Find the Perfect List

by Valerie Schlitt, President of VSA, Inc.

Most of my professional experience has been in conducting direct mail campaigns, many of which were of the multi-million-piece variety. Here is my take on how the file has evolved and how new, more useful and effective methods have evolved, paralleling the development of surprising new resources.

In contrast with previous huge-quantity mailing, today’s marketing strategy calls for smaller “micro-mailings” as the most effective approach. Presented here are details about steps you might want to take following the current methods for creating, segmenting, profiling and producing test lists. This approach is vastly different from the procedures that training used to prescribe - but field experience always differs from static classroom rules to some degree, doesn’t it?

Methods are constantly changing and a classroom presentation is always at least a little behind the latest developments based on real-world conditions.

For example, in the past, professionals who ran large direct marketing campaigns for Fortune 100 companies added millions of names every quarter to an in-house database. They applied the newest profiling methods. They sliced and diced their already “high-responder” segments to achieve THE PERFECT LIST!

Targeted Networking Comes of Age

What smart marketers do now - and what you probably should do, dealing with the same kind of campaign - has little similarity to this older, more systematic, routine approach. Often the challenge is to run a boutique-type consulting firm, using telemarketing methods to generate B2B meetings for very small clients. If your business presents this kind of marketing challenge, you can use a similar approach effectively. A good name for this approach might be “Targeted Networking”.

In this kind of business, the goal is to link professional service clients in cooperative groups with others who serve the same market. Campaign respondents meet with clients in related businesses, and together they create relationships. These associations then blossom into lifelong referral partnerships, thereby creating new revenue streams for clients.

Using this method of list creation results in lists comprising as few as 25 to 100 records, unlike the huge lists created in the older marketing milieu. However, when you create these “small” lists, you will be mail-targeting industries carefully for their relatedness, giving THE PERFECT LIST a new meaning. Compact dynamic enterprises can not afford to waste money on non-responsive mailings.

Using this approach, you still must produce great copy and produce extremely professional packages. But, don’t test creative presentations or special offers - rely on THE PERFECT LIST. Use the Internet to research each mailing file to make sure each list entry passes the criteria making it a legitimate choice. Manually research each mailing file before proceeding, assuring that all relevant, special criteria is kept in mind. Analyze candidate entries by mining data from on-line directories, Web sites, physical or online phone books, local library resources (right on company computers,) or hardbound lawyers’ guides, to name a few. When no public data is available, do a little creative detective wok to find ways to obtain industry-specific data from friends who are willing to lend lists that are allowed to be mailed. Compare and combine your research across multiple sources, and then contact organizations directly by phoning to learn an individual’s name for addressing purposes. No two lists will look the same.

It is necessary for you to go through all this trouble because no ready-made resources are as suitable or useful as the specifically targeted and accurate ones you will create. When you stumble across a great list online, it’s usually outdated — which, of course, can happen the day after the list is posted. So, in using available material like this, confirming mailing names by phone is a necessity.

Micromarketing List Generation Micromarketing list generation is data mining at its purest. Although it may seem an unusual method to build micro-lists, the largest list vendors and direct mail ships build their own lists this way. They purchase parts of lists from various sources and combine them - not manually, of course - to result in a composite record that contains all the relevant data ready for profiling and segmentation.

Your profiling must be a bit more hands-on. Base it on your client’s historical success. Consider relevant questions. What size firm, industry and geographic area typically wants to meet with him or her? What is the title of the individual who is generally the best referral partner? With these questions answered, replicate this profile, and use it to create a list of other professionals.

Technology: Helping the Little Guy, Too

This type of small-scale targeting is the example of how technology - especially in-house computing, the Internet and telephone communications - has made it possible to alter the way businesses can mine data and compile lists. It has made data mining more effective for specialized applications. Since creating even small lists manually is time-consuming and expensive, we could not economically perform these kinds of services twenty years ago. Using this approach you, and even the smallest of clients, can use direct marketing successfully.

The list in this new, carefully crafted form - formerly just one element in the entire direct marketing mix - is now the core of modern success.

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Currency Exchange Market: If You Love Your 9 To 5 Job, Stay Away!

July 31, 2008 by Jacob Eskena · 6 Comments 

by Jake Eskena

The Forex Exchange Market is the biggest money market in the worldwide. It is much larger than other financial market boasts upwards of 1.3 t r i l l i o n dollars in an exploding industry. It is also referred to as Forex, Foreign Currency Exchange or even FX.

Forex trading is associated with a certain element of risk since it is principally driven by speculation and forecast. An expert Forex trader is able to estimate the values of each currency and thus be successful in this industry but that doesn’t mean that you need to be an expert to be successful given the availability of technology and software programs (one in particular) and I will reveal one such software later on in this article. But as far as risks are concerned, it is important to stress that whilst they are real, they are also very small compared to other financial trading instructions.

Forex is the mechanism by which one currency is exchanged for another and was created in 1971. The introduction of Forex signified the retirement of previous all fixed exchange system since the market value of any currency was now determined according to the supply and demand of such currency. A consequence of the introduction of this new Foreign Exchange market was that individual efforts to influence the market for personal gain were no longer possible, making this a much safer environment to trade in.

The Forex Exchange Market is linked together in one large electronic network/traders all over the world.

This web of Forex Trading is no longer reserved for central banks and or large financial conglomerates. Indeed, armed with personal computers, at home traders are discovering the financial possibilities that this market offers.

Anyone interested in opening this exciting and rewarding business opportunity has the added advantage that this is an industry opened for business when most traditional market industries close their doors for the day. Indeed, it is opened 24 hours a day, 5 days a week. There are of course certain risks involved in any financial market, but the forex killer market is known as one that has the fewest risks as it offers its traders the right set of tools to succeed.

One such tool is a software program called Forex Killer. If you are looking for the ultimate Forex application, none is better than Forex Killer, which was designed and created by one of Forex foremost gurus.

Forex Killer is easily available and you can try if for up to 56 days completely risks free! Any one with any level of expertise, included complete beginners can begin to make money with Forex Killer. Designed from the ground up, it boasts a sophistication and use of ease that make it possible for the software to recommend which currency should or should not be bought. With Forex Killer, it is like you have the most accomplished forex traders guiding you step by step and helping you make informed decisions.

Forex Killer is so above anything else in the forex automation software that is has been nominated as the number one cash flow generation online opportunities by CNN. In terms of genuine money making opportunities, none will serve you better than Forex Killer.

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An Introduction to Traffic Exchanges

July 30, 2008 by John Neyman · Leave a Comment 

by John Neyman

a website owner, what is the first thing that you will need? Traffic! Traffic exchanges are one of the cheapest and easiest ways to get targeted traffic to your website.

Traffic exchanges work as follows: you surf for credits, usually having to spend 20 seconds at each site, and the exchange company will post your ad for others to see. Your credits will normally come on a 3:1 or 4:1 basis, meaning that you need to surf four sites for every one that they will show. Many exchanges will also offer bonuses for referring friends, often several layers deep and those bonuses can add up quickly.

Most traffic exchanges have categories available where you can post your ad. This is a very nice feature as you will get targeted prospects that might be interested in your product or service.

While many of the traffic exchanges can produce great results, often times many people do not use them correctly and fail miserably. Here are some tips to help you get the most out of your traffic exchange experience.

The first thing you need to do is offer something for free. It doesn’t matter if it’s an ebook, a video or a sound clip. People are on the exchange because they have to be there, not because they want to be there. They are seeing pitch after pitch every 20 seconds and quickly put their credit card away. So, be different and be nice and send them a free gift for visiting your website.

The next thing you must do if you want to be successful is to collect your prospect’s email address. However, leave the selling for a later time. Your point of being on the exchange should be one thing and one thing only: getting subscribers.

Many people are using traffic exchanges to promote multi level marketing and affiliate programs. This can be a great way to recruit, but keep in mind that many programs will saturate quickly on the exchange. Always ditch the corporate opt in form and make your own. There are many products that will make creating your own opt in form a breeze.

Try to find a traffic exchange that allows you to run multiple ads so you can split test. Take advantage of this. Your responses will improve significantly.

In conclusion, if you want to make money online, then traffic exchanges are welcome additions to your online arsenal.

Our services at leaders excel include any where from a personal website to an elite Premium business package website. Our premium package features include creating a personal header with your company’s logo that communicates your product and/or services.

Check out Leaders Excel Solutions at www.leaderexcelsolutions today for all of your website needs.

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Learn Photoshop the fast and easy way

July 30, 2008 by David Peters · Leave a Comment 

by David Peters

Because the Clone Stamp’s function is to subtly replace one area of pixels with another, you don’t need its brush tip to be shaped like a rubber duck, for example! However you can use the Brush Preset picker to arm yourself with a variety of creatively-shaped brushes, should your project require them. Working smarter with the Brush Preset picker means maximising its potential. If you’re not already familiar with this interface.

Making custom brushes is one of the easiest things in the world. Seriously! I don’t know why I’ve read some tutorials that make it out to be this multi-step, intimidating process. Creating your own brushes helps to customize both your artwork and the Photoshop work environment. The Hard Part: “But … you said this would be easy!!” Technically, yes, but I’ve found that some people actually reach a little stumbling block when trying to think of what would make a good brush. Well, the short answer is ANYTHING! I’ve made brushes out of fuzzy leopard slippers, bananas, old trash cans, fabric swatches, dirt … hundreds of things. It helps to have a scanner and/or a digital camera … that really opens up your possibilities. Just a quick walk around your house might yield dozens of fun textures you can make brushes out of. But, even if you don’t have either of those, you can often snurch some good textures off the internet. Try a google search for marble tile and see what comes up. Sometimes you’ll get a nice big image to work with. I’m not condoning stealing someone’s art photos to rip a brush off with, but if it’s just a sample photo of tile, or fabric, or screen, or whatever, I think it’s perfectly fine … you’ll be drastically changing the image in the next steps anyway.

To demonstrate the way the interface changes as you use it, try selecting the type tool from the toolbox (the one that looks like a capital T). You will see straight away that the toolbar changes entirely to allow you to set font name, font size and so on. In the history palette, your use of the type tool will be added to your history, and a new layer will be created for your text and shown in the layers palette.

The problem with many of these applications is that they use pre designed templates which the user pieces together to form logos that really are not that original and sometimes appear a little generic. While these applications allow the user to quickly begin creating graphic designs and logos they often simply do not produce designs that are original and in demand by web design clients. If you take the time to learn adobe Photoshop there will be no limit to the logos and graphic designs you can put together. Although the interface can seem a little overwhelming at first, learning Photoshop is not difficult if you have the right tools and take the time to practice.

The other benefit of using Photoshop to fix your old photographs it that you can work in layers. The layers function ensures that you won’t waste an hours work with one little mistake. As you work your photograph you can save each new change as a new layer. If you mess up simply delete that layer and try again. Photo restoration requires patience and attention to detail. Only Adobe Photoshop has the tools to do a quality job restoring your old photographs. Learn Photoshop now and start bringing those old photographs to new life.

Customers get to proof their enhanced images in online private galleries, with web links, user names and passwords sent by e-mail, before deciding whether to purchase. Enhanced images are available for immediate download after secure online purchase through Roman Cart. No money up front and no obligation to buy — that’s how confident Caledonian Digital is in their ability to deliver.

News photographers routinely process images using Adobe Photoshop software. But there has been a basic premise in the world of photojournalism that what was allowed in making prints in the pre-digital days of darkrooms is all that is acceptable today. Back in the days of the darkroom, we used very basic tools to develop prints. In black and white printing, the contrast of a picture was controlled by a paper’s grade. The higher the number of the paper, the higher the contrast. In the wire agency darkooms I’ve worked in, we typically used grades 3,4 and 5. We allowed “dodge and burn” to lighten or darken areas. A dodge tool was made by taping a small piece of cardboard the size of a quarter onto a paper clip. A burn tool was a piece of cardboard the size of an 810 sheet of paper with a hole in the center.

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Traffic Secrets 2 By John Reese!

July 30, 2008 by Ronald Anthony · Leave a Comment 

by Ronald Anthony

QUESTION: Is this email marketing and follow up auto-responder service free! or do I pay for it? ANSWER: Yes, it’s Free so that you can try it out. But remember it has a (limited number) of features. See comparison chart. If you like our Email Marketing and Followup Autoresponder System you may subscribe at any time while trying it out and all features will be activated. One year subscription or a monthly subscription. Your choice. QUESTION: I am interested in sending to my ezine list.

I’ve never done email marketing before. Can I use High Impact eMail 3.0?? Yes. High Impact eMail 3.0 is ideal for people who want to start sending out eye-catching email that looks and acts like a website page in order to marketing products, services or brands. All you need is Outlook, Outlook Express, ACT! 6.0 or Eudora 6.0+. Our technical support reps will help you figure the hard stuff out, and support is FREE.

I have a limited marketing budget. Can I afford a custom eMail marketing campaign? Yes. eMMc is managed by us so you don’t have to purchase, install or manage the software. There are also flexible payment programs that allow you to pay-as-you-go or purchase blocks of eMails depending on your need. eMail marketing, including online newsletters and promos, is the least expensive medium available for customer acquisition, retention and relationship management.E-Blasts - allows you to send a message to our database of over 100,000 (or a targeted group) or opt-in subscribers. Email Market Product - we sell and email marketing system that allows you to control your own email marketing and your own database of opt-ins. Sponsorship of our many Newsletters - allows you to purchase the sponsorship ad units within our newsletters. (Yes.

I’ve never done email marketing before. Can I use High Impact eMail 3.0?? Yes. High Impact eMail 3.0 is ideal for people who want to start sending out eye-catching email that looks and acts like a website page in order to marketing products, services or brands. All you need is Outlook, Outlook Express, ACT! 6.0 or Eudora 6.0+. Our technical support reps will help you figure the hard stuff out, and support is FREE.E-Blasts - allows you to send a message to our database of over 100,000 (or a targeted group) or opt-in subscribers.

Why should I use email as a marketing tool? Traditional forms of marketing carry a higher cost than email marketing and provide little in the way of measuring the effectiveness of the campaign. Using MailYourMarket as your email marketing system, the costs are as low as 1.25 cents* per email recipient and you can view reports on who opened it, who clicked on what links as well as being able to measure the success of the campaign by viewing send-to-open ratios.ANSWER: Yes, it’s Free so that you can try it out. But remember it has a (limited number) of features. See comparison chart. If you like our Email Marketing and Followup Autoresponder System you may subscribe at any time while trying it out and all features will be activated. One year subscription or a monthly subscription. Your choice. QUESTION: I am interested in sending to my ezine list.

Why should I use MailCentral and not another email marketing company? MailCentral is UK based. The engine behind MailCentral was designed by Atomic who are one of the north west’s leading design agencies. With a client list that extends around the globe, Atomic has years of marketing experience and expertise across many market sectors. We are not just another start-up! MailCentral automates all your e-marketing needs.ANSWER: Yes, it’s Free so that you can try it out. But remember it has a (limited number) of features. See comparison chart. If you like our Email Marketing and Followup Autoresponder System you may subscribe at any time while trying it out and all features will be activated. One year subscription or a monthly subscription. Your choice.

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The Internet Marketers Dream Come True!

July 29, 2008 by Bob McCord CBCP · Leave a Comment 

by Bob McCord CBCP

Using content for articles, why bother?

We are repeatedly told by Internet marketers that content is the most important aspect of any site.

If the content is already being used (sometimes on thousands of sites) then it is already treated as duplicate content. Therefore, it may get indexed for a while, but when Google catches on, bang; it removes it from its index!

You are right to be dubious, after all I was when I first heard about this. After watching the numerous demonstrations, I finally had to admit that I was convinced, and more importantly, hooked on the idea.

How do I create unique content? I have recently purchased the Content FX system. This single tool is the only one I will ever need to buy. After many long months of testing, the system is ending poor web content forever.

Named Content FX and for those of you with high standards, this masterpiece will solve the problems of junk spun PLR articles, saving you from ever having to stare at a blank screen again. Possibly the most important weapon in your online business arsenal.

The list of people signing up for Content FX is growing because serious marketers cannot wait to get their hands on all that original content; they need to improve their rankings.

How much time would you like to yourself each day? There are a number of ways you can get content from the web but Content FX is the most cost efficient you will find - unless you can afford to pay for or write unlimited articles yourself!

How much time would you like to yourself each day? There are a number of ways you can get content from the web but Content FX is the most cost efficient you will find - unless you can afford to pay for or write unlimited articles yourself!

Have questions? Reply to mailto:ContentFX-4@i-Commerce-Business.com with a blank email to read “ContentFX Revealed”.

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Endorsement Marketing Secrets

July 29, 2008 by Kim and Charles Petty · Leave a Comment 

by Kim and Charles Petty

Endorsement marketing is having famous or reputable people recommend your product or service to others. They could be celebrities, star athletes, musicians, etc. Choose people that are related to your business and might actually use your product or service.

Before asking anyone for an endorsement be sure your product or service gives the results you say it does. They may ask you to prove it before they will agree to give an endorsement.

Once you find the ideal person to endorse your product or service simply contact them and ask. When proposing any endorsement deal make it a win/win situation. Tell them you would get the endorsement and they would get free publicity. If they’re selling a product or service, you could exchange endorsements. If they ask for a fee, try to give them a percentage of the profits instead.

Once you get an endorsement from someone, use it on all your advertising and marketing material. Put their endorsement and picture on your Web site. Use their testimonial in your ads. Include it on your product packages.

An endorsement can increase your sales fast. It gives credibility to your product or service. People will usually believe a person that’s not related to your business before they will believe you.

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