For the Smart Money Cookie

I am always amazed when I see marketers advertising new products. From products touting various skin creams and anti-aging creams to the latest and greatest weight management program, the campaigns are larger than life. When will they understand that I want to look good for MY age and not the age I was 20 years ago?

I am not trying to recapture my youth or be razor thin like a
model. Today, most products’ packaging simply does not identify
with whom I am, how I see myself or embody the person I would
like to be. Packages with 30-year-old models try to convince me
that if I use their cream the reflection in my mirror will roll
back 20 years. Get real, as if this would compel me to purchase
this product.

I’m sure that out there somewhere is that perfect “niche” to
which they are marketing AND selling. The question in my mind is
who in the world is this? It certainly doesn’t relate to me - an
over 50 female who represents 50% of the world’s population
that is soon to be the largest demographic marketing segment.
This market also has the money to spend and is willing to spend
it for the right products.

Just who is it I represent?
Women over 50 years of age are an underserved, unknown, and
obviously underrated segment of the purchasing population. When
was the last time an advertisement truly captured that
demographic segment with compelling graphics and images it can
relate too?

Marketers just don’t get it. A daily dose of TV advertising will convince you that you are fat (seriously), your skin is wrinkled, you have yellow teeth, and you need a push-up bra. Where is the reality in that? I’ve been there and loved every minute of it, but now I am at an age in my life when much of that “hype” really doesn’t matter to me. I am comfortable with who I am. I don’t think I am fat, my laugh lines show character, my teeth shine when I smile and just give me a comfortable bra!

Recent ads from Dove and Nike are coming close to getting the
marketing message about 50+ women. I loved the thunder thighs and big butts connotations because they are getting closer to our reality. The truth is the images and marketing messages on most packaged products fall short of attracting the female +50
market’s attention. The packages don’t drive the market to
connect with the product and compel them to buy it.

I’m ready to spend money, so where are the products that I crave? I can’t buy clothes without looking like Little Bo Peep or worse, Cher. I can’t buy cosmetics without outlandish colors. I don’t want to be reminded every five seconds that I’m not the slim 25 year old I used to be. It is as if they think we are no longer attractive since we have passed the big 50.

I don’t need a push up bra. I need things that make me feel good, applaud me for my success in life, and keep me grounded to the fact that I’m not old, senior, golden, aged or any other similar nomenclature. I’m at the half way point in my life with lots of dynamic years left.

Give me products that support that vision. Put them in packages
that I can read the type and actually open without assistance and you got me hooked. So get real marketers. I have money to spend. Create something that resonates with me that and I will buy it.

Got packaging problems? I can help. I teach people how to package products consumers will buy. I make it easy to answer your problems with email and voice consultation. Get advice from the top expert in consumer packaging. Email the packaging Diva @ PackagingDiva@aol.com

You are now reading Part 2 of my article the “Do’s and Don’ts for the Internet Marketing Newbie”. Part 1 covered the Do’s and this part will cover the Don’ts.

Don’t throw your money away! Unless you have lots to throw away and can afford to buy whatever gets thrown at you. Budget yourself and keep within your budget. Only spend when you need to. You will come across plenty of sites that want you to spend your hard earned money for an internet marketing course, E-book, or piece of software guaranteed to make you money. Don’t fall into the trap. First investigate, ask questions from other marketers to see if they are familiar with the product and recommend it. That’s where the forums come in handy and are beneficial.

Don’t believe all of the hype you will encounter. Example. BUY THIS SOFTWARE NOW! YOU ONLY HAVE TILL MIDNIGHT TONIGHT OR THE PRICE IS GOING TO DOUBLE OR EVEN TRIPLE. YOU’LL SAVE $200.00 IF YOU BUY RIGHT NOW! Don’t believe it, the price will be the same tomorrow and the next. Or here’s another good one. I’m only selling this to the first 50 people who visit my website. Yeah, right. I really believe that one.

Don’t forget you are a potential customer to every marketer out there, so they will try to sell you their service or product to make money. Remember you are now a marketer and your purpose is to sell your service or product to others, not for you to buy theirs.

Don’t get me wrong, some services or products are worth buying. You just have to figure out which are the right ones for you and your business. Remember you’re not trying to line someone else’s pockets. You’re trying to line your own.

Don’t get frustrated and give up because things don’t happen right away. You have to have the mindset that you can do it and succeed. Granted you will have good days and bad days. Every accomplishment is a victory. Every defeat is a learning experience. No business is an overnight success.

Don’t limit yourself and your thinking. Be willing to try different things and when you find the one thing that seems to work, build on it, but keep trying other things as well.

You’ve had your business up and running for a couple of months and you’ve only made one sale. Don’t quit because you think it’s not working. Think in these terms instead. If you’ve made one sale, then you can make 2 sales, and if you can make 2 sales, you can make 3 sales and so on. Many of the top marketers on the internet today took years to find the formula that led to their success.

Don’t believe that there is such a thing as an “auto-pilot” business. Like Ron Popeil’s rotisserie oven, SET IT AND GO. Just doesn’t work that way. I don’t care what you have heard or have read. You have to promote your business. You have to get your name out there and become visible so people can find you and what you’re offering. Just because you now have a website does not mean the masses will come in droves. There are millions upon millions of websites and probably at least a quarter of a million of them are selling the same service or product as you. The question is how are you going to get people to visit your website instead of someone else’s? Once they are there, what’s going to get them to buy from you or join your affiliation? So understand you are going to have to learn how to promote and sell your business and that involves work and time.

Don’t upgrade your affiliation accounts until you can afford to do so. Many affiliate programs will try to pressure you into upgrading to a “Pro” account. Wait until you start making some money from your business first, then upgrade.

Don’t rely solely on emailing to promote your business. Due to major Spam filters your message may not get through. Find all of the different ways to advertise on the internet like writing articles, exchanging links, click/surf exchanges, and Pay Per Click search engines. Use offline ways to advertise your business like newspaper ads, mailings, telemarketing, faxes and flyers. Put your website on a t-shirt and wear it!

Don’t give up, persistence will pay off eventually.

Okay, I’ll stop there. I probably could go on and on and even write an E-book about this subject (that’s a thought). I think you get the idea about how to avoid the “Information Overload” headache and hopefully I have given you some substance for thought. The most important point is take one step at a time. Don’t rush it! And remember once a “newbie” always a “newbie” because you will be learning all of the time!

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Debra Hamer is the owner of the http://www.profitfromhomebiz.com website where you can find the tips, tools, and resources to start your own work at home internet business. Become a subscriber to her free Home Business Tips Newsletter. She also offers free software to create your own PlugInProfitSite and the Mega PlugInProfitSite website and a free E-book titled “30 Days to Success” written by Stone Evans that will give you a day by day guide on how to promote your internet business.
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If your internet marketing message is not working, you have forgotten to keep it simple.

Coming from a background as someone with five degrees, with years of academic papers behind me, this has not been easy to do.

In undergraduate school, I had to write historical documents, using primary sources involving Elizabethan English. My history professors loved my accurate reporting and interpretation of complex historical events.

Then in graduate school, I had to write reports on the complex issues of psychology. It’s hard to describe the progression of dementia in simple words! My professors approved and awarded me accordingly.

Finally, as a fiction writer, I feel that I’m ripping people off if my sentences are short and choppy, rather than long, eloquent, and rich in description. My readers thought my works imaginative and engaging.

And to make things even tougher, most of my bedside reading is at a college-level. I am simply bored if the writer talks down to me. When he rolls out one idea per page, or worse per chapter, I feel an urge to throw the book out of the open bedroom window. I want to read people who are smarter than I am. It’s how I evolve.

Yet, in the online world, it’s a completely different story.

I used to write the most elegant and engaging emails to my list and my web copy consisted of a blow-by-blow description on the features and benefits of a product.

How did I do?

No click through! No sales.

I was baffled. I completely believed in my products and my intent in describing them was utterly sincere. If I got detailed, it’s not because I wanted to be pedanticI really wanted to offer a full description and honestly outline the value.

I soon learned that people online are a different breed altogether.

They are preoccupied. And, generally, they have the attention span of gnats.

Offline they probably engage in thoughtful discussions and ponder on deeper issues, but online they transform into instant satisfaction junkies.

It’s something to do with the media. Slow dial-ups are an anathema. Slow loading web pages are an insult. It’s a world of flashing electrons, where quick is in, and slow is a sign of death. And if your computer or the programs on it are more than two years old, you’re in the Neanderthal age.

Hence, to survive, I’ve learned to simplify, simplify, simplify. They’ve “gotta” have it now or they’re “gonna” leave and it “ain’t” their fault
if I can’t “git er done.”

Financially, I’m not doing as well as others who use clichés without cringing, awful grammar without flinching, and propose lofty ideas with the verbal skills of a high school dropout, but I’m learning.

At least, I’m creating more white spaces between paragraphs, slipping in incomplete sentences, throwing in shorter sentences, and deleting any sesquipedalian words. (Oops, I just missed one!)

It really is a wild frontier out here. Simplicity seems to be key to engaging with it.

It’s not easy being simple.

Saleem Rana would love to share his inspiring ideas with you. Hunting everywhere for a life worth living? Discover the life of your dreams. His book Never Ever Give Up tells you how. It is offered at no cost as a way to help YOU succeed. http://www.theempoweredsoul.com/enter.html
Copyright 2004 Saleem Rana. Please feel free to pass this
article on to your friends, or use it in your ezine or
newsletter. It’s a shareware article.

Got a website but no traffic? Is your small business internet marketing ineffective? Consider these small business internet marketing tips and tricks to help drive traffic to your website:

* Get an automated eCommerce system - These can be really good, very comprehensive and very inexpensive. The good ones can do everything from customer base management to product management to shopping cart to newsletter broadcasts.

* Get a cheap and reliable merchant account provider - You can get merchant account providers that do both the merchant account and internet gateway for you. Hint: your bank is probably more expensive than the discount providers out there.

* Put a link back to your website in your email autosignature - This doesn’t need to be obnoxious, just a simple link that email recipients can click on to see your website.

* Do selective link trading - Link trade, but make sure the content on the other website is similar to your own. Don’t touch “link farms” with a ten-foot pole; search engines hate them.

* Write articles and include your website address - There are a number of article databases out there. Find some article databases which house content similar to yours and write a few articles. You’d be amazed at where your articles show up!

* Write newsletters - Allow for customers and visitors to subscribe to a newsletter to get regular visibility to you and your company.

* Consider using a search engine submission services - These services submit your site to multiple search engines & directories. Can be helpful particularly if your website is new.

* Set up an affiliates program - Allow for others to promote your products on a commission basis. Again a good eCommerce system should already have this built in.

* Download the Google Toolbar - The Google Toolbar has a nifty feature which shows you the page rank (0-10 scale) of every site you visit. The higher your page ranking the higher your placement in search engines.

* Set up multiple websites - Got three services you perform? Set up three different websites with domain names that match your keywords. Super cheap to do and can be very effective.

* Consider setting up a Google AdWords account - You pay on a cost-per-click (CPC) basis to get your website advertised. Can be effective but also can get very expensive.

Lonnie Pacelli has over 20 years’ experience with Accenture and Microsoft and is currently president of Leading on the Edge International. Lonnie’s books include “The Project Management Advisor: 18 Major Project Screw-Ups and How to Cut Them Off at the Pass” and “The Truth About Getting Your Point Across”. Get the books, leadership products, other articles, MP3 seminars and a free email mini seminar at http://www.leadingonedge.com

All too often otherwise nice folks come off as terse or plain old rude when it comes to their e-mail habits. They don’t intentionally set out to be viewed as rude, well I guess some do, but for the most part I prefer to believe the majority do not.

Are you being viewed as rude? Do your e-mail habits smack of a lack of consideration for the person on other side? Below are the most common faux pas I see onliners make on a regular basis that end up leaving a negative perception. If you answer “Yes” to any of the following questions you are most likely being viewed as rude.

=> Do you forward e-mails without comment?

If you cannot take the time to write a comment about why you are forwarding that particular e-mail to that particular person don’t bother forwarding at all or you’ll be viewed as rude!

=> Do you send overly large unexpected attachments?

If you cannot take the time to determine file size and ask first when would be the best time to send them, you’re being viewed as rude!

=> Do you send business attachments after business hours?

If you do, you will definitely be viewed as rude when you cause your associate’s inbox to fill and all subsequent e-mail to bounce!

=> Do you start every e-mail with a “Hi” or “Hello” with the recipient’s name and close with a “Sincerely,” “Take Care,” or “TTYS,” and your name?

If you cannot take the time to personally address an e-mail and sign off with courtesy, which will cause you to be perceived as demanding or curt, you’ll be viewed as rude!

=> Do you e-mail Web sites for information without searching to see if the information you’re seeking has already been provided for your convenience?

If you cannot take a few moments to search a site and read the information provided, you’ll be viewed as rude!

=> Do you use multiple !!! or ??? in your e-mails?

If you do, you will come off as pushy and/or condescending and you’ll be viewed as rude!

=> Do you include everyone’s e-mail address in the To: field even if they don’t know each other?

If you do, that is a serious breach of privacy when you expose your contact’s e-mail addresses to strangers and, you will be viewed as rude!

=> Do you add the e-mail address of new contacts, newsletters you’ve subscribed to or Web sites you receive e-mail from to your approved or white list?

If not, your spam blocking or your ISP’s filtering program may return e-mails or ask for confirmation. If you initiated the request, courtesy dictates that you add their e-mail address to your approved list to make communicating with you easy or, you’ll be viewed as rude!

Avoid being viewed as rude by taking the time to show courtesy to the people you are communicating with. All too often folks think only of themselves and what they want to do at any given moment regardless of how it will be perceived or affect the person on the other side. Good manners never go out of style and that applies to e-mail activities as well.

“To be always thinking about your manners is not the way
to make them good; the very perfection of manners
is not to think about yourself.”
- Richard Whately

About the Author:

Judith Kallos is an authoritative and good-humored Technology Muse who has played @ http://www.TheIStudio.com for over a decade. Check out her popular E-mail Etiquette Web site and Book @: http://www.NetManners.com

I know! I know! Everybody and his dog has probably been telling you that email marketing is dead. Many people predicted that spam would be the death of email marketing. That blogs and RSS feeds would take over.

Well, if you’ve noticed, it just ain’t so. It just hasn’t happened. Sure Blogs and RSS feeds are important and should be a part of your internet marketing strategy but they just can’t compete with email marketing when it comes to sales and marketing. Email marketing is still king of the internet.

Think about it, how do you get people to your blogs? I’m talking return visitors! You’re probably getting your visitors to opt-in to your list so that you can send them an email reminder whenever you add something to your blog.

Email marketing through publishing an ezine and sending it to your opt-in list is extremely profitable, even if you have a small list. The nature of ezine publishing creates loyal readers and highly responsive buyers for your products and services.

Why is email marketing such a powerful marketing strategy:

- the majority of people check their email every day

- there is a significant savings in time and money

- millions of people subscribe to get information that they are interested in

- increases customer loyalty because of frequent contacts

- email builds your brand

If you have a responsive opt-in list then the potential for email marketing profits is enormous. Thousands of successful internet marketers can’t be wrong when they say “The Money Is In The List.”

Build your responsive, opt-in list. Send them useful and informative information in your newsletter. Find out what they want. Find that product or service. Offer it to your list. Then do it again and again.

Email Marketing is still King!

Lewis Leake is the webmaster of http://www.emailcash.com where you will find articles, product reviews and resources to help you develop successful email marketing strategies.