Posts Tagged ‘marketing’

Understanding Your Niche Market For Increased Profits

June 8th, 2009 admin

One of my passions, as an Internet marketer, is to help other Internet marketers find the success that they are looking for. You can only imagine how much it “pains” me to see people marketing out of desperation trying to make a dollar online. There are times when I just have to shake my head. I see people wasting countless hours doing the wrong thing when they could be doing the right thing, saving a ton of time and making great money.

Right now I’m working diligently to get my message out to people because there are changes coming to the way that searches are conducted online and there’s an open window for people to take advantage of positions that haven’t been attainable, in the search listings, by most since the appearance of Google online.

I’m going to be brutally honest with you here about many things in this blog post. The way I see it, you are going to respect my honesty or you’re going to hate me for waking you up to truth about this industry. People need to understand what this really takes. I’m tired of seeing good people get hurt because they take short cuts. The quickest short cut to making great money online is to do things right.

1.) If you are not utilizing and e-mail marketing resource/marketing system to build your business, you will fail. Those of you who are just blasting away at the safe lists and traffic exchanges, hoping for a sale or two are doing things completely wrong. You are not going to become a successful Internet marketer without a marketing system in place. You need quality incentives to attract traffic and you need an auto responder, set up correctly, to build trust with your list, provide value and drive sales.

If you don’t have this, you need to get it. If you don’t have the money for it, borrow it, host a car wash, have a garage sale, do whatever you need to do to GET THE MONEY you need to build and operate a proper marketing system. It takes money to be in business online and if you don’t have money to invest in your business, you don’t have a business, you have an idea.

2.) You need a basic, working understanding and knowledge of both business and marketing. Joining a business opportunity and blasting an ad to safe lists is not good business and it’s certainly not good marketing. Spamming message boards on social networks is not marketing, it’s just rude. Good marketing leads with an incentive, a sample, a quality freebie that people are going to get their hands on, learn something, apply what they’ve learned, see it work and be so stinkin’ impressed that they come RUNNING back to you for more. That’s marketing!

Marketing requires an understanding of your target market. Your niche is a combination of your target market and your passion to embark on a journey to be successful in business by supplying your target market with the elements they need to accomplish something in life. If you are not targeting your niche then you are losing money. Blasting ads at other Internet marketers isn’t marketing, it’s ridiculous and it’s imposing your will upon the mind and heart of another without ANY consideration for their well being. “Marketing is the art and science of empowering and communicating with another human being based on their wants and needs, not mine or yours.”

3.) You need traffic and lots of it. That traffic, however, needs to be niche specific traffic. If you are not driving niche specific traffic then you are only hurting your business. There’s no sense in building a mailing list full of hockey players when you’re niche is Tennis. I can have 50,000 hockey players on my list, and I might even find a few that play tennis too, but business is going to BOOM when my list is full of tennis players!

4.) You MUST understand the Law of Attraction if you are going to attract wealth and abundance. I see hundreds of marketers out there talking about “attraction marketing” but most of them don’t have the first clue as to the spiritual side of the phenomena. Waving money at people and sitting in fancy cars is not what the Law of Attraction is about. Yes, that might attract some people, but even the gurus will tell you that no matter how many people that attracts, only about 3 in every 100 will ever reach that level, so you better learn the right way to do things if you want to achieve those levels of success.

When I first started this blog, I wrapped it up four days later. After 35 pages worth of, what I believe, is some of the best, straight forward “how to” information concerning niche marketing online, I decided to put it into .pdf format and just distribute the rest of it as an e-book. It’s free, it’s already getting HUGE reviews and it’s brand spanking new.

You can get your copy here…

http://www.tweetmyniche.com

Cheers!

Rex

Posted in Welcome Tags: , , , 2 Comments »

Product Review: Hummingbird

May 27th, 2009 admin

After doing some research and seeing this product demonstrated, I decided to part with my monthly allowance (thanks babe!  LOL ;) !! ) yesterday and purchase Hummingbird.  Now I understand why so many people are using this software.

Unlike several of the other “ideas” and “resources” available for the building of Twitter, Hummingbird is by far the most common sense tool that I’ve used so far.  

With Hummingbird, you get the best of multiple worlds in Twitter.  For those who are building their Twitter accounts niche specifically, this perfect because you have full control over the selection process.  With other resources that use keyword targeting, you are at the mercy of the system to follow anyone using the keywords and keyphrases you have selected.  With Hummingbird that’s not the case.  You select the people, niche specifically, and it begins to go to work.

Since the purchase of Hummingbird yesterday afternoon (with minimal effort mind you) I’ll have added 500 more  followers (and that’s me being picky, selective and weeding out those I don’t want to follow) in less than 24 hours from the time I clicked the PayPal button.  The time I’ve spent to make that happen has been less than an hour total (not counting time I’ve spent learning strategies for better use of the product.)

The value of Hummingbird goes beyoned just the software application.  You are also given access (at the time of purchase) to their private, members only forum where you can talk with other users, get ideas, watch videos (and more) so you can hone and perfect your skills in using this system.

Overall, on a scale of one to 10, it’s a definite 10 here!  Hummingbird is for any marketer who see’s and know’s the potential power of Twitter and wants to tap into it now.

For more information on Hummingbird, click here.

Cheers!

Rex

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“How are you today?” Is this the MILLION dollar question?

May 12th, 2009 admin

I received an interesting e-mail from a follower on Twitter tonight that about knocked my socks off. Just when you think no one is watching … ;) … LOL!

In the message he sent he made the following comments… “that is no way to start a friendship or a business relationship. It’s impossible to network with someone who won’t respond to a simple gesture.” This comment was made in agreement to something I had said in a previous blog.

Clear as mud, right? Let me explain…

The terms “social networking” or “social marketing” or “social anything” point to a method… an order of conduct if you will… based (by definition via Websters online) as: “2 a: marked by or passed in pleasant companionship with one’s friends or associates <leads a very fullsocial life> b: sociable c: of, relating to, or designed for sociability <a social club>3: of or relating to human society, the interaction of the individual and the group, or the welfare of human beings as members of society <social institutions>.”

Now, let me ask you a question in all seriousness… does this sound ANYTHING like what’s taking place in the world of social marketing today? I think, if we are going to be honest, we both know the answer to that question.

At this juncture the choice becomes simple. People can continue to be part of the problem within the social networks or they can become part of the solution to several of the issues that bring division within the social marketing community.

Charles Haanel writes in letter 23 of the Master Key System, “We make money by making friends, and we enlarge our circle of friends by making money FOR them, by helping them, by being of service to them. The first law of success then is service and this in turn is built on integrity and justice.”

Again, I ask the question… does this sound like ANYTHING that’s taking place in the world of Web 2.0/3.0 today?

What I’m seeing doesn’t even come close to “social” or “helping” or “service.” What I continue to see is the exact opposite… and even though the money might be good for a season, when it’s generated for the benefit of the individual and not the whole, it will come and go like dust on the wind.

Without some moral fiber as the foundation of our efforts as Internet marketers the chances of success are grim. We have to be that “light” that shines in the darkness if we are ever going to put the Law of Attraction to work for us. Attraction marketing goes much further than waving checks in people’s faces or standing in front of a fancy car.

“You will find that money weaves itself into the entire fabric of our very existence; that the law of success is service; that we get what we give, and for this reason we should consider it a great privilege to be able to give.” – Charles Haanel, the Master Key System

Manipulation is not attraction and spam is not social marketing. Just because you are using a resource like Twitter, Ning, Facebook or MySpace does not mean make you a social marketer. A social marketer will be the light that reaches out with a simple gesture like “Hi, how are you today?” They will be willing to engage in conversation. They will be willing to put their use their understand of social networking to build friendships.

There are so many times when that “key” connection in life is missed due to lack of interaction. If you want to see an increase in wealth through business (home based or otherwise) my advice is this…

1.) Get into the Master Key System – If you’ve never read this or you’ve read it but never applied the teaching, make this a priority. Those who pick up the Master Key System daily, do what it teaches and do not put it down until they have mastered it all will find all of the wealth, health, peace, happiness and freedom they have ever dreamed of attainining.

2.) Be social – When people try to communicate with you online, respond! You never know when that one connection could lead to hundreds or even thousands more.

3.) Use automated resources to assist you, not replace you – If you are using all of the automated Twitter tools to replace you in the mix of things, they system WILL break down. Automated marketing tools are great, but people use these resources to become friends with people, not robots. Besides, it won’t be long before robots take over the earth anyway so it’s best to make friends now… ;) !!

I guess that leaves us with this… “Are you willing to make the changes necessary to achieve the freedom you desire?” Perhaps THAT is the million dollar question!

God bless!

Rex

Posted in Marketing Tips, Rants & Raves Tags: , , , , , , No Comments »

Will the FTC really crack down on social media marketing online?

April 15th, 2009 admin

“Our difficulties are largely due to confused ideas and ignorance of our true interests. The great task is to discover the laws of nature to which we are to adjust ourselves. Clear thinking and moral insight are, therefore, of incalculable value. All processes, even those of thought, rest on solid foundations.” Charles Haanel – The Master Key System

According to a post that was shared with me this morning, the FTC is getting ready to crack down on illegitimate, illegal, immoral and unethical Internet marketers. It looks like the days of “Make $1,000,000 in 30 days!” might be a thing of the past… really?  Common…

While I’m not a huge fan of government interaction (or interference as some might think of it) in most things, this is one case where I would welcome it provided I thought they would actually stand behind it and follow through. I don’t know about you, but I’m absolutely sick to freakin’ death of all the crap and nonsense that takes place in the home business / Internet marketing industry when it comes to marketing and advertising. What’s even more scary is that those who use these practices successfully not only consider themselves “great marketers”, they call themselves coaches and mentors.

Are the days of waving dollar bills in people’s faces really over? (yeah, right!) I have a feeling that, despite any government interaction, we will have to put up with the same nonsense from the same people that are only here to take advantage of those who don’t know any better.  The one thing about cheaters and cons is that they always seem to find away around any barrier.  Will government interaction even slow them down?

Unfortunately, after talking with the FTC directly on the phone (in times passed concerning other illegitimate programs and practices) I was informed that they (for the most part) cater to the “don’t ask, don’t tell” type of policy. To quote the person I spoke with, “as long as people aren’t complaining, we won’t do anything.”

Sadly, there’s a large percentage of people who actually believe (and fall for) the “my sponsor is making $100,000 per month” line (for example) that so many the “great marketers” continue to use. It’s no wonder people fail when it comes to owning and operating a home based business using the Internet. What an unfortunate trap. From my perspective, this only takes advantage of and preys upon those who find themselves in desperate times looking for a way out of financial bondage. Ironically, when they fall for this type of marketing, it only puts them into further bondage.

If you are new to the home business / Internet marketing industry, take care to make sure that you are going into business for the right reasons. There is nothing wrong with going into business to subsidize income lost during these difficult financial times, but taking advantage of others isn’t business, it’s theft… pure and simple.

If you are looking for a legitimate home based business that you can build both online and off line (which is what it really takes, don’t let anyone fool you) here are some things to consider…

*If you are looking at an MLM, look for a company that has been here for a while. People are all to quick to jump on pre-launches and the “get in at the top” mindset. 97% OF THE TIME, that is going to backfire on you. Find a company that has been around for a while, that has been through it’s growing pains and is on track. There are several MLM’s out there that are worth your consideration.

Keep in mind the current economic factors that exist in the world today. You are going to be much better off finding a business that caters to peoples’ needs versus their wants. Do your research and treat your business like a business. Know your product, know your market and go after it.

*If something sounds to good to be true, IT IS! One of the biggest dangers of marketing online is the distraction factor. It’s very easy to spend 60 days in your business, only to find a web site or read an e-mail that promises more, faster. These are the programs you want to stay away from. Remember, any opportunity that IS NOT built a round a legitimate product or service IS NOT a business.

*If you are looking to the Internet as a way to “make money now“, then those who are honest about what we do are going to tell you that running a legitimate home based business using the Internet is not something that happens overnight. However, if you connect with the right people (people who actually know how to run a BUSINESS) and DO what you are shown to do, you won’t have to wait months and years to see results.

The key is persistence. Don’t quit… and don’t ever give up. I don’t mean to sound like a broken record, but this is so important that it’s worth mentioning again.

Learn more about legal marketing practices online.

“But they lie in wait for their own blood, They lurk secretly for their own lives.  So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain; It takes away the life of its owners.”  Proverbs 1: 18-19

Posted in Rants & Raves Tags: , , , , , , , , 2 Comments »

How many Internet marketers does it take to change a light bulb?

April 14th, 2009 admin

It appears that some bad habits will just never change. Once again, today, one of the first things I had to deal with was one more person jumping from one bandwagon to another. This is why I posed the question “How many Internet marketers does it take to change a lightbulb?” as the title for my blog post today. The punchline? “about 3%” according to current statistics. It appears that most Internet marketers don’t have much of an attention span.

Regardless of where you look, you will see the same mistakes being made over and over again. Here’s what I’m wondering…

*If new programs are so great, why are experienced Internet marketers jumping from one, to the other, to the other every time they hear the words “pre-launch?” Getting in at the top of anything means nothing if you don’t do the work or the company collapses. Wouldn’t it make more sense to get involved with something that has a bit of track record?

*Why are people who are “supposedly” making BIG money, every month, dropping the programs that they are “supposedly” making all of this money with for the latest and greatest? Does it make sense to drop a business opportunity that is generating five figures for one that’s not? Is that good business?

*If the Internet marketing / home based business niche really suffers from at 97% failure rate, why are 65% of the Internet marketers using Twitter and Facebook calling themselves “life coaches” and “mentors?”

*How many social networks and resources do we really need? If I can have access to the same people using paid networks on networks such as Facebook and MySpace, do I really need the distraction of another network? If there are millions of people on Facebook, for example, it seems like that should be enough to get a business started with. I should be able to find half a dozen quality people who need my product as well as a larger income out of millions…

*Does it really make sense to market my compensation plan to Internet marketers who are already trying to market a compensation plan to other Internet marketers? Wouldn’t in be smarter to, from a business perspective, to utilize the law of “supply and demand” and focus on my niche market rather than to waste time trying to convince people that my opportunity is better than theirs?

My concern is that the people who are looking to network marketing to subsidize income during difficult economic times are going to fall into the same traps that so many others do. It’s getting to the point that there is so much going on that the distractions outweigh everything else.

If you are looking to start a home based business using the Internet as your market place, here are a few things you will want to keep in mind.

*Make sure the business that you choose is one that you can be passionate about. If you go into a business because someone else CLAIMS to make X amount of dollars each month, chances are you will end up disappointed and unsuccessful.

*Before you join anything, make sure that the person you are joining with is someone who is willing to help you do what it takes to be successful. Find out what type of success they have had. Make them be honest. There’s nothing wrong with shopping for the right up line sponsor, coach or mentor.

*Once you have made your decision, stick to it! As the Master Key System teaches “See it through, even if the heavens fall. If you have made up your mind to do something, then do it. Let nothing, no one interfere. The thing is settled, the die is cast, there is no longer room for any argument.” Be persistent! Avoid anything online that is going to cause a distraction for you.

You can be successful in business if you do the right things. Believe me, after 10 years in this industry, most of the time (regardless of how pretty the pictures are) the grass is NOT greener on the other side.

Posted in Rants & Raves Tags: , , , , , , 3 Comments »

How to use forums and groups for niche marketing (or should I say HOW NOT to use them…)

March 30th, 2009 admin

It’s still PAINFULLY apparent that most of the people turning to the Internet to build their home based businesses are struggling to understand how social marketing works.

I just spent about 20 minutes in MySpace forums and was not surprised to see, that after a brief return to dignified conversation, that they are once again riddled with spam by self seeking individuals who either don’t know any better or just don’t care.

Wikipedia defines and Internet marketing forum as follows:

An Internet forum, or message board, is an online discussion site.[1] It is the modern equivalent of a traditional bulletin board, and a technological evolution of the dialup bulletin board system.[2][3] From a technological standpoint, forums[note 1] or boards are web applications managing user-generated content.[4][5] People participating in an Internet forum can build bonds with each other and interest groups will easily form around a topic’s discussion, subjects dealt with in or around sections in the forum.

By definition, most of what I have been seeing the social forums is NOT people participating to build bonds with each other. Nor, is it topics of discussion or certain subject being dealt with.

Social networking is about GIVING VALUE! When people learn that and are willing to move beyond the me, me, me, I, I, I mentality, they will find that, “you know what, this actually does work! What do you know?”

One of the best ways to drive traffic through a profile, on any social network, is to share advice that is going to actually be of VALUE to the reader. Information is HUGE online and that’s never going to change. If you can find it in your soul to be the INFLUENCER and not the PROBLEM in your network, the traffic will come, and when it does it comes in GREAT volume!

When you talk specifically amongst those who would benefit from the offering of your niche, that traffic converts to leads, sales and even sign ups into affiliate programs, MLM and business opportunities.

A great strategy for niche marketing is to use the social network (groups and forums) within and around your target market. For example, if you are selling quilts and blankets then you are going to want to build your online presence around that. Everything from your blog to your Twitter account should be based on this exact strategy. From there, adding and sharing content that will benefit your audience will drive the desired targeted traffic.

It’s really not difficult when you think about it. All you really need to do is participate, share and have fun. Don’t worry about the business side of things so much, be the vendor that’s out there offering “the samples” so to speak (effective marketing strategy!) and watch what happens.

To learn more, download my new free report “Micro Blogging Muscle” through the form on the right side of the page. You can also contact me using Skype ID swimwithus if you have any questions… glad to help!

Cheers!

Rex Harris

Posted in Marketing Tips Tags: , , , , , , , , 2 Comments »

Faith without ACTION is dead!

March 27th, 2009 admin

As I continue my journey through Facebook, Twitter and a few other marketing resources I am hearing more people talk about the Law of Attraction, the Law of Abundance and the Law of Reciprocity. It’s all well and good preach it, but are we just talking the talk or are we walking the walk.

The three books that I spend every waking minute of the day with me are my Bible, The Master Key System by Charles Haanel and Think and Grow Rich by Napolean Hill. All three books offer wonderful insight into life, business and the pursuit of peace and freedom and they all have one thing in common when it comes to getting results… ACTION!

The Bible teaches us that faith without ACTION is dead. I know that many have come to believe that the KJV translation “faith without WORKS” has come to mean GOOD DEEDS, but the the Bible also teaches that DEEDS alone are useless in your pursuit of the kingdom. Paul taught “without love, I am nothing.”

In both the Master Key System and the Bible teach us to “seek (take action) first the kingdom” then the “things” will be added.

In “Think and Grow Rich”, Napolean Hill calls us to action in chapter two…

Every human being who reaches the age of understanding of the purpose of money, wishes for it. Wishing will not bring riches. But desiring riches with a state of mind that becomes an obsession, then planning definite ways and means to acquire riches, and backing those plans with persistence which does not recognize failure, will bring riches.

The method by which DESIRE for riches can be transmuted into its financial equivalent, consists of six definite, practical steps, viz:

1. Fix in your mind the exact amount of money you desire. It is not sufficient merely to say “I want plenty of money.” Be definite as to the amount. (There is a psychological reason for definiteness which will be described in a subsequent chapter).
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2. Determine exactly what you intend to give in return for the money you desire. (There is no such reality as “something for nothing”.)

3. Establish a definite date when you intend to possess the money you desire.

4. Create a definite plan for carrying out your desire, and begin at once, whether you are ready or not, to put this plan into action.

5. Write out a clear, concise statement of the amount of money you intend to acquire, name the time limit for its acquisition, state what you intend to give in return for the money, and describe clearly the plan through which you intend to accumulate it.

6. Read your written statement aloud, twice daily, once just before retiring at night, and once after arising in the morning. AS YOU READ – SEE AND FEEL AND BELIEVE YOURSELF ALREADY IN POSSESSION OF THE MONEY.

Have you ever written out or carried out this plan?

The Master Key System is a book consisting of 24 letters that TELL each and every one of us HOW TO acquire the wealth and freedom we are seeking in life. At the end of each letter, we are called to take action, through strenuous mental exercise, and DO what it SHOWS us to do… again, it’s about taking action.

Procrastination and fear bring about NOTHING and if you do NOTHING you can absolutely GUARANTEE that NOTHING is going to happen.

Here is a perspective that may help you. Take just a moment, sit back in your chair, relax, and close your eyes. Imagine a giant drop of water falling from a clear blue sky… the kind of sky you see on a perfect summer day. As the drop of water falls, imagine it racing through the air as a large, placid, crystal ocean comes into the picture. As the drop of water falls faster, the ocean gets closer and closer and closer until… they impact.

What happens at this very juncture? An effect! The effect is that the drop of water hitting the surface of that ocean has created waves. This even could not have take place without action. The Master Key System teaches that “thought is energy (mind in motion) and that mind is creative.” The only way for the action to continuously take place is for those drops of water to continue to impact that crystal ocean. This is the SAME impact that our MINDS have upon our SUBCONSCIOUS MINDS! Our minds are creative and are always impacting our subconscious to create the very environment that we are living in, right now.

Think long and hard about that. If you are not where you want to be, think differently. Both The Master Key System and Think and Grow Rich TEACH you how to do this!

Effects cannot take place without ACTION! Faith without ACTION is INDEED DEAD!

I don’t think that there is a book (other than the Bible and The Master Key System) that is more relevant to our times than Think and Grow Rich. It’s on my computer, on my desk and in my mp3 player… and I’m always listening to learn more. The more I listen the more things are revealed to me that I can APPLY to bring about the FREEDOM I am seeking.

If you are not using these resources, both the Master Key System and Think and Grow Rich are available online, free of charge through PsiTek.net. I would also recommend picking them up and the local Barnes & Noble. I think I paid $10 for each of them.

If you would like Think and Grow Rich or The Master Key System on MP3, they are both available through my training system (Get Think and Grow Rich Here) and will be available individually, through my main website, later today.

Take action today and MAKE something happen! “Thought is THE SECRET to all attainment – Charles Haanel”

God bless and have a great weekend!

Rex Harris – www.rexharris.net

Posted in Rants & Raves Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , 2 Comments »

How to use BulkTweets for driving targeted followers!

March 18th, 2009 admin

Hello Tweople! Wow, talk about a runaway freight train, good grief! Twitter is spreading like the bird flu ;) !! And how about those Twitter apps? How many hundreds of these things are there now? With so many available, this poses a question… which ones should we be using?

If you are using Twitter for home business development and marketing, then here’s one that you will find useful… it’s called BulkTweet.

Now before you go running over there and get all excited, proceed with caution. If you use this wrong you will lose yout Twitter account.

Here’s what you’re going to want to do…

1.) When you get to the main page, type in a niche market keyword or phrase that best describes your target market. As a home business and Internet marketing specialist, one of the niches I target with this is MLM. MLMers make up a big part of my student base.

2.) The next page will reveal a whole lot of Tweeple that are talking about MLM. Please take note here… not everything that people have to say about your niche is going to be good, so opting to use the “Tweet These Users” button at the top of the page, right now, could be bad new for you.

*NOTE: You can use this for ANY niche… not just MLM, home based business, etc.

3.) Take a couple of minutes, go through the list of users and see who is participating in your niche. Look for tweets where they’ve inquired or shared things that pertain to your niche. If they look like they have potential as a friend, client, etc… follow them.

4.) Should you decide to use the “Tweet These Users” feature, be do not advertise or spam these people. When you use this, your name is going out to every person you chose to Tweet. Use this feature to build reputation and share value.

The inherent power of Twitter is it’s reach, but it’s in knowing how to leverage that reach that one is empowered by this tool. Sharing value is the number one use of Twitter for marketing, in my book. When using the “Tweet These Users” feature…

1.) Start your message with and RT request – This will encourage others to ReTweet your message. If you have shared something great, people will gladly RT for you.

*EXAMPLE: RT I’m reading a great post on how to use BulkTweets to target my niche market. http://bit.ly%2FLyK7q

NOTE: You can go ahead, if you would be so kind, and RT the example message here as this article is going on my blog as well. Thanks!

2.) Share valuable information. Perhaps you found a blog post you liked and want to share it with others… or maybe a funny video from YouTube… or a quote that offers inspiration or stimulates thought.

3.) Finish the Tweet with a shortened URL link to the resource you want to share. This is done easy using TweetDeck or http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http://TinyURL.com.

I do not recommend going big the first time you use this. You will find a drop down menu that allows you to chose between 10 and 100 Tweets. Start of small and work your way up over time.

If you use BulkTweets responsibly it’s a great way to make friends and influence potential followers.

Happy Tweeting!

Rex

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Bill Mitchells’ Notes From Facebook: Leveraging the World’s Largest Marketing Platform

March 17th, 2009 admin

So what is the worlds largest and most cost efficient marketing platform?
Is it television? Nope.
Is it Billboards? Nope.
What about “Word of Mouth” advertising? Still no dice

The largest and most cost efficient marketing platform is text messaging.
Some statistics to share, courtesy of Wikipedia:

1. 2.4 BILLION people worldwide own some sort of SMS text messaging enable device.
2. Since 2006, the text message advertising has exploded into a 80 billion dollar industry.

In this article, I am going to teach you how you can immediately take advantage of this technology to further grow your business.

There are two ways you can transmit text messages to text messaging devices:

1. You can send text messages via electronic mail and
2. You can send them via Instant Message

Let’s first before we dive into those two fascinating subjects talk about the legalities of leveraging SMS marketing. It’s important to note that SMS messaging is covered within the context of the CAN-SPAM act. This means, in order for you to begin sending information out to people they have to physically “agree to” or what we in the industry like to call “opting in”. People have to give their consent to you, before you can begin to send them commercial communication.

HOW DO WE GET THEIR PERMISSION?

Well online, you can do this simply by creating a few extra fields in your opt in squeeze pages. The first being the telephone number they would like the messages to be sent to, the second the type of phone service they are using (this is crucial to know especially if we are sending the messages via EMail) and last but certainly not least is a check mark, that one has to click to acknowledge they want to begin to obtain messages via SMS text messaging from you.

The only exception to this of course as I’ve already outlined to many of you, is if you create a separate twitter account (or any online account that sends updates via SMS text messaging), and make it private so those who follow you get that content and is not spammed to the general public. That in itself spells disaster.

A verbal acknowledgment constitutes as consent. So if someone you meet off line would like to opt in they can express interest verbally, and you would be covered, under the provisions of the CAN SPAM act because you’ve established a relationship with the people.

So now, assuming we’ve covered out back side legally, with the consent it’s time to start sending our content. First, we will talk about sending out messages to your SMS text messaging list, via electronic mail:

Step 1. Know how to communicate with the various text messaging providers.

By default many of if not all the various text messaging providers make it really easy to communicate to with people utilizing their network. The format of the email that you will send is of the following:

“phonenumber@serviceprovider.com/net”

You are contacting what is know as the SMS / text message gateway when you send an email to their address. From there, the gateway decides whom it is you are wishing to contact hence the phone number at the beginning of the of the email address.

BUT I DON’T KNOW HOW TO TARGET A SPECIFIC PROVIDER

That’s step two – I am going to publish below the ways you can contact various different SMS services (if your cell provider or if a cell provider is missing, please comment to this note and I will update this article accordingly):

T-Mobile: phonenumber@tmomail.net
Virgin Mobile: phonenumber@vmobl.com
Cingular: phonenumber@cingularme.com
Sprint: phonenumber@messaging.sprintpcs.com
Verizon: phonenumber@vtext.com
Nextel: phonenumber@messaging.nextel.com
US Cellular: phonenumber@email.uscc.net
SunCom: phonenumber@tms.suncom.com
Powertel: phonenumber@ptel.net
AT&T: phonenumber@txt.att.net
Alltel: phonenumber@message.alltel.com
Metro PCS: phonenumber@MyMetroPcs.com

Step 3. Create your message using your favorite email client such as Outlook Express or Mozilla Thunderbird OR you can use your web based email account. Put the addresses you want to send messages to in the BBC: (blind carbon copy) field (after all we are dealing with sensitive information and we don’t want to leak someone’s personal cellular phone number to the general public. That would NOT be good)

Step 4. Create and send the message, just like you would any other email, keeping mind that unlike traditional email, and SMS message is kept to 130 characters or less. If you go over the character limitation, the SMS service you are contacting will send the abundance in multiple messages. Yikes! Again, not good.

DIDN’T YOU SAY YOU COULD SEND TEXT MESSAGE VIA INSTANT MESSAGE?

Indeed you can, as of the publish date of this article, only ONE Instant Messaging system will allow you to send and obtain SMS text messages (again if I am mistaken comment back, and I will make the necessary updates with the most credible and up to date information) is the AOL Instant Messenger.

To accomplish it’s a simple two step process:

1. You open an IM box as if you were going to IM someone on AOL or AIM instead of a screen name in the screen name field, you’ll type in a person’s telephone in the following format:

+1(area code)(telephone number) – Please understand, the +1 is the US country code, depending on where you live in the world that number will be something totally different that +1. In the text field underneath the screen name field, is where you place your content. Again, adhering to the 130 character rule, because we don’t want to send multiple messages to people if we don’t have to.

2. Click on the send button and viola, your message will be sent. Now keep in mind, before someone gets your message, the IM service (in this case AOL) will send the targeted individuals with a confirmation message. Meaning, AOL will send something like “You have a pending text message, from (such and such) reply back with the numbers 1234, to view this message” or something along those lines.

That’s it, it is as simple as that. Couple of things to keep in mind, if someone text messages your IM account or email account with the word QUIT, you must opt them out of any further messages immediately. If you ignore the QUIT message and keep on sending them messages after they have willfully opt out, you could get into serious legal trouble. The last thing to keep in mind, is to use this powerful tool respectfully and not use this knowledge to harass, abuse or spam others.

-Bill Mitchell

Posted in Marketing Tips Tags: , , , , No Comments »

Viral Twitter Marketing, Auto DM’s, TweeterGetter? BAD!

March 13th, 2009 admin

There seems to be quite a bit of controversy concerning many of the Twitter tools, apps and resources available today. Hardly seems like a day goes by where I don’t hear about another tool, in a long line, that I still haven’t had the chance to examine.

For those who haven’t heard, SocialToo has removed the Direct Messaging feature from their system, leaving many Tweeters perplexed and disappointed. There are also those on the other side of the spectrum who are rejoicing at the fact that Twautomation seems to be meeting its’ demise. I was using that tool and really liked it.

When it comes to Twitter Tools, I have found that most of the problems originating from these are not because the tools are bad, it’s because they are being used incorrectly.

It’s unfortunate, because features like Auto DM, for example, can be very useful for the responsible Tweeter. If you are receiving large volumes of followers, it is next to impossible to greet them all manually. That being said, it looks like this could be the way of the future if DM services in other tools start to get shut down.

You can use an auto dm to send a quick greeting and open the lines of communication via TweetDeck or Twhirl, for example. When it comes to Auto DM, the best use IS NOT advertising or spam. My message is simple… “Thanks for following, it’s great to see you here! How are you today? Free Twitter Tools! http://bit.ly/14Rfnp” … and that’s it. Asking people how they’re doing today is not only cordial and polite, but it gets conversations started that build relationships.

Then there is TweeterGetter and the ViralTweets software. Again, a resource that has drummed up it’s share of controversy. I jumped on the TweeterGetter bandwagon from day one. Personally, I don’t have a problem with it, but can understand why some people do. At first appearance, it does appear to be one of those tools that takes the human element away from Twitter. It’s use, however, has brought me many new friends, some of which agreed with the tool, some that haven’t.

The software used by TweeterGetter (known as Viral Tweets) I really like and will continue to use it. You can use this tool responsibly, from a marketing perspective, without putting those who are Tweeting your message at risk for a spam complaint and/or account closure. For example, I have created a form on my blog here (see right upper right hand margin) where people can request a nice info package (free of charge) for simply sharing my blog with others. There’s nothing wrong with sharing quality information. I think my blog offers a pointer or two that people might find useful… ;) !!

If you are using Viral Tweets, take this into consideration when creating your message. Twitter, in its’ purest forms poses one question… “What are you doing?” If you answer that question and share links to legitimate information that will be of actual benefit to those who follow you (as well as the public thread), you are not only going to reduce the risk of spam/account closure, you are also going to build a positive reputation as someone who is doing things the right way.

As far as other tools are concerned (the list to long to name)… it’s pretty much a matter of preference. Personally, my favorites are TweetManager, TweetDeck, Twhirl. Mr. Tweet and TwitterGrader. I’m sure the list will grow the more I explore, but there are only so many hours in a day.

Apps, tools and resources are great, but what really make Twitter great is the connection with people! If the tools are resources are causing you to overlook that, then I would reconsider how you are using them.

Cheers!

Rex

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