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Sharpen Your Email Skills!
The foundation of any business strategy online should be done using email.
Email is the most effective and cost efficient manner in which to communicate with potential customers on and off the Internet.
And according to a recent report, released by the Department of Commerce entitled, "A Nation Online: How Americans Are Expanding Their Use of the Internet" , 84% of ALL Americans make use of email to communicate.
This report contains an invaluable WEALTH of information regarding the numbers of American households connected to the Internet, details how, where and why people surf the Internet, provides demographic details on income, employment status, age groups, gender, levels of education, urban or rural locations, race and a great deal more.
For those of us doing and wishing to do business online it is filled with nothing but encouraging good news.
Here are a few strategies to sharpen your skills and your ability to succeed with your online business:
1. Learn Before or Burn.
BEFORE you attempt to send out anything, make certain you know HOW to properly use your email program.
Whether you use a web-based email service like Microsoft's Hotmail, http://www.hotmail.com or your own mail program like Window's Outlook Express, Eudora, Pegasus, Netscape, etc., and test, test, test it out by sending yourself a message.
In my eight years of being online, I am personally aware of several popular newsletters that lost virtually all of their hard earned subscribers when they accidentally sent out their newsletter with the entire subscription list exposed after switching to a new email program.
2. NEVER Ever SPAM!
NEVER ever use a mailing list that you receive by email as doing so will constitute SPAM. You again risk losing valuable momentum if all your previous efforts are erased when you lose your email account.
3. BUILD Your Own Opt-In Mailing List.
It takes time, but it is well worth the effort to build a 100% safe email list. If you have a web site, add a "Subscribe" feature that will bring you a steady flow of new email addresses to which you can safely email.
Creating and managing your own list is difficult but possible.
If you want to save some time, subscribe yourself to one of the many FREE mailing list services like Yahoo, http://www.groups.yahoo.com. They handle everything for you. And they are not the only FREE list host available.
4. USE A Clear and Distinct Subject Line.
If the person you are sending your message just reads the Subject line and finds it wanting, you will probably get deleted BEFORE you get read. Try to make your Subject line a complete and interesting idea.
5. KEEP Your First Message Short.
If someone is responding to an online ad or posting in a discussion group, give them just enough to inform and excite.
Too much info sent out in your first communication might also make them delete before reading your message in its entirety.
If they are truly interested, they WILL request more information. Once they request a follow-up, you can send them a more detailed email. Therefore, do use: Short paragraphs, Lines under sixty-five characters and Email under twenty-five lines total.
6. TARGET Your Response and Keep In Focus.
Nobody likes an email that starts in one direction and then loses the point mid-email.
7. CREATE A File To Your Most FAQ.
Have email responses to your most frequently asked questions, FAQ. For example, if you run an ad featuring your business Opportunity, you will need to customize those response emails to that particular situation. Then keep them handy, like in your email inbox, so you can "Cut and Paste" your responses.
You should have on file a short, first response email, a longer, more detailed follow-up as well as a third short reminder message. The reminder is used about a week or two after sending the detailed response to keep your message fresh in the mind of your prospect.
It does pay to follow-up.
8. ALWAYS Use A Signature File.
Your signature is very much like an electronic business card for the Internet. Keep it short, about 4 or 5 lines is considered appropriate.
Again, it is always wise to send yourself an email to SEE how it will look to those to which you email.
9. TEST Your Messages.
Send out two or three versions of the same basic message so That you can evaluate which gives you a better response rate.
10. FOLLOW-UP!
Keep those on your list well informed by updating any changes, notices of specials, limited time offers, etc.
Invest some time when you first start your email campaign and it will save you countless hours down the road when you need it the most to answer those responses and fill those orders.
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