How Can I Use My PLR Most Effectively

If you’ve ever wondered how you can most effectively use your PLR (whether it’s ebooks, articles, sales pages or any type of PLR), here’s a handy checklist you can download for free. Get ideas for making content more uniquely yours, earning money from your PLR and more - WITHOUT having to do any heavy-duty rewrites.

Click here to get yours (PDF).

How Do I Get My Subscribers to Pay Attention?

Here’s a question I received recently from one of my blog readers.

“I know everyone says the money is in the list, but I’ve been building my list and I feel like my subscribers just aren’t paying attention. There is a lot of competition in my market and I can’t seem to figure out how to stand out.

Melanie”

This is certainly not an uncommon problem. People are so inundated with email in general, it’s tough to get attention in an overflowing email inbox. Now, there are plenty of things you can do to get more attention (ex. testing your subject lines, teasing readers about your next email, etc.), but I’ve grabbed an excerpt from the Email Marketing Reform School that goes right back to the beginning and might help.

Before you even start a list, it’s important not only to define your target market, but come up with what makes your list unique - often called USP (Unique Selling Position) in terms of your overall business.

AND NOTE: You should define this your target & uniqueness for each and every list because each list serves a different purpose, even if the target markets are similar. This is what helps you relate to your audience more specifically and what makes them feel like you understand them, offer them value and that they can’t get enough of you!

Here’s the excerpt from the Reform School:

“UEP (Unique Emailing Position): UEP is an acronym I made up for our purposes (you won’t find it in any copywriting or marketing guide that I know of) and it stands for Unique Emailing Position. I have chosen this name so that you can really try to imagine your USP in the terms of your email marketing.

In short, your UEP is what sets you apart from others in your market using email to reach their prospects and customers. Put another way, a UEP is some unique thing you offer to your readers that competition is not. It’s the reason your subscribers sign up to your list, stay subscribers, open and act upon your email.

Here are just a few examples of a UEP. Your UEP will likely be very different as these examples won’t necessarily be appropriate to all types of lists. These ideas is just to help you start thinking about your own UEP.

o Do you offer more in-depth information on specific topics?
o Do you provide the honest reviews other people are afraid to do?
o Is your list attractive because you provide easy-to-understand condensed information?
o Does your mailing list motivate people into taking action?
o Is your list a humorous look at your topic?
o Do you send more frequent up-to-the-minute information?
o Are you dedicated to answering your readers’ questions and engaging in dialogue with them (Mind your time on something like this and look at the tips in the “Asking” section a little later in this lesson)?
o Do you offer exclusive interviews to people of influence in your target market?

UEP (or USP) is a concept that is often difficult for people because every business and mailing list is different. You need to really sit down, brainstorm and figure out your UEP because if you don’t, it’s hard to stand out from the crowd and compete in your market.

Here is one of the most important questions you’ll ask yourself when formulating your UEP:

“Why would my subscriber sign up for my list, instead of someone else’s? Why would they continue to stay subscribed?”

Take a look at other mailing lists / newsletters in your target market. What are they doing that you can do even better? If you’re on any customer lists (if not, try to get on some), see how your competitors treat their customers via email.”

It’s a small starting point that can make a big difference in your email marketing. Once you have your UEP down, you can more effectively market for new subscribers and get your existing ones a whole lot more responsive.

By the way, Reform School starts Monday, so be sure to book your spot now.

Should I Sell To My List In The Beginning?

Q: “I am starting a new mailing list and at first, I don’t want to sell them anything because I want my subscribers to get to know me and see I offer good information. Is this the best plan for a new list?”

A: First, congratulations on beginning your new list. Best of success to you! Also, way to go for thinking things through beforehand, it will definitely make creating your new list a lot easier for you.

To answer your question about waiting to sell to your list, the short answer is: No, don’t wait. And here’s why…

When you create a mailing list, keep in mind that you control what your readers will and won’t do. In other words you have to train them from the very beginning.

Train them to expect a pitch. Whether the pitch is straightforward or one that is intertwined with great content, advice, reviews, etc. is up to you.

People get annoyed when you don’t sell and then all of the sudden you throw sales pitches at them. You goal is to find and keep readers who fit your target customer. By showing them, from the get-go, what they can expect from you, you’re letting them know upfront exactly what you’re all about.

You can easily incorporate the information you want your readers to learn, establish your expertise, etc. into a sales pitch. As a matter of fact, those types of pitches are what people react to and will get you the most response with your list.

Tips for Creating Informative Pitches

Be Honest

By being honest about products, your readers will see that you’re not just picking anything you can find to promote to them. Honesty helps to build credibility. If something about a product isn’t up to par, let your readers know about it.

Produce QUALITY content

Use content that engages your readers. Give them facts and statistics, etc. that are easily verifiable.

Make Them Curious

Give your reader’s a reason to want to know more.

Never Forget Calls to Action

Contrary to popular belief, people, especially on the Internet, like to be told what to do next. Don’t leave your reader’s guessing what their next step should be.

Click here for 21 Strategies to Get More Results from Your Email Marketing.

Setting up a Mailing List in QuickSales

Q: Can you give me some basic instructions on how to set up a mailing list in QuickSales?

A: As with most programs, the first step is for you to login to your QuickSales account.  Once you have logged in, here are the steps you need to follow in order to create a mailing list:

1.  Click the Email & Marketing tab Choose Autoresponders Create Autoresponder

2.  Fill in the following fields with specific list information:

Name your autoresponder

Autoresponder ID field should already be set to new so you won’t need to fill it in.

Make sure Direct Subscribe is enabled

f applicable, choose the list you would like your subscribers to be unsubscribed to when they subscribe to the new list you have created.

Email address that you would like to appear in the from field of your customers emails which would also be the address you want replies sent to.

Supply a company name or website name so subscribers will know who the email is from.

If you are importing this mailing list into another list using Inherit Autoresponder option, this list would be sharable.

If you have turned opt-in verification on, you can select a template to use from the drop down list.  Click the next link to change your opt-in settings from on to off or off to on.

Opt-In Verification:  If you have this turned on you can select a template to use from the drop down list.

3.  Once all of your information is filled in, be sure to save your list by clicking the save button.
Further Resources

To get the most of your email marketing campaigns, sign up for your complimentary y Email Marketing Tips.

Sending a Broadcast Email with WahmCart

Q: I am new WahmCart user and have my mailing list set up, but I’m having problems sending a Broadcast Email. Do you know how to do this?

A: Broadcast emails are beneficial for times when you have some sensitive information to send, but don’t want to add it to an auto responder series due to time constraints or other issues or limitations.

Here are the necessary steps in sending a Broadcast Email with WahmCart:

1.    Login to your WahmCart Account

2.    Choose Follow-up –> Send Email

3.    The next screen is where you need to type your email and send it to your list

Now, here is a simplified step-by-step process you need to follow in order to create and send the email:

Step 1

Choose the formatting for your message.  This will either be Plain Text (Default) or HTML

Step 2

Go to your dropdown list and choose the list you wish to send the broadcast to.  There is also an option to send to all of your lists just in case you should have multiple lists in our WahmCart Account.

Step 3

Schedule the date and time you want your email to be sent out.

Step 4

Put the appropriate subject in the subject line and remember to insert first or last name using the buttons above the subject.

Step 5

Put the contents/body of your message along with any additional information from the insert buttons above the body text box.  (This may include first name, last name, email, URL, company or date).

Once you have everything entered, you can preview your message by clicking the preview message button.  This will enable you to see how your message will appear to those who receive it.  Double check everything and once the message appears the way you desire, click Send Message.

Further Resources

To get the most of your email marketing campaigns, sign up for weekly Email Marketing Tips.

Setting up a Mailing List in WahmCart

Q: Can you tell me how to setup the mailing list in WahmCart? I am not sure how to use the features or set the list up so it will identify who the list actually belongs to.

A: Let’s start by giving you a username for example purposes; we’ll say your name is Molly’s Creations. Here are the steps you will need to follow in order to set up your mailing list in WahmCart:

1.    First, you need to login to your account with your actual username and password.

2.    Choose the tab that says, Followup –> Add List

3.    Now, you need to choose the following features that will identify your mailing list:

a.  List name-For example purposes, let’s say the name will be Weekly Creations by Molly.

b.  From name: Your name, business name, etc.

c.  From email: molly@mollyscreations.com

4.    If you want to receive an email whenever someone signs up for your list, you need to select, yes on the next question.

5.    You will now be asked whether or not you would like to add your first message.  This is actually the message your list will receive when they initially sign up.  Choose whether you wish for your message to be delivered in HTML or plain text.  WahmCart is configured to use plain text by default.

6.    You will now select the delay of the message.  This is in the number of days after your subscriber signs up for your list.  If you want emails sent immediately after sign-up, you would need to leave this set at 0.

7.    You will then see a set of buttons, First Name and Last Name under the delay section.  This is for your subject line only.  If you want to enter either of these in the subject line, you will need to click them, if not, simply type or copy and paste your email subject into this section.

8.    The buttons in the section that follows that are for your message. (First Name, Last Name, URL, Email, Company and Date).

9.    Now you can copy and paste or type your first message into the section that is labeled, Body.

*Note* If you copy/paste your email into the body section, and then click any of the buttons, the information will automatically be defaulted to the end of the email, so make sure you past this information where you need it in the actual email.

Your mailing list is now set up in WahmCart and once your code is pasted on your site, and your visitors sign up for your list, they will receive the email you created.

Further Resources

To get the most of your email marketing campaigns, sign up for weekly Email Marketing Tips.

Create an Autoresponder Series in WahmCart

Q: How do I create an Auto responder Series in WahmCart?

A: Creating an Auto Responder Series for a list in WahmCart is basically very easy.  Start by creating a mailing list as you normally would and make sure you include a welcome message as your first message in the series.  This particular message will have a 0 day delay so it will be received immediately after subscribers complete the sign-up process.

The following steps will provide you with the information you need and for example purposes, we will use the name of Linda’s Creations that sends a plain text message to their subscribers one time per week.

1. Login to your account

2. Choose Follow-up –> View Lists. Choose the list you want to add to and click Messages –> Add Message

3. Choose how you want your message to be delivered. (Plain Text or HTML).  Just remember, the default setting in WahmCart is plain text.

4. Enter the message delay setting.  This will be in days, as in the number of days after the subscriber signs up.  This being your first follow-up email, (not counting the welcome message), you will want to set the delay to 7.  This email will then be received by subscribers 7 days after they complete the sign-up process.

5. The buttons you see under the Delay section are for your subject line only. (First Name and Last Name)  If you want these entered in your subject line, click them, otherwise, simply type or copy and paste your email subject into the next section.

6. In the next section, you will see buttons that apply to the message itself.  (First Name, Last Name, URL, Email, Company and date).

7. You may not copy and paste or type your first message into the section that is labeled, body.

8. You may now preview your message by clicking on the preview message button and send, but remember, if you have further changes to make, you may also click on edit message and proceed to edit and finalize your message.

9. To add or save the message to your Autoresponder Series, you simply click save message.

10. If you have additional messages to add to your Auto responder Series, repeat steps above.

Hint: If copying and pasting your email into the body section and you then click any buttons, the information will default to the end of the email.  Make sure you cut and paste any information where you need it, in the email itself.

To get the most of your email marketing campaigns, sign up for weekly Email Marketing Tips.

Create an Autoresponder Series in Aweber

Q: I hope you can help me with my Aweber account. I am a new user and having problems setting up an Autoresponder Series using Aweber. Can you give me some quick tips or instructions on how to do this?
A: First of all, if you haven’t already created a list in Aweber, you must do so before you can create your Autoresponder Series.  Once your list is created, you will be able to add your Autoresponder messages by following the steps listed below:

• Login to your Aweber account
• You will see managing list (home page), list name (add new) at the top of the page.
• Using the drop down menu, choose the list you wish to create your Autoresponder Series for.
• Next, you will want to choose the messages tab at the top of the page and click on follow up.  Aweber considers the first message in a series to be your Autoresponder and the following message after that is considered a follow up.
• If your initial Autoresponder message has not been set up, you can do so now.  If the first message has already been created, simply click the green add message button and continue with your series.

Here is the information you will need to fill in for each message you add:

• Message: Enter the delay time on the message.  For example, if you want subscribers to receive one email a week from the series, enter the number 7 in the field.
• Click Tracking: Check this box if you want to track the number of times your links in the emails are clicked.  These links will be Aweber links and will not look like the link you actually enter.
• Template: Choose the template you would like your message to appear in, if any.
• Personalization Fields: If there is any part you would like to personalize, such as subscriber’s first name, you can choose the codes from the drop down list.
• Subject: This is where you enter the subject of the message.
• Plain Text Message: Enter the message here and click on the wrap long lines button to keep your links from being broken or split up.
• Plain Text Message: Enter your message here and click the “Wrap Long Lines” button to keep your links from being split up or broken.
• HTML Message:  If you want to send the email in HTML format, copy and paste your message here.
• Analyze: Check the message against Spam Assassin to see if any of the content seems appear as spam type content which would possibly be blocked by some of the subscriber’s services, providers or email programs.

After you complete the steps above, you will need to click preview to view the appearance of your message and click save to add to your follow-up series.

Further Resources

To get the most of your email marketing campaigns, sign up for weekly Email Marketing Tips.

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