© Copyright 2005 by Keir Smith

Let me ask you a quick question....

Do you know what is the most effective way to use email?

C'mon...think really hard on this one...

Don't know the answer?

Actually it doesn't really matter...because I'm going to share with you 3 really simple and easy ways to use your email to build a profitable business completely online using nothing but your email list...

I see you like this already...

In fact these 3 simple solutions will answer some of the most common questions that I'm generally asked about email marketing and that you can begin using immediately.

So without further ado....

Tip 1. Invitations

Do you know of seminars, conferences, or any other special events your customers would be interested in? Extend them an invitation and you can subtly remind them of your presence.

Tip 2. Follow up. Once you make a contact it can take up to 7 reminders or more before that person will purchase from you. Email marketing is the perfect way to send reminders and follow up pitches without being annoying.

Tip 3. Staying in touch.

With email marketing you can send brief emails every couple of weeks or every month just to keep in touch with your customers. These emails can include anything from special offers, to invitations, to articles.

Bonus tip =

Tip 4. Special offers.

If you were to simply offer special discounts and coupons on your site, people would only know about them if they decided to pay your site a visit. But with email marketing you can notify people every time you have a sale, or offer them discounts and coupons that will draw them back to your site.

Your not quite finished yet....

I've got a few more helpful tips that you can also begin using right away.

I know, I know....you want to know the answers to questions like:

Should you use html or plain text?

What's the easiest way to get your customers to subscribe to your newsletter or ezine?

Or why you should never sell your product in your newsletter..

Tip 5. HTML or plain text?

Response rates for html newsletters are generally higher than plain text, and graphics and colors tend to make the publication look far more professional. The downside is that html is much slower to download, and some email providers will screen out HTML email.

Tip 6. Provide an incentive to subscribe.

Advertise the benefits of receiving your newsletter to get customers to sign up for your newsletter, such as helpful tips, informative content or early notifications of special offers or campaigns.

Another way you can get people to click on the subscribe button is by using what I like to call the "Sports Illustrated Offer"

Yep, I picked this one up from the sports illustrated magazine offer where they sell you the enticing free gift first. Then they briefly mention that the only way you can get this free gift is through a subscription to S.I. Then it's back to selling that free gift. The idea is that the free gift is more valuable than the magazine itself.

Here's how you can use this idea in your business.

If you feel like the product or service your offering doesn't hit your customers hot buttons, then you need to find and offer them a really desirable product or service, and make that your selling point. And in order to get it they will have to purchase your secondary product or service.

We're almost through...

I've got one last tip that I saved for last that's sure to make this article well worth reading. You'll learn exactly what you need to do to get your newsletter read.

Tip 7. Don't just sell your newsletter.

Many studies suggest that email newsletters are read more carefully when they offer information that is useful to the customers lives rather than merely selling products and services. Helpful tips, engaging content and humor are often expected to accompany email newsletters.

So you've just read through 7 powerful tips that you can put to use in your business starting today, the only question left is can you put all of these tips together to maximize your businesses profits?



About the author:

Keir Smith is the creator of the 100%, totally FREE, ecourse "Email Strategies Explained" a no holds barred explanation of how to use email marketing to build an entire business online. This course is free for a limited time only. To get your free subscription send an email to free 7 day ecourse