How To Bounce Back From An Ezine Disaster
Publishing an email newsletter or ezine regularly is a lot of work. And if you think that you’ll never make a mistake, think again. Even experienced publishers can make mistakes because of technology or human error. It’s all too easy to press the wrong button and have a disastrous “oops moment.”
When the mouse is quicker than the brain or you pull a really bonehead maneuver, here are five simple tips for making amends to your readership:
1. Apologize. A little old fashioned groveling never hurts anything but your pride. In today’s spam-phobic world, just a few irate readers can cause an entire ISP ban your newsletter or land your ezine on one of the many spam-blocking lists. So before anyone can accuse you of doing something wrong, beat them to the punch. Suck up your pride and send an “I’m sorry” email to your entire list. Make it humble, human, and heartfelt.
2. Hurry! Alert your entire mailing list about the mistake as soon as you can. This advice is especially important if you’re struggling with a crisis, like a hacked list server that’s cramming inboxes with multiple repeat messages. Showing readers and advertisers that you’re paying attention and really working on the problem reestablishes their confidence in you (and keeps them on your list).
3. Get Personal. Customize the subject line of your apology so it demands attention. For example, an informative subject line like “Apology For Mistake In MyEzine” works better than “Read Immediately” (which sounds like spam).
4. Explain. Tell your readers and advertisers the reasons “why” the mistake happened. Whether it was human error, a bug in your mailing software, or bad luck, give your readers a few details. Just make sure you don’t over do it trying to explain really technical problems or ramble on about your personal stress level.
5. Bribe. If your ezine blooper is threatening to send readers and advertisers packing, offer enticing perks to make up for the mistake. Maybe a free report, a coupon, some nice templates, or software can save your list and your reputation. Just make sure the freebie is good quality and original that people can’t just pick up anywhere.
An ezine publishing mistake can threaten your list. So remember that prevention is the best medicine. Be sure to test every single mailing. Also invest in a quality list server and secure hosting, and always monitor everything that’s automated.
Just in case, you also might want to use the tips above to develop your own ezine “disaster plan checklist.” That way, when the Ezine Gods get cranky, you’ll be one step ahead of them!
Susan Daffron is the President of Logical Expressions, Inc. (http://www.logicalexpressions.com) and the author of books on pets, web business, computing, and vegetarian cooking. Visit http://www.publishize.com to receive a complimentary Publishize podcast or newsletter and bonus report.”
Before You Call a Web Developer, Ask Yourself One Question
Because we develop Web sites, not surprisingly, the first words we often hear from people are: “I need a Web site.” My response is often “why?” The answer to that question can be quite telling. I can almost guarantee that you won’t end up with a good Web site if you don’t even know why you need one in the first place.
People waste a tremendous amount of time and money on pointless Web sites. The reality is that a Web site should be treated like any other business or marketing expenditure. As with any other advertising medium, you should set goals for your Web site. For example, suppose you sell dog treats. You spend a bunch of money printing a brochure that explains why your dog treats are healthier or tastier than the ones at the grocery store. The goal for that brochure is to give people information on all the fabulous benefits of your special dog treats.
In much the same way, your Web site might explain why your dog treats are great. In fact, it might be nothing more than an “online brochure” with a lot of the same information as the paper one. That’s a reasonable goal for a new site. Since lots of people surfing around online have dogs, later on you may decide that you want to expand your horizons outside of your local area and use the Internet to sell your marvelous dog treats online. In that case, you might need to learn more about ecommerce, merchant accounts, and shopping carts.
As a general rule, people go online to find information, to be entertained, or to buy stuff. If your site lets people do one or more of these things, it has a reason to exist. However, unlike your paper brochure, a Web site has only about four seconds to get your message across (according to a recent report from Akamai and Jupiter Research). If you have no clue what information people are supposed to glean from your Web site, neither will your site visitors. Four seconds later, they’re gone and they probably won’t return.
Your site goals have a lot to do with your business. Many businesses put up Web sites largely for people who are outside of the community and looking for products or services. The most likely visitors to these sites would be tourists and people moving or new to the community, so the information on the site could include frequently asked question (FAQ) pages, pricing, driving directions, and contact information
When setting Web site goals, it makes sense to think about the visitors you are hoping to attract to the site. Who will be reading it? What do they need to know? Why would they visit your site in the first place? What terms would they type into a search engine to find your site? If you don’t have good answers for these questions, you should reconsider the question I asked at the beginning of this article: “Why do you need a Web site?”
Not every business needs a Web site. Many service businesses that rely exclusively on local customers and word of mouth may not. You know your business better than anyone, so before you pick up the phone to call a Web designer, think about what you want your Web site to do for you and why.
Susan Daffron is the President of Logical Expressions, Inc. (http://www.logicalexpressions.com) and the author of books on pets, web business, computing, and vegetarian cooking. Visit http://www.publishize.com to receive a complimentary Publishize podcast or newsletter and bonus report.”
How to Write Compelling Web Site Content That Gets Read
Figuring out what to say on your Web site can be a challenge. For many business owners, talking about themselves is difficult. However, coming up with good Web content is easy if you keep your customer and the search engines in mind. Whether you write the text for the Web site yourself or hand off notes to a writer, you need to think about who will visit your site and how they get there.
As an exercise, write down the three types of people most likely to visit your site. Include their age, gender, occupation, and anything else you can think of relating to their needs, desires, likes, dislikes and so forth. For example, suppose you own a dental clinic. Maybe you offer relaxing music and specialize in trying to make the dental experience less traumatic for those who hate the dreaded drill. Visualize your best customer and then write the text as if you were talking to him in person.
If you write your text as if you are talking to one individual person (i.e. your ideal customer), the verbiage will naturally focus on the customer’s needs and interests. Always use the second person (you) on your Web site. Your visitor doesn’t care about your company; he cares about himself. Avoid talking about your company and the various features of your widget. Instead talk about what your products and services can do for the customer. For example, don’t talk about the specifics of the high-end dental drill you just bought. Talk about how when a client visits your office, he can enjoy better health and look better without experiencing any fear or pain.
When people are searching for anything online, they are always asking “what’s in it for me” (WIIFM), so your copy needs to focus on their needs. Links are another way you can engage people. For example, instead of standard link that says “Widget Installation Video,” add some action with a verb, such as “Watch a 5-minute video that shows how easy it is to install your new Widget.”
When writing your text, you also should consider how people might search for your company online. When someone goes to Google, what string of words might he or she type into the search box? For example, if you are a new resident of Tikaville, Idaho looking for a dentist, you might type in: Tikaville Idaho dentist. In your Web copy, you should include those search terms. Search engines also place special emphasis on headings and the title of the page, so you should include potential search phrases in those key areas.
In the end, however, you should not write your page for the search engines. Write your text for human beings, since they are the ones who will decide to use your products and services (or not). When you write clear, compelling text that explains what your business can do for customers, it’s almost always good content for search engines as well. Keep your sentences short and break up text with lots of headlines, and you’ll be rewarded with a Web site that nets you both compliments and more business.
Susan Daffron is the President of Logical Expressions, Inc. (http://www.logicalexpressions.com) and the author of books on pets, web business, computing, and vegetarian cooking. Visit http://www.publishize.com to receive a complimentary Publishize podcast or newsletter and bonus report.”
Discover The Tightly Held Secret That Will Explode Your Online Income Automatically
When looking at any business, specifically your internet marketing business, it is really important to remain in contact with your customers. Unlike offline businesses where you mostly use a telephone for communication, online businesses depend on email almost exclusively to communicate back and forth with their customers. If you are going crazy trying to keep up with your inbox while also maintaining a constant connection with your online customers, you are ready to unleash the secrets of successful internet marketers.
The biggest problem that most internet marketers face is that customers expect quick responses when they send an email. On top of that, with so much competition online, if you don’t stay in front of your prospective customers regularly, they will more than likely go find another place to spend their money. Unless you are looking to hire a round the clock staff to manage your correspondence, you will more than likely burn out and drop the ball more than you’d like unless you uncover a solution.
Fortunately, there is a secret that many successful businesses use to automate their communication process. The answer is an email auto-responder.
So, what exactly is an auto-responder? Well, believe it or not, many of us have been exposed to auto-responders in some fashion. Have you ever sent an email out to someone and got a message saying something along the lines of I’m on vacation. Please contact my assistant? That was an auto-responder.
Have you ever purchased something online and got an order confirmation saying Thank You For Your Order? That was also an auto-responder. Can you imagine a company taking a valuable employee off of their normal duties just to type out the vacation message every time someone sends the recipient an email? Do you think there is someone waiting for each and every order to come in all day just to send the thank you email?
These examples and many more are the secrets to maintaining communication with your customers. You see, using these automated messages creates a system that is duplicated every single time something prompts that action. In the vacation example, each and every time and email comes through, the response is shown.
How can auto-responders help your business?
There are a number of good methods of using an auto-responder besides just answering your email. For example, auto-responders can be used if you need a way to send information about your services or products, pricing, or a frequently asked questions message that addresses repeated questions asked across many incoming emails.
Another good approach is to offer your customers something of value absolutely free in exchange for their name and email address so that you can continue communicating with them until they become a paying customer. Once they register, they will automatically receive a series of messages pertaining to the topic of your free offering.
Auto-responders are an effective and powerful marketing tool, allowing you to make contact with thousands of potential customers automatically. This is an invaluable asset considering how many potential customers you usually have contact with before you make an actual sale. Now, the only thing you have to worry about is what you will do with all the time you will be saving.
Cyndi Parker is a marketing coach who writes informative articles on various subjects including Internet Marketing and Making Money Online. You can watch a FREE video on how you can easily make money online by going to http://www.InternetMarketingDreams.com/LiveTheDream