One of the things I’m continually trying to do is to improve the open rate of the emails that go out throughout the week.

This week you may have received an email from me with the subject line as follows:

‘Do you ask these four questions?’

Or you may have received this subject line:

‘Do you make these four mistakes on your site?’

Both emails contained the same information with the only difference being the subject line.

Which do you think got the better open rate?

The results where:

1) Do you ask these four questions? 28.9%

2) Do you make these four mistakes on your site? 41.6%

Headline number two was the definite winner.

And the reason for this clear distinction?

I can of course only speculate without asking each person individually, however my own opinion is that most people are interested in the mistakes they ‘could’ be making rather than what they should be doing.

Are you testing the different elements in your business?

Best wishes

Neil

PS Not yet a member of the Internet Marketing Review? Then why not take a two month trial and decide for yourself if we can help you start, grow and develop your own online business.

Visit this site today for more information:

http://www.internetmarketingreview.com/2months

First of all, come on, gun to my head…I’d be shaking to much to speak!

Anyway, poor analogies aside, this is what I would do.

1) Write, create or have written for me articles on the topic and submit them to the article directories.

Yes, I know I sound like a broken drum, but the reason I say it is because they still work and work well.

Each article would focus on ONE keyword/key phrase of my market and at the end I’d have a strong call to action to get them to my site to join my email list using a free ’something’ offer.

If I had a small budget I would sign up to www.submityourarticleforyou.com and use them to submit the articles. If I had no budget, then I would submit manually to eazinearticles.com and goarticles.com for starters.

I would aim to submit AT LEAST one or two articles a week.

2) Set up a Wordpress blog and post information AT LEAST three to five times a week.

The posts don’t have to be lengthy, around 300 to 700 words BUT again tightly focused on one keyword or phrase per post.

The blog would have a strong call to action to join my email list and its primary objective would be to get people onto the list for follow up marketing.

I would certainly look to re-purpose some of my articles for the blog and vice verse with the blog posts expanded into articles.

3) Create and Share Videos

This is a tactic I would certainly focus on. I have a video camera so shooting simple videos about a topic and uploading it to YouTube would be simple and fun to do.

If I didn’t have a video camera then a WebCam would do. AND, if I didn’t have a webcam then I would create screen capture videos using something like jing.com or a free trial version of CamStudio.

Screen Capture videos are where you capture what is being shown on your computer screen and any audio using a microphone connected to your computer.

So you can create a simple presentation about a topic within your market, narrate and record it. This can also be uploaded to YouTube.

With ANY video I would put my web address on the screen and a strong call to action to come and visit it.

** How Use Video **

Listen, video is great fun to use, produces terrific results and brings in a ton of qualified traffic to your websites…BUT…

It can be frustrating to learn.

To cut down this learning curve, and to get you using video as fast as possible, we are holding an Online Video Marketing Workshop in a few weeks time.

Now, this is a hands on, show all day so the numbers will be VERY limited as we work one-on-one with each person there.

I’ll be emailing about this day later this week…however, we have an early registration list which currently has around 100 people on it.

**IF** you want to be placed on the list to be notified first when we open the doors then simply email Karen karen@internetmarketingreview.com and she will ensure you’re placed on the separate list.

Neil T has been working furiously over the last few months to pull this together and I know I’m biased, but it is going to be a fantastic workshop for those who attend.

So, email Karen, karen@internetmarketingreview.com and look out for an email later this week.

Bonus Tactic

If we’re looking at ways to bring traffic to my site without using PPC then I would also use affiliate marketing. I would contact related sites in my market to see if there is a way of us working together.

In ‘working together’ I mean can they promote my site!

However, I would step up and do FAR MORE than what most people do and actually get on the phone to call potential partners where possible.

Yes, calling takes work, it means getting out of your comfort zone BUT very few people will do this and by doing so you stand out from the crowd.

There you have it.

Four ways to bring traffic to your site, the next step is down to you.

Now, this normally comes in the form of TV time.

Many people also say to avoid the papers because they are full of negativity…and while I agree that all media has a negative slant, ignoring it altogether can be damaging for your business.

Confused?

TV is a great time vampire, sucking minutes, hours and days away from you that you will never get back. I agree that TV time should be the first to be evaluated when looking at the time you have available to work on your business.

However, your customers, clients and prospects will all be watching TV and by having an understanding of what’s on TV and going on in the world will help you in your marketing and relating to your potential customers.

Remember, entering into the conversation that is already going on in your customers mind is an ideal way to get them to know, like and trust you…this in turn leads to sales.

For example.

Recently it was Karen’s birthday and we went to watch a film called ‘It’s Complicated’ with Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin. I actually enjoyed it and was laughing out loud throughout.

Well worth a visit.

In the gym this morning one of the TV screens was showing Big Brother. Now, I have never EVER watched a Big Brother show…BUT I do know a little about each one and could give a snippet each time the series is on.

On this one is Ivana Trump who was married to Donald Trump and who’s daughter I met last year in the US..Invanka.

Neil and I have also met and know George Ross, Donald Trumps right hand man and stars on the US Apprentice show as well.

Can you see what I’ve just done?

In the cinema example I’ve told a little about Karen and I (birthday) and how I enjoyed a film.

In the Big Brother example I used one of the people on the show to give you a connection I have with Invanka Trump and George Ross and a (VERY tentative:-) link to Donald Trump.

Now, if I didn’t watch any TV or glance through the papers every now and then I wouldn’t be able to do this at all.

In our Junior Soccer Coach market Neil T often relates to matches he’s seen on TV, interviews he may have watched or a program about soccer/football.

Sitting mindlessly in front of the TV or filling your mind with the garbage many papers publish won’t help you or your business… but not having an understanding, and being aware of what’s going on in the world, can also hurt your business.

Selling successfully online is about the connection you have with your customers and prospects and what their relationship, or perceived relationship, is with you.

Gold Member Mike Winstanley really tapped into the conscious of the nation recently with his use of the media and the weather.

Read more about Mike from K and M Acoustics here on the Two Neils Blog:

Making Customer Connections

Enjoy

Here’s an example of an IMR Gold Member using this technique brilliantly.

Mike Winstanley is one half of K and M Acoustics who are recognised as one of the best Car HiFi and security specialists in the UK. Mike also runs their second business, Pier Head Marketing which specialises in providing online marketing to other Car HiFi dealers and local businesses.

Mike recently sent out an email broadcasts to his customers that really tapped into what was happening all across the UK…the bad weather.

I’ll try and get hold of the full email for you, however, in a nut shell Mike spoke about how the snow was causing car journeys to take a lot longer than normal with people spending hours in their cars.

His email basically said he was enjoying the longer journey as it allowed him to listen to his car entertainment system for longer!

And because he had a good system in his car he was really enjoying the music and when stopped the in car video.

He then went on to describe and explain what people could have in their cars.

Now, with this email Mike was certainly tapping into the conversation that was going on in EVERY car drivers mind over this period at exactly the right time.

What are you using to tap into the consciousness of your potential market?

This year will prove to be the turning point for many businesses as we see the worst of the changing economy behind us and new opportunities presenting themselves on an almost daily basis…BUT we have to have our “Heads up and Eyes Open” to spot and act them.

This time of year sees two types of people raise their head within the Internet Marketing Review community… and both are polar opposites of each other.

The first sees new members come onboard who want to use the Internet Marketing Review to help them start a brand new online business or give an existing business the kick it needs to motor along this year and I welcome each and every one of them.

We also see a number of existing Gold Members make the step up to the Elite Gold+ Level as they look to really push on with their businesses in 2010 and beyond (Next Gold+ Meeting Day is on February 7th – spend a full day with Neil and I as well as other Gold+ Members).

The second type of person we hear from are people who call, write and email to cancel their membership…yes cancel, how dare they!

Although it isn’t many people, it happens every single year at this time as people look to review what they are doing in life and business.

When a person cancels (not by telephone) I will often call a number of them to ask would they mind saying why to help us improve the IMR.

And the excuses (not reasons) they give make me shake my head in disbelief.

Here are the main excuses given in no particular order:

I’m cutting back

I can understand some people being in a strained financial position (I’ve been there in the past) however what I can’t understand is people using it as an excuse to give up on their business, dreams, goals and aspirations. The IMR is £24.95 per month and I firmly believe that we provide the best information, inspiration and motivation coupled with excellent help and support for ANYONE wanting to start and grow their own online business.

I can almost guarantee that this person will go on to spend at least another $500 in the coming months chasing the next shiny bright object (product) that is released. They’d rather chase the dream and mistake buying activity for accomplishment, as this takes work.

I don’t have the time to read the Newsletter/Listen to the CD/ Visit the Forum/Membership Site

Now, if I let it, this excuse could make me mad!

This is classic ‘loser’ behaviour I’m afraid…sounds harsh but it’s true.

You see, instead of changing their behaviour to what winners and successful people do this person would rather stick their head in the sand and ignore what needs to be done.

The classic “I don’t have time” excuse comes from this person seeing the Newsletter and CDs on their desk and instead of allocating time to read and listen to them they do other ‘things’ because if they do read them then they’ll have to act on the information given and that takes work.

Now, when the next edition of the Newsletter arrives or CD comes through they start to feel guilty about not having done anything with the previous issues.

The loser decides it will be easier to cancel so they stop receiving the materials which in turn means they don’t pile up so… ultimately they don’t feel guilty because nothing is piling up anymore.

At this point a person who REALLY wants to succeed would change their behaviour and adopt a winning attitude by setting time aside to go through the material and use & act on what they can at that point.

I don’t get anything from it

This is our 10th year of publishing the IMR and actually twelve years of selling online. Over the years we’ve helped tens of thousands of people start and grow their own online businesses. Some have used our help to make a few hundred pounds a month extra where others have gone on to earn six figures and even a couple of seven figure earners.

One of the hardest things for us is pulling together the information in the Newsletter so everyone can find something that benefits them. I fully understand that everything in the Newsletter can’t benefit everyone, every time.

However, the Newsletter coupled with the Membership site provides a WEALTH of knowledge, help, support and tutorials for people at ANY stage in their business. Plus the Discussion Forum provides a platform for anyone (new or experienced) to ask any questions they may have.

When someone tells me that they couldn’t get anything from being a member I know it’s one of two things.

1)    They’re telling me that they couldn’t be bothered to scan through the Newsletter to pick out what’s relevant to them and act on it because that takes a commitment to do.

2)    In EVERY case of someone using this excuse I can guarantee they have NEVER posted or asked a question on the Discussion Forum. And what’s even more sad and frustrating is that in many cases they haven’t even logged into the Membership Site itself!

The Internet Marketing Review / Two Neils are not for me

Now this one excuse I actually don’t mind hearing because I know we’re not for everbody. In fact we pride ourselves on not being for everyone.

I actually firmly believe that a lot of people who ‘think’ they want an online business actually don’t deserve to be members of the Internet Marketing Review.

We are certainly not for people who:

• Want push button riches
• Want a magic pill solution to business and profits
• Don’t want to put the work in that is required to succeed. In fact I KNOW we scare a number of people off by talking about that 4 letter word…work
• Want something for nothing
• Are excuse riddled! People who have an excuse for what seems like every situation under the sun. I’m a big believer in personal responsibility and “if it’s to be then it’s up to me” and no one else.

We are for people ‘Just Like You’ who understand the Power of Positive Association and of being in the Right Place (the Internet Marketing Review). We’re for people like you who understand the Power of the Pay Off… the power of work now and get paid over and over for years to come.

“I Salute and Toast To Your Continued & Future Success“

Since we’re just past New Year and talking of toasts; one of the best toasts I ever came across was written by a gentleman named Bob Culp for the people who hang out with Hugh Hefner at the Playboy Mansion on his movie or poker nights….

“Be of good cheer for they are out there and We are in here”

This toast applies to us as the Internet Marketing Review is not just about a Membership Site, Newsletter, CDs and Events…

…It is THE PLACE for people just like us…entrepreneurs, like minded people, business builders who gather to build businesses, ask questions, think and offer help, support and advice to our growing community.

The Internet Marketing Review is a unique place, a place Neil and I are proud to be part of and proud of all of our members no matter where they are in their business development and experience.

There are ordinary people ‘out there’ who will reach December 2010 and wonder where the year went and why they still haven’t got an internet business off the ground…

…then there are the extraordinary people, members of the Internet Marketing Review who will use all of the resources available to them to launch grow and profit from their online endeavours right throughout 2010 and beyond.

I look forward to working with you and all of our members this year.

And remember…

“Be of good cheer for they are out there and We are in here”

Best wishes

Neil

PS Not yet a member of the Internet Marketing Review? You can try us out for two
months for free AND claim all of the current new member bonuses. Visit this web
page for more information

www.internetmarketingreview.com/2months

This year has been exciting with new developments, products and places we’ve visited on our travels for both business and pleasure.

** A Brand New Radio Show **

One of the things we’ve done this year is start to record a radio show for the online radio station wmr.com. This is a brand new venture by a friend and colleague in the business, Nick James.

Nick has always had a passion in music, radio and broadcasting since his days as a DJ and WMR.com is his baby that I predict, with certainty, will produce BIG things in 2010.

Hey, he has two of the best Info Marketers hosting a show already

When we go down at his offices recording the show in his state of the art studios I always have a nosey around (well you would wouldn’t you?) and I saw one of his projects that he had been working on recently.

The project was about using licence products.

Now, Nick is probably the best in UK at using license products in the CORRECT way to produce big profits. I see SO many people try and use licence products and get it completely wrong…horribly wrong in most cases.

Neil and I are not experts in buying and using license products and always turn to Nick for any questions we may have.

I Twisted His Arm So Hard It Almost Made Him Weep

Because Neil and I don’t offer licenses (it’s not a speciality of ours) I asked Nick would he let us offer some of his licenses from this project to our clients AND I didn’t want you to pay anywhere near his normal price.

http://www.productlicensingsecrets.co.uk/twoneils.html

The reason I wanted him to offer a ridiculously low fee is two fold:

1. It’s Christmas and everybody wants a great deal now
2. To introduce you to the BEST license product training in UK at a price that is within reach of EVERYBODY.

You can read more here:

http://www.productlicensingsecrets.co.uk/twoneils.html

Listen, I was in Manchester on a night out last week and I paid MORE for a round of 5 drinks than what I got Nick to agree to for this excellent package.

Have a read of the letter and see if it’s a good deal for you or not.

Enjoy!

Have a great Christmas.

Best wishes

Neil

We had a light dusting but not nearly as much as some parts of the country.

I’m a big kid at heart and love it when it snows… in fact, in between Christmas and New Year Karen and I often go up to the Lake District or even a few days in Scotland to just see and play in it

I know, big kid, but I can’t help it… no matter what, it always makes me smile; that is until I end up on my behind with a thump!

Anyway I digress (“stop looking out of the window Neil”)

At the end of November I was approached to help with a project to raise money for an organisation that helps a LOT of charities.

You may know the person involved as he’s an online UK marketer…Martin Avis.

I’ve known Martin for about six years now and through his Rotary Club in Sidcup he does a LOT for Charity.

This year he has pulled together a superb ebook where he asked leading Marketers to provide One Tip that will help people succeed in business.

You can read more about the book here: One Tip

Along with myself there are several leading marketers who have all provided their own ‘One Tip‘ for success in 2010.

ALL of the money raised from the sale of this book will go to Charity and I promise it will also go along to helping people less fortunate than ourselves at this time of the year.

Here’s my link:

Your One Tip for success in 2010

There is NO affiliate commission being paid on this either, we have all agreed to help Martin and I urge you to get yourself a copy as it is full of superb tips that will move you in the right direction for success in 2010. (It’s a LOW cost HIGH Value ebook).

Best wishes

Neil

Neil and I have been shooting some short, instructional videos that we’ll be releasing in between Christmas and the New Year….watch out for the email in your in box soon.

I dare you to go and ‘play’ in the snow and not smile

Neil Stafford here from the Internet Marketing Review.

As we fast approach the end of this year and have one eye on 2010 our thoughts are turning to the festive period, presents, parties to attend, friends to visit and Christmas Day itself.

However (don’t call me a killjoy:-) now is THE time to be making plans in your business for next year.

Many people say they make their plans in between Christmas and New Year as it’s a quiet period, but I say that’s too late.

If you haven’t made your plans yet then do them now, this weekend.

The reason?

Simple, you still have nearly three weeks to set everything in place to hit the ground running in January…leaving until the Christmas and New Year break means that it will be at least the second week in January before you make a start because you’ll still be in planning mode.

Do it now and you won’t start the year in catch up mode.

Catching Up

This weekend I’m going out with a group of friends to Manchester for a meal, then to a comedy and then a few final beers in the City itself.

We meet up every year at Christmas as we all live and work in different parts of the country and all seem to be ‘home’ at this time of the year.

As an entrepreneur and especially an online marketer…the role that we do can often be a lonely one as we toil away on our own…in many cases late into the night!

So, I encourage you to take time out for yourself, visit some friends, go out with your partner and have a good time…come back ready and refreshed for the year ahead (and of course you have your plans in place now!

Enjoy!

Neil

If you’re not yet a member of the Internet Marketing Review then you’re missing out on vital online business building information. Members describe it as their MUST HAVE resource and the end of year bumper edition is out shortly.

Come and try us out for two months for free, use the information to make your 2010 a huge success….visit this page today:

http://www.internetmarketingreview.com/2months

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There are just two things you need to do and they couldn’t be simpler, in fact that’s part of the problem.  If you want complicated, then you won’t find it here but if you want a blueprint to work with, just read on.

The most successful promotions are all based around the work you put in and the personal contact you make with your partners.  That’s it.  Do that and it will work, but of course there are other things that will help.

Now, it is possible to have people promoting your product for you by just doing a small amount of work, by listing your product with Clickbank for instance, but for real success you must spend time identifying the partners you want to work with.  I encourage you to set time aside each week to seek out and contact new potential partners on a regular basis and.make it a habit.

A Simple But Effective Plan

Whatever your business, this will work for you.  Search Google and Yahoo for potential partners and listed them on a spreadsheet with the following information:

• Website Name
• Product/Service Being sold
• Contact Name/Email/Telephone/Address
• Distinctive part of the site
• Potential

You want their phone and address so you can contact them using methods other than just email.

The key element is the ‘Distinctive Part Of The Site’ Field as this means you can demonstrate to them that you are serious and made time to understand what they are offering.  Just doing this one thing, although more time consuming, got my business a partnership with the second largest Newspaper group in the UK because I was able to talk to them about a particular page on their site.

The ‘Potential’ field is how you would rank what the opportunity was with this site and helps you make an initial assessment on whether to contact them via email, letter or telephone call.

Getting In Touch

Keep it simple when emailing potential partners and just introduce yourself, explain how you found their site, what you liked about it and why you was contacting them.

For really ‘hot’ prospects I suggest you use a letter followed by a phone call or go straight to calling them up.  Why?  Because the ‘bigger’ players in your market will be inundated with emails and contacting them by post and/or phone will make you stand out from the crowd.

Make it about them

If you want someone as a partner or affiliate you have first to find out It is your role to find out what their hot buttons are and to see if you can help them.  You do this by asking questions, listening to their answers and be GENUINELY interested in what they say.  It’s their agenda, not yours, that is important here so you must discover what you can do for them.

What if they say no? Then be honest and just ask them “what would make them say yes to working with you?”  Listen closely to their answer and look to see how you might find a way to work that out. If you can’t find a way, thank them for their time and move onto the next person on your list.

However, just because they said no this time doesn’t mean they won’t in the future, so keep the communication open and revisit them occasionally to see if you can help with anything or if they are now open to discussing potential opportunities together.

The Two Big Secrets

Just to remind you, you only need to pay attention to these two factors to have a successful affiliate/partner program.

1    Be consistent about contacting and recruiting partners

2    Stay in regular contact with partners to help, train and encourage them to promote your products

Final Secret

I said at the beginning of this article that it wasn’t about numbers, but in one way it definitely is.  I can almost guarantee that if you contact 5 potential partners each day for the next fifty days you’ll find yourself with a good core of people who you will be able to successfully work with.

If you’re looking for a high paying and high converting affiliate program to offer to your customers then I highly recommend you join the Internet Marketing Review Affiliate Program.

Read More About It Here: www.InternetMarketingReview.com/affiliate

For more FREE training videos and hints, tips and techniques on using Public Domain Information visit this page:

Public Domain Training

Enjoy!