make your ad a little more effective come closing time.

1. TESTS – Make public knowledge the results of your product and service testing. Share how your items stand up against the competition; how durable they are, how safe. Discuss the quality and unique features. Let people know “why” they should choose your items. And present the material in a professional way with statistics, graphs, before and after photos or other graphic images and a well-written report or case study documented.

2. YOU – While you’re at it, let them know why they should choose you! Don’t hide behind a P.O. Box and Yahoo email address. Add your background information, a nice executive resume, testimonials from clients, work samples, community involvement projects, industry awards, educational courses you continue to take for self improvement, workshops and seminars you attend, etc. let people know who you are. Add a nice, professional photograph of yourself, too, if you like.

3. CHARITY – Tie in a percentage of your sales with one of your favorite charities. And make mention of this in your ad copy. This is a win-win strategy because your company gives back to society plus your clients read about it; it improves your image in their eyes and shares your concerns. And they give, too. Everyone helps each other.

4. GUARANTEE – Include a good, solid guarantee in your offer. For examples, look at the last thing you purchased and check out the guarantee. In a nutshell, make it a lifetime offer and / or give them back MORE than they gave you.

5. PS – Since most people look for this feature, add it! Say something in your P.S. – like give them a Bonus offer if they reply by a certain deadline. Or focus on your best reason why the reader should buy – and NOW.

6. CONTACT – Do include complete contact information – that works! Test any email addresses and telephone numbers before going to press

So next time you need to ace your ad copy, go back over what you wrote and tweak it here and there for improvements. Better yet, have a contest and invite your readers to do it for you! How’s that for a win-win solution?!

What percentage of prospects come your way as a result of your ad copy? What percentage of sales do you close because of your ads? Well, increase both percentages with some of our tips, tailored to your own ad campaigns.

1. ERRORS – It’s tough to have 100 percent perfect ad copy. Nearly impossible! So tell your readers that whoever spots five errors in your ad copy due to grammar issues or misspelled words, wins a reward. This way your readers will not only be reading your copy longer, increasing the likelihood of purchasing awhile they’re at it, you’ll get editing done at no charge for your revised printing or online publication.

2. YES – Lead your readers to the conclusion you want; that is to say, “Yes” to your offer, by asking them several yes and no questions in your ad copy that have affirmative answers. Have the questions be based on the main offer and focus on what will happen if they do not buy. But don’t set a negative tone by having them reply “No.” Or by the time they’re through reading, they might say, “No” to you!

3. CHARITY – Tie in a percentage of your sales with one of your favorite charities. And make mention of this in your ad copy. This is a win-win strategy because your company gives back to society plus your clients read about it; it improves your image in their eyes and shares your concerns. And they give, too. Everyone helps each other.

4. GUARANTEE – Include a good, solid guarantee in your offer. For examples, look at the last thing you purchased and check out the guarantee. In a nutshell, make it a lifetime offer and / or give them back MORE than they gave you.

5. PS – Since most people look for this feature, add it! Say something in your P.S. – like give them a Bonus offer if they reply by a certain deadline. Or focus on your best reason why the reader should buy – and NOW.

6. CONTACT – Do include complete contact information – that works! Test any email addresses and telephone numbers before going to press

So next time you need to ace your ad copy, go back over what you wrote and tweak it here and there for improvements. Better yet, have a contest and invite your readers to do it for you! How’s that for a win-win solution?!