Hi, Russ here.  Welcome to another issue of the "Conquer The Net" ezine.

This issue includes…

1) "Simple Formula For E-Mail Subject Lines"

2) "Marketing Freebie"

3) "The 60 Second Tip"

4) "Featured Article: ABC Article Writing"

5) "This Issue’s Writing Tip"

6) "Effective Marketing Strategies"

7) "Tell Me What You Think!"

Let’s dive right in, shall we?

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>>>>> Simple Formula For E-Mail Subject Lines <<<<<
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More and more people are beginning to realize that email marketing is the key to growing their online business.  

However, many fail to realize that there is a lot more to email marketing than simply promoting your products.

Using email is no different to any other type of marketing and as such it’s important to understand that email marketing is just a tool and like any tool, you must learn how to use it.

Your goal should not be to make the sale, but to provide your prospect with quality content that helps to solve their problems.  However, this is not the biggest problem you will face.

You see, over 90% of all emails will never be read. Why?  Poor subject lines!

To put it plainly, your subject line will determine the success or failure of your email campaign. Basically, your subject line has one task, and one task only - to convince your reader to open your message!

Simply stating "You can make $X in the next 30 days" just doesn’t cut it any more.  In fact, there’s a good chance that a line like this will be considered spam and it won’t even reach your reader’s inbox.

An acceptable rule of thumb is, that the more hyped your subject is - the less chance there is of your email getting read. So if this is the case, then how do you grab your reader’s attention without hype?

There’s no magic formula, but personalizing the subject line with your prospect’s name is a good start. But a name alone won’t get you great results. You still need to craft your subject line without the hype.

My own tweaking and testing has found that adding an element of mystery or asking a question vastly improves the open rates of my emails. In other words, rather than making a bold statement in your subject line, use a more passive approach by asking a question that is directly related to a problem your readers are facing.

A good method you can use to create your own subject lines is to do a quick scan of your email box and look at the subject lines of the emails you’ve opened. There’s a good chance that if these subject lines worked on you, they just may have the same effect on your readers.

For example, I just had a quick scan of my email box and found these subject lines that got my attention: "I’m shocked you didn’t get this" "Only available for the next 48 hours…" "2 Important News Items for Today" "Here are 5 super easy tips…" "Please write down this date"

These are just a few quick examples, but I’m sure you get the idea. All you need to do is create a sense of urgency or mystery without all the hype and half the battle is won.

Of course, you don’t want to use those "canned" emails provided by marketers to their affiliates "as-is".

Instead, rewrite them - especially the subject line - to make them unique to you. That way, when your subscribers are receiving the same exact message from a half dozen of your competitors, you’ll stand out from the crowd as providing something original.

And the more savvy subscribers will also recognize that you didn’t take the lazy approach, which will give you a great credibility boost.

Also, you should always run your entire message through a spam checker to identify "trigger words" before you send it out.

The lower your score, the greater chance your message will have of actually landing in your subscribers’ inboxes.

Feel free to use this excellent Spam Checker, with my compliments:  FREE SPAM CHECKER

After all, why take the time to craft a message if the majority of your subscribers’ ISPs will block it? If they don’t receive it, there’s NO chance of them opening it, right?

And if they don’t open it, there’s NO chance of them responding to your offer or recommendation. Think about it…

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>>>>> Marketing Freebie <<<<<

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Free Site Building Software

 

Here’s a great software script that allows you to build a passive long-term online income stream, but the best part is that it’s completely free - well, at least it is for now!

 

It’s the brainchild of Matt Callen, the younger brother of famous internet marketer Brad Callen.

 

Brad is most known for his expertise in search engine optimization as well as his awesome products, LinkMetro, Keyword Elite, SEO Elite and his recent Affiliate Elite.

 

And now his brother Matt has come out with this gem. I can tell he learned a lot from Brad, this is yet another fine addition to the legacy of excellence I’ve come to expect from the Callens.

 

I just downloaded my very own upgraded copy and trust me, this software is great. And it’s such a breeze to use.

 

Anyway, just had to share it with you… ==> FREE SITE-BUILDING SOFTWARE

 

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>>>>> The 60 Second Tip <<<<<

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Did you know that a top level domain name is one of your strongest sales tools for your website?

 

It’s not everything, but it can make a difference. For example, if you want to create a site about Guitar Strings, it would make sense to use a domain name including the phrase "guitarstrings", wouldn’t it?

 

Think about it. If you were searching for info on guitar strings and you saw a site with this term in the domain name and one without, which one would you think would provide the best information?

 

Naturally you’d go for the one with your search term in the domain name. Why? Because you (and the average person) would view this site as having more credibility and authority, therefore you would give it a higher priority.

 

So with this in mind, you should try to include the topic of your site in your domain name. Unfortunately, other people may have had the same idea, so using our example, guitarstrings.com may no longer be available, nor may guitarstrings.net, .org, .biz or any other simple domain name with a top level suffix.

 

So, what can you do?  Well, here’s a couple of very simple tips that may be well worth trying if you are looking to snag that all important top level domain name for your site.

 

The tricks are - numbers and dashes!

 

Not numbers at the beginning of the domain address - that’s really old news - but rather numbers in the "body" of the domain name itself, especially the numbers 2 and 4. Why? Well the number 2 is a simple substitute for the word "to" and 4 can be read as "for".

 

And dashes can not only open up the choices of a domain name, but they can also separate the words for easier reading. Plus, the search engines don’t penalize you for the dashes.

 

So let’s tie that in with one other little substitution trick - take the word "you" and substitute the letter "u" - and finding a good top level domain name that still relates very closely to the site subject matter becomes a relatively simple matter.

 

Ok. Let’s take our guitarstrings example to show how effective this strategy can be. Using all four of the highlighted tricks, try searching for guitarstrings2u.com, guitarstringss4u.com, guitar-strings-2u.com or guitar-strings-4u.com.

 

How about guitarstrings4us.com, guitarstrings4me.com, guitar-strings-4us.com or guitar-strings-for-me.com?

Even if all of these are taken, all you need is a little more imagination to create a top level domain name that directly relates to your niche topic.

 

You should probably try to stay at four words or less and limit the use of these tricks as much as possible.

 

In other words, keep it short and sweet, using dashes, numbers and abbreviation tricks sparingly and only when necessary.

 

Bottom line: your domain name should be as short as possible, and most of all - MEMORABLE.

 

Clever is one thing, but your visitors need to be able to find you again…

 

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>>>>>>>> Featured Article <<<<<<<<

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ABC Article Writing

 

Writing and submitting articles is without question one of the most effective methods of driving targeted visitors to your website, increasing your rankings and boosting sales.

 

However, for most people article writing is difficult, as it brings back long forgotten bad memories of writing high school reports or university essays.

 

The good news is that by learning just a few simple steps, writing your own articles isn’t as hard as it may first appear.

 

One of the biggest hurdles most new writers face is finding ideas to write about. The easiest way to begin is to write about things you have an interest in or are excited about.

 

Once you have decided on a general area, a good way to narrow the topic down is to focus on the problems that people face.

 

Typically, people read articles because they want to be entertained or they are seeking and solution to a problem they face.

 

Writing entertaining articles is a somewhat difficult skill. However, writing informative articles that provide solutions can be as simple as sharing tips that you have personally learned.

 

You may already know the common problems that people have in your particular topic, but if not, a good way to find out is to regularly scan related online forums and note the most common questions being asked.

 

If you don’t have all the answers, carry out some research to find the information you need. Often the answers are readily available by simply searching the major search engines.

 

Most people don’t like to read large documents online, so your article should be between 500-800 words. If you think this is far too many words, then a simple trick is to break the article into smaller sections, such as an introduction, a small number of sub-headings and a conclusion.

All you need to do then is write about 50 words in each sub-section and before you realize it, you have written a complete and informative article. And most importantly, don’t forget to add an "about the author" section where you can place details on how to get your readers to join your list or to visit your website for additional information about your topic.

 

The first draft should be for your eyes only. Don’t try to produce a final copy as you write. It tends to be much quicker to get your thoughts down first and come back to edit later.

 

The final step in the writing process is to proofread your article, making sure that the writing flows and would be interesting to the reader.

 

Ask yourself, ‘does the article provide information the potential reader is looking for?’ It can also be helpful to have someone else proofread the article. This is also the time to remove spelling and grammatical errors.

 

If you are using Microsoft Word to compose your article - which I suggest - make sure you have the spelling and grammar-check functions turned on.

 

The wavy red and green lines may be a hassle at first, but are super helpful in helping you to clean up your copy.

 

Once you have written your article, submit it to article directories. As other websites publish your article, you will begin to receive one-way links pointing back to your site. This will then help you to gain higher rankings in the search engines, which will only help to drive even more traffic to your site.

 

Yes, it does take time to write articles, but doing so is the easiest and most effective method of branding yourself, as well as driving free traffic to you website so you can build your list and boost your profits.

 

And isn’t that what it’s all about?

 

Tip: I strongly suggest you use some sort of software like Content Composer to "spin" several slightly different versions of your articles.

 

The slight variations will go a long way to prevent any sort of duplicate content penalty from the search engines and keep multiple forms of your articles circulating around the web and bringing you traffic for a long time to come - some times for years.

 

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>>>>> This Issue’s Writing Tip <<<<<

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There are so many grammar and spelling errors I could tell you about.

 

But this week I want to focus on the MOST important part of writing - DOING IT.

 

My point is, there are very few of us who don’t make a mistake in our writing. So, with that in mind, our focus should be placed first on actually writing, then on proofreading and correcting errors later.

 

You can’t fix errors in an email or article that you haven’t written yet, can you? Of course not.

 

That’s why the featured article in this issue is on writing - article writing.

 

In scientific circles there is a saying: "publish or perish". And on the internet it applies too. You have to generate some kind of content sooner or later and "publish" it by uploading it to the internet.

 

And it’s always better if it’s yours and not borrowed from someone else. When you’re done writing - and hopefully you use a program like MS Word (as mentioned earlier) that has built-in spell and grammar check features - grab a thesaurus and dictionary and start correcting what the word-processing program identifies.

 

You can also look for words you may have repeated too many times and find substitutes for some of them in the thesaurus. Whatever you do, write! It’ll get easier each time you do it.

 

Oh, and read something new everyday too. Preferably something in a published book. Why? Because before a publisher spends thousands of dollars to print a book, it is edited by expert proofreaders and grammar checkers - real people.

 

Publishers certainly don’t want their names associated with badly written books. So they spend the extra time and money to get them edited first before printing thousands of copies.

 

So, by reading books that are written properly, you’ll quickly learn the proper way to write. And you’ll learn spelling and grammar too - almost automatically.

 

And remember, "I" before "E", except after "C"… (<;

Thief = correct, Theif = incorrect; Receipt = correct, Reciept = incorrect

 

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>>>>> Effective Marketing Strategies <<<<<

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It’s true that online free classified sites provide an effective solution to promoting your business or to sell your products without having to outlay huge sums of money when first starting out.

 

You just need to be aware that advertising in these sites can be time consuming and frustrating, and if not used properly can be a complete waste of your time and effort.

 

However, knowing the tricks and tips will separate you from the hundreds who post thousands of ads without getting any results.

 

All free classified sites are not created equal, so to start with you should only focus on a few good sites and post your ads regularly only in those sites.

 

To get started, go to Google and do a search for "free classifieds" and "free ads". From the search result pages, visit and register with 10 to 15 sites.

 

If a site asks too many questions during the registration process, abandon it and go to the next site. Good sites will only ask minimal questions to set-up your account so that you can edit, delete and renew your ads.

 

If you can find a site that will let you post without any registration, then all the better!

 

When you start to create your ad you will only have space to write 80 to 100 words, so you need to focus on the benefits of your products and services. Try to think of benefits in terms of generating extra income, improving health and relationships and providing a sense of good feelings when they use your products and services.

 

An even better method is, rather than try to sell them on a product, get them to join your list. This will allow you to contact them at a later date, which will give you more time to fully explain the benefits of the product you’re promoting.

 

Write a concise, interest grabbing, captivating title with action words that compels the reader to take action. If you are promoting an affiliate product you need to make your title and copy stand out so that it gets noticed amongst all the other competing ads.

 

In most classified sites, the most recent ads are listed on the top of the search listing pages, so depending on how many ads are posted each day in the same category, your ad could end up being buried deep down the listings in a matter of days, even hours.

 

To avoid this, you may need to keep your ads fresh and on the top of the listing page by renewing your ads every couple of days - and in some cases every few hours.

 

Do not post your ads in all categories. Doing this will get you banned very quickly. Post only in a few relevant categories, preferably using different ad copies and ad titles for each ad. If the site has regional sections, i.e. states, cities, or countries and your target is to reach every region, post in 10 to 15 regions only.

 

If you’re going to use banners or photos in your ad, make sure that the size and dimensions of your images are within the site’s acceptable limits. Otherwise the site may choose to not display your images at all.

 

Listen, I’ll be honest with you. Posting on free advertising sites is not as effective as it once was and in most instances it will take a lot of effort on your part to generate any sales or to build your list.

 

It is for this reason that most people tend to stay away from these sites. But if you have more time than money this could be an effective way to generate an additional income to help pay expenses as you get started with your online business.

 

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>>>>> Tell Me What You Think <<<<<

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This is your chance to speak out. Comment on articles I’ve run in Conquer The Net, give me your thoughts on changes or your ad testing results or questions relating to your business, etc.

 

In other words, just talk to me about what you think I need to do to improve the ezine.

 

Be sure to include your website address too, because if I use your comments in a future issue of the ezine, I’ll thank you by posting your address so that you can get additional free traffic to your site!

 

Simply click on the About Me link and a form will open that you can use to privately contact me. Of course, if you don’t need privacy, you can also post your comments and questions right here on the blog, right below this issue. Be sure to include your website address too, because your comment post could very well drive traffic to your site, too.

 

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>>>>> That’s a Wrap for this Issue <<<<<

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Be sure to stop by frequently and also consider subscribing to my RSS feed (big orange button) so that you can keep up to date on all the latest happenings.

 

Especially since email delivery rates are so unpredictable…

 

Be well,

 

Russ Guthrie

Gu3 Virtual Marketing

Publisher, "Conquer The Net" ezine

http://russguthrie.com

 

Recommend "Conquer The Net" ezine to your friends. Subscription requests should be sent to: http://russguthrie.com/HelpsYou/ConquerTheNet

 

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