How to Reach Thousands of Your Ideal Clients and Customers and Skyrocket Your E-mail List by Alexandria Brown

March 14, 2007

One of the questions I’m asked the most by my clients is, “How can I most quickly build my e-mail list?”

My answer is, find someone who’s already reaching your target market in droves, and use THEM to build your list! How? With these three easy steps:

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STEP 1: Determine exactly who your ideal client or customer is.

The more descriptive you can be here, the better. For example, don’t just think “men”. Think “men ages 18-40 who like sports and working out”. Don’t just think “small business owners”. Think “women owners of professional service businesses that do less than $1 million a year”.

Can you take on clients or customers who fall outside of this description? Of course! But you need to know who you’re going after.

Example: About three years ago, I spent a romantic summer week on Nantucket Island in Massachusetts. My beau was wonderful in letting me decide most of the activities we’d do each day. But there was one thing he definitely wanted to do at least once - go bluefishing!

Now I’m not sure if you could have guessed this, but I’m not really into fishing. ; )

But hey, I’ll try anything once, so off we went to the docks. Now, I figured we could go on any boat with any captain and do this. But no … we went with “Captain Dan the Bluefish Man” (who smelled like his specialty). Dan took us on his special boat to this special place off the island where the bluefish were, and we even used special bait that the bluefish liked. And we had great success - they just kept biting!

I realized that if you know exactly what you’re going after, you’re much more likely to get it. The same goes for reaching your target market.

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STEP 2: Find other people, companies, or websites that are ALREADY reaching your target market en masse.

Sit down with a cup of coffee this weekend and do some online research regarding your target market. What sites are they already visiting? What newsletters or magazines do they already read? For example, if your target market is stay-at-home moms, find the most popular sites they visit. Find the most popular e-zines they read.

Come up with a list of your top five websites and top five ezines that are already reaching your ideal client or customer.

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STEP 3: Contact these websites and ezines and see if they will:

–> REVIEW your book, products, services, or ezine for their readers. If so, send them a review copy and follow up a week or two later. Request that when they run the review they mention your e-zine and direct people to your website to sign up.

–> Accept guest ARTICLES. If so, then submit one of your best, with a short bio that links people back to your website to sign up for your ezine.

–> SWAP ads or recommendations for each other’s websites, products, or services. If you have an ezine that reaches the same target market they want to reach, this is a great win-win.

–> Do a CO-REGISTRATION deal. If you already have a good amount of e-zine subscribers and website traffic, they may be open to adding your e-zine to their ezine signup form if you do the same on your part. (Ideally folks should just check a box to subscribe to the additional e-zine automatically.)

–> Run a recommendation or ad in exchange for a COMMISSION on resulting sales. For example, you give them the ad to run, tagged with a link that lets you know if any sales come from it. (This is easy for you to do if you have an online affiliate program.*)

–> Accept PAID advertising. Banner ads, text ads, and other paid placements obviously cost you money, but if it’s your only option and you really want to reach these folks, go for it. But be sure to track your results so you can see if it’s working. (You’ll need a link tracking program to do this.*)

And these are just a FEW ideas to get you started!

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Remember, your #1 goal is to get people back to your site to sign up for your e-zine or other email list, because THAT is how you guarantee the chance to market to them repeatedly!

WANT TO SEE MORE ARTICLES LIKE THIS ONE?
See Alexandria’s Small Business Marketing Blog.

Alexandria K. Brown, â€œThe E-zine Queen,â€ is author of the award-winning manual, â€œBoost Business With Your Own E-zine.â€ To learn more about her book and sign up for more FREE tips like these, visit her site: CLICK HERE. Alexandria is one of my favorite writers who I “hang out” with through her weekly wisdom in HER EZINE! Sign up today for great encouragement!

Written by Cindy Rushton · Filed Under E-zines, From the Archives, Secrets to Success

15 Easy Ways to Grow Your Subscriber List by Alexandria Brown

March 14, 2007

Are you promoting YOURSELF? Are you building your mailing list? The best way is to begin YOUR OWN ezine! Here are some great ideas that should really help you from the EZINE QUEEN herself! I think you will really enjoy this article!

Love,Cindy

While there are seemingly endless ways to promote your e-zine and attract new subscribers, here’s a list of my
favorite 15. Which ones are YOU using? Print this out and check those you already do, and note those you should “get a move on.”

___ 1. Tell your clients, associates, and friends. Send out one of your best issues (or your first issue) as a sample issue, inviting them to sign up if they like it. (Never sign anyone up without his/her permission.)

___ 2. Put a signup form on your home page and every page of your Web site. No matter what page people may land on, this way they’ll know about your amazing e-zine. Don’t let them click away and lose them forever!

___ 3. Use a pop-up or pop-under box on your site. Yes, they’re irritating if abused, but I can tell you they work. Studies show pop-ups/unders can increase your e-zine signups by up to 10 times! Give it a try and test it. (You can see my pop-under here (http://www.ezinequeen.com/).)

___ 4. Offer a free goodie for new subscribers. We all get so much e-mail these days, that you have to work hard to get anyone’s e-mail address. Offer new subscribers a valuable free article, report, resource list, e-book, etc.

___ 5. Offer a free sample issue on your Web site or have one available by e-mail autoresponder. Some people won’t sign up for anything until they can see it first.

___ 6. List your e-zine in free e-zine directories. There are hundreds of these on the Web where people visit to search for e-zines on particular topics. Make sure you’re here so you can be found! (One of the best is Charlie Page’s Directory of E-zines
(http://www.1automationwiz.com/app/aftrack.asp?AFID=44985).)

___ 7. Swap ads with other e-zines. Search online e-zine directories for other e-zines whose target readership matches yours, and contact their publishers. Swap at least three ads in a row for best results.

___ 8. Buy ads in other e-zines. Again, search those directories for other e-zines whose target readership matches yours, and see their ad specifications and rates. Purchase at least three ads in a row for best results.

___ 9. Plug your e-zine in your e-mail signature. After your usual contact information at the bottom of all your e-mails, be sure to include a two- or three-line plug for your e-zine.

___ 10. Get published in OTHER e-zines. There are dozens of Web sites where other publishers visit to pick up free
content for their e-zines. Why not post YOUR articles there for them to use? You get free exposure and plenty of
traffic back to your site.

___ 11. Do a co-op with other e-zine subscribers. You can cross-promote with other e-zine publishers on your own, or
use an automated service such as Subscription Rocket (http://www.subscriptionrocket.com).

___ 12. Try a pay-for-subscriber service. These services advertise your e-zine for you and bring you subscribers automatically for as little as 10 to 30 cents apiece. One with a good reputation is Lead Factory .

___ 13. Announce your e-zine to all of the professional organizations and associations you’re a member of. They
usually allow you to make announcements in their newsletters or on their online bulletin boards.

___ 14. Advertise your e-zine on the back of your business cards. In the text, be sure to tell people how they can sign up for your e-zine.

___ 15. Become active in a few online forums where your ideal readers hang out. In your posts, position yourself as a resource in your area of expertise, and include a signature file that promotes your e-zine!

For STEP-BY-STEP instructions on all of these strategies (and dozens more) see my SPECIAL REPORT: “101 Simple, FREE
and Low-Cost Ways to Quickly Build a MASSIVE EMAIL LIST (http://www.netofficetoolbox.com/app/adtrack.asp?AdID=139470)”.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Written by Cindy Rushton · Filed Under E-zines, From the Archives

Marketing Lessons I Learned From the Muscleheads at Gold’s Gym by Ali Brown, “The Ezine Queen”

March 13, 2007

Can I share a secret with you?

I love working out. So much that several years ago I considered a career in fitness. I modeled for Reebok and Ironman magazine, made it to the final round for hosting a fitness TV show, and I moonlit as an aerobics instructor and personal trainer for several years while I figured out how to get out of my day job in publishing.

Now that I make a great living online as The E-zine Queen, I still make time for my health. And I’m lucky to live close to the most famous gym in the world: Gold’s Gym at Venice Beach, California. On a daily basis, I’m surrounded by bodybuilding legends like Lou Ferrigno and various men named “Gunther,” athletes like Kobe Bryant and Jennifer Capriati, and celebs like “The Rock”. The place is an absolute circus, and I enjoy the entertainment factor.

When I first joined Gold’s two years ago, I didn’t pay much attention to the “muscleheads” - the professional bodybuilders. But I’ve come to realize they can teach us a lot about marketing and business success. Here are 7 lessons we can all learn from.

1. Hang around people whom you want to be like.
Bodybuilders and aspiring bodybuilders from all over the area come to the Venice Gold’s because it’s the home of bodybuilding. I know a few bodybuilders who drive almost an hour just to work out there. Sure, they could exercise at their neighborhood Ballys, but instead they make the trip to their Mecca every day through the arduous Los Angeles traffic.

Why? They know that when you hang around people who are doing what you want to do, you automatically have a much greater chance of success. The furious energy at Gold’s is undeniable as soon as you walk in the door. You’re surrounded by world-class competitors, gold medalists, and celebrities. It’s not only motivating and inspiring, but there’s a wealth of knowledge surrounding you as well.

Who are YOU hanging around? (Think about it.)

2. Consistency is the key for long-term success.
Bodybuilders know that a body is built over a long term. And even if they take some time off, they’ll bounce back quickly because of all the training they’ve done over the years. It’s called “muscle memory” - your body remembers your shape and snaps back into place.

In the same way, our clients and customers have “marketing memory.” That is, as long as we’re in front of them on a regular basis, they’ll remember who we are - even if we take a break. (And there’s no better way to stay in front of them than publishing an e-zine!)

3. Ups and downs are a part of the process.
Bodybuilders know that success comes in cycles. It’s physically damaging for them to try to be on “full force” more than a few times every year. They know their limits, and they push them, but they don’t break them.

Marketing has cycles as well. You can hit it hard for a while, then ease back for a bit. Don’t worry when there’s a “down.” Just make sure to immediately follow it with an “up”. Get back on your marketing schedule or mix it up and do something different.

4. Hard work is part of the game.
Bodybuilders don’t wake up and say, “I don’t feel like working out today.” They just do it. It becomes part of their schedule, part of their life. And that ensures their success.

How many of us secretly wish our success would be handed to us on a silver platter? I’m all about attracting success on whatever level we can, but hey, let’s realize there is work involved. The solution is to make the hard work FUN by doing what you love to do and delegating what you don’t.

5. Model others who are already doing what you want to do.
Bodybuilders don’t try to invent their own training programs from scratch. They look at what the top competitors are doing, and they do the same thing. From weightlifting to cardio to diet, they’ve got it down to a precise formula.

Don’t reinvent the wheel when there are others who are already racing along. Find other business owners who are doing what you want to do, and model them. Important: Don’t model ones who are doing it half-assed. Model the best, the ones who are experiencing the immense success that you dream of!

6. Find a mentor or coach for faster results.
I don’t know of any champion who got to where he/she did alone. Every bodybuilding competitor hires a trainer or a coach who has been there before and can walk them through every step of the way. Does this cost them a lot of money? You bet. But they don’t look at what it costs. They look at what it’s WORTH. They’re fast forwarding their success, and that is priceless.

I know many entrepreneurs who have wasted thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars on websites, programs, and training that got them nowhere or pointed them in the wrong direction. Don’t make that mistake - I’ve been there. Stop struggling and invest in someone to show you the way - the right way - the first time.

7. Show off what you’ve got!
You can be sure the bodybuilding gurus at Gold’s aren’t meek about their successes. They show off their hard work with outfits that emphasize their assets. (Oh, the stories I could tell you about some of the costumes there! Lace catsuit, anyone?)

Even if you don’t have it all (yet), show off what you DO have. Strut your best stuff and toot your own horn. You’re doing the world a disservice if you don’t let us all know what you and your business can offer.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Written by Cindy Rushton · Filed Under Disciplines of the Writer, E-zines

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