Delete or Investigate?

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By Jim Daniels

Thursday morning...

This is the morning I bear down and write my newsletter "Tip of the Week" segment. But I rolled out of bed late this morning and my workload is a little heavier than normal. (Thanks in-part to my spring-induced golf habit which is becoming quite addicting!)

So, after my second cup of coffee I decide to get down to business. As usual though, I end up working on a few chapters of my new manuals first and then start picking through my email messages.

This morning I download 221 messages. (That should keep me busy 'til early this evening.) As usual, I decide to pick through the new messages a while before I start writing my tip. While picking through, I find that they consist of the usual...

40% unsolicited email (Don't delete! Amazing! Read This!)
15% new gazette subscribe requests :-)
15% order receipts from my secure server (new customers!)
15% inquiries from prospects (eventual customers)
10% software support questions
5%  other - (newsletters, undeliverables, etc.)

As usual, I delete the unsolicited crap and move to the messages worth reading. But how do I make a determination between the "trash it" messages and something worth investigating, all in a split second?

("Wait a second!", I think to myself, "This is a tip of the week in itself!...")

The answer to that question is something all Internet marketers should know! After all, many people receive a large number of email messages every day. Maybe not 221, but 30, 50 or 100 a day is quite common. 40% trash is also all too common. If you are marketing with email, your messages need to be "trash proof".

To make your messages "trash proof" and get them into the "open it" category, you need to know what makes the difference between "trash it" and "open it". It's really quite simple:

Trash it.

Here are some of the messages I transferred directly into my trash bin this morning. Never even opened them...

WOW! THIS IS AMAZING!
RE: The Sure Way To Internet Profits
Attention all home business operators..
FREE! 4 POWERBAR HARVEST BARS!
FREE QUOTE! SAVE up to 60%
Do You Need More Money?
JUST RELEASED!!! 10 Million Email Addresses!
z993c3 (no Subject)

How did I determine that this stuff would not interest me? The same way most busy Internet marketers do -  I look for something familiar in the subject. All of the junk above contained stuff I was not interested in. Further, these messages did not address "ME". In my opinion, that's the main reason spam fails -- it blasts to a general audience.

That's not targeting. To experience REAL success online, you must connect with people. You do this by building relationships - not by alienating 100,000 in hopes of getting a handful of sales in the process.

 Open it.

So what messages made it into my "open it and investigate" category this morning?

Basically, I only read the messages with either my name or something directly related to my business in the subject. This included replies to my outgoing messages, personal letters and newsletters I subscribe to.

Here's an example of a message that got opened. It contained the following subject:

"What do you think of this Jim?"

The message body was brief and to the point

>I've read all the Bizweb gazette's and find them all to
>be very informative. I am already in business with you
>as a VR web site promoter.
>
>I'm working from home in Orlando attempting to help
>people work from home part-time and have FUN !
>
>Just recently I answered an ad in the newspaper - and
>went to these web sites
>http//www.vacationbargains.com/alliance.htm  and
>http//www.golfcard.com
>
>Thought maybe you would like to travel, cruise and golf
>for FREE ---Promote your Web Site and make very serious
>money too?
>
>Also, if in reviewing the sites on the www you know how
>it would work best for me to advertise please do give me
>a call or email.
>Thank You, Jim

Now, although I did not join this fellow's program he stands a much better chance of success than his spamming counterparts. His email messages are getting read and his web site is getting visitors. This is your first goal in any marketing campaign!

Why did I read his message and visit his web site?

Two main reasons:

1. He addressed me personally.

2. He identified himself as a longtime subscriber and customer.

This fellow is marketing effectively by utilizing the relationships he has built online. Personal contact from one businessperson to another -- this is how you target effectively. His chances of building a solid moneymaking cyber-business are much better than all the folks blasting their messages indiscriminately to people's trash bin.

The moral of this story?... Start building relationships online TODAY. You do this by personally connecting with other marketers. Whether it is through a free newsletter you offer or simply a personal message, relationships are the key to success in any marketing campaign. People buy from businesses they know and respect -- especially in this vast new marketing arena called cyberspace!