Archive for How to…Tips – Page 17

Know the Law: How to Protect Your Intellectual Property

Hollander100 Blogging and Beyond Radio Show with The Blog Squad, Patsi Krakoff, Psy. D., and Denise Wakeman on Blog Talk Radio

With Guest Expert: Jay Hollander, intellectual property law attorney, www.ExpertPreneurlawblog.com 

Know the Law: How to Protect Your Business’ Creative Assets
September 6, 2007, 3:00 p.m. PT (6 p.m. ET)

What are the legal issues relevant to entrepreneurs who sell
information products and services? Jay Hollander, Esq. shares his legal
expertise and shows how you can use intellectual property law to help
build brand value in your business, protect your business’ creative
assets, and avoid being sued for infringing on the intellectual
property of others.

Use this link to listen live on the air at 6:00 p.m. ET on September 6.

 

How Not To Email Me – or Anyone Else If You Want Results

Emailmelovehearts_2
We learn from other people’s mistakes, so here goes a prime example of what not to write in an email message if you want to get results.

First off, this person put Joan Stewart’s name in the subject line: "The Publicity Hound Sent Me". That’s a good way to get me to open up your email, but you better be sure it’s true or you’ll piss me off. In this case, if it were true, then the sender wouldn’t have written what she did…

"Dear Denise"… the email begins. Only I’m Patsi. To be fair, we both get email at that address, but still…

"I invite you to help create an international buzz this year for "XXX Days" in Northern California. 

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5 Phrases to Close the Sale on the Phone or by Email

Telephone_1 I hadn’t heard the term "presale closing phrase" before I read it on Mitch Harpz’ blog this morning. It’s when you get an email or call from someone asking questions about a product or program. Sometimes I get the feeling that people pick up the phone and call just to see if a real person will pick up the phone. Their questions aren’t often that complicated, but it’s sort of like they are just checking to see if someone’s there that really cares.

Here are 5  ways to end the conversation or email that can help increase sales:

"Does that help? If not let me know which part doesn’t make sense."

"If you have any more questions please let me know. I’ll be more than happy to help in any way I can."

"I hope I’ve answered your question for you. If not just let me know and I’ll be happy to address any outstanding concerns."

"If I haven’t answered your question just let me know and I’ll do my best to clarify."

"Does that make sense?"

When you think about it, these are great phrases to use at anytime and make for good customer relationships.

Time: Don’t Forget to Change Your Clocks & Computer

Time Unless you’ve got your computer set to get automatic updates from Microsoft, you may need to change the time settings to agree with Daylight Savings Time which comes three weeks early this year, at midnight Saturday, at the start of March 12.

Fear not. Microsoft provides a free Time Zone Date update program that is easy to use.

Simply go to their site http://support.microsoft.com/gp/cp_dst and follow the simple instructions.

Failure to do so will mean that your calendar and clock functions will be an hour off.

Marketing with Press Releases: 10 Steps to Writing an Internet Press Release

How to Write an Internet Press Release to Attract Media, Customers, and Google Juice
©2007 Patsi Krakoff, Psy. D. & Denise Wakeman, The Blog Squad

Journalist_writers_block To leverage the Internet effectively for your business, you must learn to write press releases. Submitting frequent press releases to the online distribution services will get you exposure to media, customers, and improve your search engine rankings.

Press releases are relatively simple, but not easy to write. They take some time to craft because you must tell your story in a compelling way, and deliver the facts in the fewest words possible. In addition, like a news story, they should follow basic journalism standards. Oh, and did I mention, they need a clever hook to really work? All that in only 350-500 words.

The following is what I do when I write a press release for The Blog Squad. I trained as a journalist years ago. However, standards for writing press releases are evolving for the Internet.

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New Rules for Writing Press Releases

Kick_butt_pubhound Joan Stewart is affectionately known around the Internet as The Publicity Hound. And there’s a reason…Joan has a nose for news and she sniffs out trends for evolving Internet marketing strategies.

You won’t want to miss our interview with her Thursday March 8 at 11 a.m. EST on Blogging and Beyond, our Internet radio show. She’ll reveal the new rules for writing press releases for posting on the Web.

Here are a few tips she’ll explain:

• Press releases no longer have to announce legitimate news
• They no longer have to be only one page
• We can distribute them online as often as we want.
• They can include links so that consumers can click through to a landing page or a sales page.
• We no longer have to use the "who, what, when, where and why" formula high in the press release.
• No longer do we have to consider a press release a failure if it gets no media attention. If it brings people into our sales funnel, we can proclaim the release a success.
• Under the new rules, we don’t measure the success of our releases by the number of clippings it has generated but by whether the press release has been able to change people’s behavior

Writing Articles + Article Directories = Smart Marketing

In preparation for our Blogging and Beyond radio show Thursday, March 1, when The Blog Squad is interviewing Christopher Knight of EzineArticles.com, I’m reviewing key points about using articles to market your business.

Sign_up_1 Smart Marketing with Articles
©2007 Patsi Krakoff, Psy.D. & Denise Wakeman, The Blog Squadtm

You’ve probably heard about article marketing and how important it is for getting exposure for your ideas and expertise on the Web.

In the consulting work we do with professionals who want to get known and get found on the Web, we recommend writing articles and submitting them to directories as a key strategy.

Submitting short articles to directories that demonstrate your knowledge helps in a number of ways:

1. Drives targeted traffic to your blog or website.
2. Builds your credibility with prospects looking for the type of services you provide.

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Recipe for an Ezine: Email Subject Lines

Ingredient #3: Email Subject Line: Clear, Clever, and Compelling

Exxtra_read_all_about_it_1 Creating a good ezine article title or email subject line is probably more important than the actual content, given that so few readers (11%) actually read the entire content of emailed newsletters. Most readers scan, making the headline and subheadings very important. In the context of an ezine, the headline can be both the email subject line and the title of your articles.  In both cases, you want to compel the reader to first open your email and second, read your article.

The best headlines are those that start a story, make a shocking statement, tease a bit, offer a benefit or prepare the reader for what’s to come.

Experienced copywriters are extremely good at writing headlines and titles that pull in readers. One such expert is Michel Fortin, who uses his “3 X 3 Rule:”

That is, your headline should cater to:

1. The three greatest human goals to make or save:
   a. time
   b. effort
   c. money
2. The three greatest human desires:
   a. lust
   b. greed
   c. comfort
3. The three greatest human teasers:
   a. curiosity
   b. scarcity
   c. controversy

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Recipe for an Ezine: Get Clear on Purpose

Targetarrow Ingredient #2: Clarity of Audience & Purpose

What do you want your newsletter to do?
Who is your targeted audience?
What’s in it for them?

Addressing these questions before starting your ezine will serve your objectives in the long run. The better you are able to articulate the answers, the easier it will be for you to write relevant content, grow your subscriber list, and measure results.

Not being clear will result in an ezine that stagnates, meanders and loses subscribers over time. Being laser-focused will result in subscribers who want to hear what you have to say, and who come to trust you over time can lead to sales of your products and services.

Your ideal reader will most likely mirror your ideal client. Once you clarify who your targeted readers are, then list what benefits they will get from being a regular reader of your newsletter.

When you are clear, write a 25 word statement explaining your newsletter:

1. Who it is for
2. What benefits they will get from reading it
3. Who you are as the author an expert

Example:

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CAN-SPAM Compliance, a Review

What You Need to Know:  CAN-SPAM Laws
©2007 by Denise Wakeman and Patsi Krakoff, The Blog Squad™

Anyone doing business online and using email for marketing needs to know about the CAN-SPAM laws.

Smart online marketers use “permission” marketing: you invite potential customers to join your email list, and offer a newsletter, a special report, or a sequential series of messages to form an e-course. The recipient “opts-in” to the list by replying to an invitation and subscribing. By "opting in", your subscriber is telling you it’s OK to send email.  They’ve given you permission and your email messages are not considered spam.

But most people don’t really understand what constitutes spam. If you’re in business for any length of time on the Internet, you may encounter false accusations of spam simply because people forget they opted in receive your message. To many people spam is simply an unwanted message.

This can cause problems for you with your email service provider. You should be able to prove that you haven’t been sending unsolicited email. Your proof lies with the list management system you use that tracks invitations and opt in responses.

Here’s what you need to know about the law is so you can rest assured that you aren’t breaking it.

CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 (Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act) establishes requirements for those who send commercial email, spells out penalties for spammers and companies whose products are advertised in spam if they violate the law, and gives consumers the right to ask emailers to stop spamming them.

Simply put, here’s a rundown of the law’s main provisions:

• It bans false or misleading header information. Your email’s "From," "To," and routing information must be accurate and identify the person who initiated the email.

• It prohibits deceptive subject lines. The subject line cannot mislead the recipient about the contents or subject matter of the message.  Subject and content must match.

• It requires that your email give recipients an opt-out method. You must provide a return email address or an automated way for your subscriber to opt out. You must honor the requests.  When you receive an opt-out request, the law gives you 10 business days to stop sending email to the requestor’s email address.

• It requires that commercial email be identified as an advertisement and include the sender’s valid physical postal address. Your message must contain clear and conspicuous notice that the message is an advertisement or solicitation and that the recipient can opt out of receiving more commercial email from you. It also must include your valid physical postal address.

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