For over two years my main page did not contain a signup
form for my email newsletter. Sure, I had a link to my sample
issue, which contained a signup form, but I never got around
to adding the short form to my main page.
THE FIX: I added a short sign up form with a testimonial on
my main page and my new subscriber signups nearly doubled,
from 300 a week to close to 600. If I had smartened up a year
ago I could be at 50,000 subscribers now, instead of 35,000.
Learn from my mistake! If you are not using a signup form on
your main page to collect email addresses of your visitors,
you are making a big mistake. It really is as simple as
asking for their email address using a "formmail" script on
your web server. Most web hosts offer that basic script for
free.
MISTAKE 2: Including the same signature file with all
outgoing emails...
A signature file is simply a short "footer" (usually 3-5 lines)
that you write yourself. The signature is included in at the
bottom of each email message you send and it is an excellent
way for potential customers to learn about your products and
services. When done properly, your signature can constantly
make sales for you.
Although most online marketers know how to use a sig file,
nearly all are limiting themselves with this tool. Here's
an example of how I was limting my own sales...
My old Signature was one of those boring 3 line sigs with
company name, contact information and URL.
Any time I replied to an email message it included that short
signature at the end. Sure, I dabbled with other longer sigs
but I never noticed much of a difference. That is, until I
wised up and started targeting my sigs to each prospect...
THE FIX: Rather than use the same sig with every email, I
now select from a menu of four separate signatures. Each one
I created is geared to assist different people. It's usually
pretty simple to tell from an email message what type of
product or service each person may be most interested in.
Now, before I click "send" on any message, I simply use
Eudora's drop down menu and select one of my four pre-
written signature files.
I suggest you take a few moments to set up three or four
different signatures right now. Each one will be a mini-ad
designed to assist specific customers and prospects. The
sigs should also carefully promote each of your top products
and services.
Tip: I've found that writing the signatures in a "P.S." format
can be very effective since it looks like part of the email
message itself.
Once you're done setting up some sigs, put them into action.
That's the easy part... Before you click "send" on any email
message, select the signature that would fit best with the
recipient's needs. You'll quickly find that each client you
deal with really does fit in well with one particular
recommendation. This simple strategy can increase your online
income more than you can imagine!
