Why You Cannot Afford To Be An Anti-Social Internet Marketer
by Isaiah Hull

Anti-social internet marketing is a critical flaw that will destroy even the best, most creative sales strategies. If you do not build relationships and follow up on them --through personal interaction and automation -- you will spend most of your time either a) repeating trivial tasks that can either be completed exponentially faster with the help of other people or b) plodding away on a course that will never result in sales conversions.

Building and maintaining marketing relationships will help you do the following:

1. Avoid wasting time and money on outdated products and services that are no longer valid in the internet marketing world.
[Read More!]

Selling Online? Get Ready To Meet These Guys (and girls!)...
by Richard Grady

If you are thinking about starting an online business, I need to warn you about some of the people that you are going to 'meet'. Once you have a website or any form of online presence, these people will seek you out - I guarantee it!

THE ADVISOR
The Advisor is far more common than you might think. He (or she) will choose your website at random and then email you (often at considerable length) to explain exactly what is wrong with your site. The Advisor will often not have a website of their own but will be a self-appointed expert in website design and online marketing. The beauty of this advice is that it is free and you don't even have to ask for a review - The Advisor will just send his opinion to you.

The Advisor is ALWAYS right. Regardless of how successful your site may be, The Advisor will always find something wrong with it and kindly inform you so that you can correct it.
[Read More!]

Article Syndication - A New Vehicle For King Content
by Sharon Housley

Creating Content
New websites are being launched daily. In order to compete, webmasters need to find alternative ways of producing themed websites. Highly focused articles are often sought by wembasters. Why? Because content on the web is still king! In order to attract search engines and site visitors, webmasters rely heavily on providing new, innovative and fresh content. If the web site content is rich, visitors will come. If the website content is updated regularly, visitors will return. When evaluating a website's traffic it is easy to see that the low cost of syndicated content can increase a website's value. Sites that contain multiple pages related to a specific topic increase the likelihood of being 'found' when a variety of search phrases are used for that topic.

By creating a niche resource, webmasters are viewed as industry experts and their websites are more likely to receive incoming directory links. A number of publishers provide free content, the only stipulation being that the webmaster serving the content must include the author resource box. Webmasters utilizing free content can easily create portals teeming with themed content.
[Read More!]

Hello all you marketers and entrepreneurs! This is a long interview so I'll send you to the website where you can read it in its entirety. Well worth reading - I read it all the way through so I can honestly say that!

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Demystifying Blogs
by Dawn Anfuso

iMediaConnection, October 21, 2004
Gawker Media publisher defines blogging and custom publishing for an iMedia Brand Summit audience (first of three parts). At September's iMedia Brand Summit in Deer Valley, Utah, Denton spoke about the marketing potential for social networking and blogging.

To finish reading this story CLICK HERE
http://www.imediaconnection.com/content/4452.asp

Hello Online Marketers! I completely forgot to give you a forum in which to be able to ask Rok Hrastnik questions after the great interview he did with us here on Kick The Email Habit.

Well now you can. Just go back and read through the interview again and then send us your questions. I actually asked him some questions and he gave me invaluable advice. Please don't hesitate to send in your questions and get them answered by someone who doesn't just talk it, he walks it!

You can QMTP us here on Kick The Email Habit just CLICK HERE
Let's get those questions rolling in everyone! This is an excellent opportunity for you to take advantage of some expert advice in marketing -online AND more importantly offline!


Kim Bloomer

Factiva Offers Free Presidential Coverage Via RSS
By Ross Fadner
Staff Writer
Tuesday, October 26, 2004

Global content provider Factiva, a joint subsidiary of Dow Jones and the Reuters Group, will deliver a series of free really simple syndication feeds that relate to the U.S. Presidential election, the company said Monday. The feeds cover election-related topics including jobs, the economy, health care, the war in Iraq, and budget and taxes.

"RSS seemed like a natural complement to our news content," said Diane Thieke, director of public relations for Factiva Inc. By adding Factiva's feeds to their RSS readers, consumers will have instant access to presidential campaign news as it happens.

[Read More!]

The "I'm Not A Genius" Syndrome
By Dr Jill Ammon-Wexler
Personal Excellence Mentor
http://www.quantum-self.com
© 2004 All Rights Reserved.

Creativity is often viewed as a characteristic of a few gifted geniuses. John Briggs, author of Fire In the Crucible: The Alchemy of Creative Genius believes: "The way we talk about creativity often reinforces the notion it is some kind of special gift."

[Read More!]

Hello Internet Marketers! This week we are featuring Jennifer Shelby and her company Signature Leadership. Jennifer is in the fast rising industry of Virtual Assistants. If you are looking for ways to be able to focus on your business without all the time-consuming tasks that distract from doing what you do best, then a VA is what you need.


Read further to know more about this industry and Jennifer's approach. She is also a member of the International Virtual Women's Chamber of Commerce:

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KB: Jen Shelby, thank you for taking the time to participate in this interview for our readers.
To set the stage for this interview, would you please tell us a bit about yourself?

JS: I started my own business a couple of years ago, so that I could continue my career part time and enjoy being a new mom. I live in Santa Cruz, CA.

KB: Congratulations Jen! Nice city Santa Cruz. I really like that you have mountains and ocean all a short distance from each other. The best of both worlds in my opinion. Okay, give us your elevator speech, or 30-second spiel, about what you do, about your business:

JS: I work with women executives and woman owned businesses, which are looking to sharpen their skills, grow their leadership capabilities and increase profitability. Women need new rules. We play such valuable roles at work and at home, and I help them figure out how to bring all of themselves to their careers and family. We have so much to offer and truly can do it on our own terms. We just need to zero in on how. We are capable of so much more than we’ve allowed ourselves to think.

KB: You are absolutely right Jen. How long have you been in business for yourself?

JS: 2 years.

KB: Why or what was the determining factor for you in starting your own business?

[Read More!]

Who Would Use RSS?
by Kim Bloomer

My previous two articles “What is RSS and Why use RSS” focused on how we can give our customers a better online experience while lessening the hassles for the online marketer. In this article I’m going to offer you another way to look at RSS – from the standpoint of a new emerging profession: the channelmaster or newsmaster as Robin Good calls it. These are going to be the “Who’s Who” of RSS in the coming months and years.

I remember when email was the new thing for the average person; everyone was excited about the “new” technology. It had been around for awhile in the tech world but not with the average person. When we all started using email, it was so fascinating to be able to send out a message anywhere and get an answer back the same day!

[Read More!]

At Your Service: The Ten Commandments of Great Customer Service!
by Susan A Friedman, CSP

Customer service is an integral part of our job and should not be seen as an extension of it. A company’s most vital asset is its customers. Without them, we would not and could not exist in business. When you satisfy our customers, they not only help us grow by continuing to do business with you, but recommend you to friends and associates.

The practice of customer service should be as present on the show floor as it is in any other sales environment.

The Ten Commandments of Customer Service

1. Know who is boss. You are in business to service customer needs, and you can only do that if you know what it is your customers want. When you truly listen to your customers, they let you know what they want and how you can provide good service. Never forget that the customer pays our salary and makes your job possible.
[Read More!]

The Top Ten Signs Your Marketing Message Needs A Facelift
by Bea Fields

Is your marketing plan dull, flat, and downright boring? Is it lacking the zest and appeal which can penetrate the consciousness of your buyers? If so, you may be driving away folks who could easily buy your products or services. If so, these ten signs from The 90 Day Marketing Marathon Blunders from A to Z: B is for Boring will support you in raising your awareness of what drives folks away and tips on how you can create a message which will catch fire in the market place.

1. It's all about you.

Folks are not interested in you and your accolades. They want to know what you can do to solve their problem of the day. Drop the focus on you, and turn the spotlight on what is important to your buyer.
[Read More!]

Yahoo! Adds to E-mail, RSS Assets
Click Z News October 22, 2004

Yahoo! has acquired privately held Stata Labs, developer of the searchable e-mail client/RSS reader Bloomba and the SAproxy Pro spam filter. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

To read this news item in its entirety CLICK HERE

Automate, Automate, Automate
by Richard Grady

The key to running a successful and efficient online business is to automate as much of your work as possible:

Automate your order-taking process...

Automate your payment methods (credit card/Paypal etc)...

Automate as much of your delivery process as possible - eg. automatic printing of shipping labels and invoice/order details...

Automate your subscriber list sign-up...

Automate your 'help' and 'faq' systems - use email 'autoresponders' to answer common queries...

Automate EVERYTHING you possibly can...
[Read More!]

What Happened? Troubleshooting Poor Response From Ad Campaign
by Diane Hughes


Too many small business owners today run ad campaigns that get little to no results, and they have no idea why. When you have the knowledge to troubleshoot the poor responses, you also have the knowledge to make the needed changes so that - next time - your sales improve! Let’s take a look at the breakdown of an ad campaign, and how to determine what went wrong.


Response vs. Results

[Read More!]

Why Use RSS?
By Kim Bloomer

So why use RSS? Well, I can find a whole lot of reasons why. Although I’m not technically inclined I do understand the power behind syndication. Anyone who watches television can get that idea. Still why would I want to use RSS for my viral marketing campaign? Well, let’s look at what some of the “experts” are saying.

Robin Good is well-known in the blog and RSS forums and venues. He is also known for being a successful online marketer selling viral marketing tools. I’ve read lots of his articles and interviews, not to mention buying his Top 55 RSS sites tool for submitting to blogs and RSS feeds. I like what he said in one of his posts in his blog “No RSS, no party”.

[Read More!]

Hello Internet Marketers! I've been promising this interview for some time now and it's finally here. It's not due to anything other than Rok being such a busy guy and not only that, he's a great guy! I hope you enjoy this very informative and in depth interview with marketing expert Rok Hrastnik!

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KB: Hello Rok, and thank you for taking the time out to talk with us today. To get us started, would you please tell us a bit about yourself and what you do?

RH: Hello Kim, and thank you for inviting me, it's an honor. I'm a marketing consultant specializing in informational approaches to marketing, internet marketing models and processes, and direct branding.

Yeah, sounds complicated, right?

When I say informational approaches to marketing I basically mean three things:

• marketing using relevant information (content delivery),
  
• attaining relevant information about your prospects and customers (information acquisition and analysis),
  
• using that information to increase the success of your entire marketing mix (information application).

This is more or less marketing the way most of us are practicing it on the internet.

Now add marketing models and processes to the mix. Every marketing goal can be achieved through multiple marketing models that can have any amount of specific processes attached to them. Each element of the process represents one step for the prospect, one step to bringing him or her further to our company and to loyalty.

The problem with most marketing strategies is that they isolate certain elements of these processes to create individual campaigns that rarely really work together to help advance the entire marketing initiative. My approach on the other hand involves constant and planned management of the relationship with an individual prospect. And I'm not talking about customer relationship management here, but something a lot more process oriented.

Imagine the fact that every interaction you have with a prospect, be it on your web site, through traditional media or personal contact, presents an element in your marketing process. Every single interaction. Considering your individual marketing strategy, even each consecutive visit to your web site might be considered a new interaction.

Process oriented relationship management plans the entire scope of such interactions, providing exact tools and goals for each interaction that bring the prospect closer to your and naturally his goal. The point is to plan every interaction and all the steps that follow it.

Doing this not only allows you to increase your marketing results, but also to precisely measure how good you are at each element and at what interactions you could perform better.

The third area I specialize in is direct branding, which simply focuses on uniting response-oriented direct marketing activities with brand building activities. Each marketing act becomes a branding act, and each branding act becomes a direct response tool.

But the bottom line is, I'm a marketer by heart and as such serve my clients to provide them with profitable marketing solutions that satisfy them and their own customers.

I recently started working with Studio Moderna, the largest Central and Eastern European direct marketing company, as their E-commerce Manager, with the task of developing an integrated internet marketing model that they will be able to use in 18 CEE countries.

I started with Studio Moderna after leaving the business daily Finance, after working with them for almost a year and a half, helping them turn their internet department in to one of the most profitable traditional media internet departments in the European Union.

Before that I was doing regular consulting for a variety of businesses (such as Iskratel, a global telecommunications solution provider for telecom companies) and even co-founded a personal assets management company (sold it quite some time ago).

In addition to my consulting work I'm also a regular speaker at marketing events in Slovenia (over 35 speaking sessions by now) and like to write a little something now and then.

If you'd like to know more head on to my http://www.marketingstudies.net web site where I share hard data and reports on my marketing activities, including my failures and what you can learn from them. I'm focusing quite heavily on RSS at the moment, since I do believe it has strong potential as a sophisticated content delivery tool.

[Read More!]

MSNBC Launches RSS

MSNBC.com is debuting a new really simple syndication service that involves sending news headlines with links to stories straight to users' desktops. Users can sign up to receive stories about a variety of news topics, including politics, sports, business, and the weather.

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© 2004 MediaPost Communications. All rights reserved.
16 W. 19th Street, 9th floor New York, NY 10011
phone: 212-204-2000 fax: 212-204-2038
feedback@mediapost.com Media Post

BLOGS ARE A GOOD BUY FOR ADVERTISERS BUT FEAR AND IGNORANCE KEEP MEDIA BUYERS AWAY

BY B.L. OCHMAN

Advertisers including Paramount Pictures, The Wall Street Journal, and The Gap are successfully reaching niche audiences for a fraction of the cost of traditional advertising and a handful of bloggers are earning six-figure incomes from their blogs. Why aren't more advertisers and bloggers getting together? Fear, ignorance and the knowledge that a lot of pioneers got shot.

With clickthrough rates in traditional online advertising dropping, inexpensive blog clickthroughs are as high as 5 percent. Blogs provide advertisers an excellent opportunity to reach a devoted audience niche for as little as $10 a week. Already, blogs like DailyKos which receives 15 million page views a month, get $9,000 a week for advertising and is sold out for weeks in advance.

[Read More!]

Hello Internet Marketers! This week we're bringing you a face you already know -Cheryl Brown. Cheryl is not only a business associate but she is also a friend. Cheryl has been implemental in helping me in my natural pet care business. So, this is a very special interview. She is also a member of the International Virtual Women's Chamber of Commerce for which this interview was done.
By the way, men can join now and get in on the networking events. Scott Allen of Ryze and LinkedIn has recently joined us, so come on fellas!

Here's Cheryl!

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1. Cheryl, thank you for taking the time to participate in this interview for our readers.
To set the stage for this interview, would you please tell us a bit about yourself?

I am a divorced mother of 3 grown boys, and a very proud grandmother.

2. Short and to the point! It shows that you are proud of your family. Okay, give us your elevator speech, or 30-second spiel, about what you do, about your business.

I am a Local Community Partner For Sidney-Shelby Ohio, and Troy-Miami Ohio. I offer advertising/business solutions to local merchants and business owners as well as business owners across the globe.

3. This is for Co-op World I know since I am a member too, and also how Cheryl and I met. How long have you been in business for yourself?

With my current business, since March, 2004 I have been in business for myself a total of approx 13 years.

4. Wow, so you’ve been doing business for awhile Cheryl. Why or what was the determining factor for you in starting your own business? [Read More!]

HOW TO MAXIMIZE YOUR PROFITS WITH FORUMS.
By Christos Varsamis

Forums are one of the most effective free internet marketing strategies if done correctly. Many people participate in online forums for different reasons. Especially in internet marketing forums, they use it for getting advice and answers to their questions.

Another reason is finding new tools, products and marketing concepts that they can apply to their website or online business in general. Internet forums are also an excellent resource for contacting with other online entrepreneurs and build win-win and profitable joint ventures. Finally, you can promote your website in forums in indirect mode of course.
[Read More!]

RSS FEEDS HUNGER FOR MORE ADS
By Cyrus Farivar

No online medium is safe from advertising anymore.

In recent weeks, more companies have started bringing advertising to RSS feeds, the popular platforms for aggregating content from multiple sites in a single place. In the past, RSS feeds have typically been free of ads.

By most accounts, companies, analysts and bloggers have reported little complaint from readers, noting that they can "vote with their feed" simply by unsubscribing.

Companies that are employing advertising in RSS include Topix.net, a news site; Moreover Technologies, a search-services company founded by mass blog publisher Nick Denton; Feedster, a news and blog syndication service; and Weblogs, the parent company of Engadget, a popular tech product blog.

To read this story in it's entirety use this link:

Wired News

HOW TO LOSE A CUSTOMER - FROM THE CONSUMER'S POV
BY BEN SPAMMED

I am not a marketer, nor do I play one on the Internet. I am an ordinary person with an ordinary website. I don’t have a product to sell … yet, and I’m not interested in making my name known anywhere with hype.

I have read some of the “success” stories that make the rounds by the so called “guru’s” … and I have read the “tried and true” methods of how to “market”, and I’ve seen enough SPAM in my life to know what NOT to do … but no one has ever asked ME what would make me buy their product … so for the first time ever… what NOT to do … from a consumer/buyer’s Point Of View

DO NOT SPAM … that should go without saying, but I’ll say it anyway. I receive so much SPAM (so much so, I’ve put up a website to STOMP OUT SPAM) … I never respond, I never opt out (since I never opted in) … and sometimes for kicks and grins I’ll actually read it… visit the SPAMMER’s website and share with them exactly how I feel about them spamming me. I also complain to their ISP and have gone as far as complaining to their webhost … I HATE SPAM … everyone hates SPAM… so do not ever SPAM!
[Read More!]

FIVE CHEAP TRICKS FOR PROMOTING YOUR BUSINESS
BY NANCY JOHNSON

f you’re like me, you’re always looking for ways to promote your business — without spending a ton of money. Well, you’re in luck. This article lists five of my top 10 favorite ideas for promoting your business or organization for next to nothing (and in some cases, completely fr*e). While these ideas are a start, there are plenty of other ways to get the word out about your product or service and build relationships with potential clients. Use this list as a jumping off point to brainstorm more cheap ideas that may work wonders for your business. And stay tuned for the other five tricks, which will appear in my Nov. 2004 newsletter, "Marketing Tips from The WriteShop."

1. Volunteer your services or donate your products to a local nonprofit. This tactic doesn’t just help spread the word about your products and services, but it also allows you to help a worthy cause. Many nonprofits are happy to promote their donors in their own marketing materials, and nonprofit leaders are also good people to know because many of them are well-connected in their communities (and happy to give referrals).
[Read More!]

Survey: Retailers Expect Holiday E-Commerce Growth

DMNews.com, October 12, 2004
An estimated 98 percent of retailers expect e-commerce growth this holiday season, according to the 2004 Shop.org/BizRate.com Online Holiday Mood Study. The survey also showed 32 percent of consumers aim to conduct more of their holiday shopping online this year. - Read the whole story...

Reinventing Failure - Defining Success!
by Harald Anderson

I am fascinated by problems. I like to think of myself as a solution oriented individual. However when problems creep into my life as they always do I know that I am in for a major learning experience.

I just finished reading a book this week that belongs on the bookshelf of every entrepreneur. It is called “Juice, The Creative Fuel That Drives World-Class Inventors by Evan I. Schwartz.” This book allows you to take a peek inside the labs of the brightest minds and better understand how they relentlessly question and discover the infinite number of ways that we can imagine and create solutions. The book is an awesome expose on how world class inventors on the planet search for problems, seek to understand them and develop solutions that can only come about by perceiving the problem in a different manner. Every entrepreneur should read this book! It is chock full of wisdom that we can apply to our business lives.

[Read More!]

Small Business Success - It's a Matter of Confidence
by Diane Hughes

I was floored! I couldn’t believe what they were saying! But there they sat -- three of the biggest film stars of our age -- telling the world they had issues with confidence. I was watching an interview where Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman and Julianne Moore were talking with Oprah Winfrey. Their conversation gave me a lot to think about in regard to small business success.

It started with Meryl making a comment about a movie she’d starred in. Her joke was about the fact that she actually quit the movie before it began filming and then ended up following through with her commitment after all. At this point, Nicole and Julianne chimed in. "I do the same thing!" was the cry. As I watched these three huge film stars go back and forth with their issues of insecurity, it dawned on me that I had something in common with these movie icons.
[Read More!]

WHAT IS RSS?
BY KIM BLOOMER
A LAYMAN'S ANSWER

Recently I did an interview with a well known email Internet Marketer. He wanted to share with his readers a viewpoint on what RSS is from someone who is using it in place of traditional email marketing. Of course this interview was geared towards other Internet marketers so they all somewhat “get” what RSS is, at least in theory.

So, what IS RSS? Again, I find myself laughing, as I did in that interview because I’m fairly new to this RSS business myself. RSS is really an acronym for REALLY SIMPLE SYNDICATION – well at least that’s ONE definition and the one I tend to use. Many people have heard the word syndication tossed around in other media venues, but not when it comes to the Internet until recently. Although RSS has been around for quite some time, it is finally coming into the mainstream like a snowball rolling downhill growing and gathering momentum.
[Read More!]

FIVE LESSER-KNOWN ONLINE BUSINESS IDEAS
BY DIRK WAGNER

1. Ask people to find a hidden link in your ad copy. If they find the hidden link tell them they will get a prize or freebie by clicking on it. This will increase the chance that they will buy your product or service because they will read your whole ad copy.

2. Start a members only web site. Tell visitors what's in your members only site and what it costs to get access. Offer them a free membership, if, in exchange they link to your web site, post your banner on their home page or agree to advertise your web site in their e-zine for a set period of time. Usually they will agree to the free advertising to save money. This is a powerful way to get free advertising.
[Read More!]

Hello Internet Marketers, Advertisers, Entrepreneurs! This week we are featuring Life Coaches Judi Finneran and Joanie Winberg of SSS University and Seven Strategies For Success. Judi and Joanie are in an incredible niche market and are doing not only great things in their business but helping others grow in their own lives and businesses. Cathy and I met these two in the International Virtual Women's Chamber of Commerce - only now men are invited to join and they are joining! So, drop by the IVWCC Channel for details. Without further ado, here are Judi Finneran and Joanie Winberg:

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1. Judi and Joanie, thank you for taking the time to participate in this interview for our readers.
To set the stage for this interview, would you please tell us a bit about yourself?

Judi and I are often asked how a coach from San Diego and a coach from Boston got together in the first place. Because we both believe there are no accidents, we know we know our meeting was meant to be. We met in April of 2003 in San Francisco. Without even knowing each other we were on similar paths. We were using the same tools, based on the same beliefs in each of our individual businesses. These principles are simple, basic tools which you can easily implement into your business and life instantaneously. We have combined over 40 years of experience as business owners, speakers and coaches of hundreds of clients into developing the Seven Strategies for Success System, which is just one of the programs offered by SSS University.

2. You’re right Judi, there are no accidents. Okay, give us your elevator speech, or 30-second spiel, about what you do, about your business:

Seven Strategies for Success and SSS University is a company whose mission is to empower others to live more fully and abundantly in every area of their lives. Our goal is provide a space for positive change and to be the catalyst in creating the energy which feels most essential in your life.

3. How long have you been in business for yourselves?

Joanie and I have been in business together 18 months. Prior to that we both were entrepreneurs in our own right for many years. We feel a lot of the power behind our partnership is the various experiences we have had in so many different areas.

4. Why or what was the determining factor for you in starting your own business?

As we said before, we both were very involved with coaching and training individuals and groups in realizing their maximum potentials. Upon discovering our similar belief systems and styles, we recognized the power of joining together to cover the country from coast to coast. We had both taken lots and lots of seminars, training programs etc. What we felt was there was a lot of information out there and yet no one program contained all of the steps necessary in one complete easy to implement package, so we decided to create that missing link ourselves.

[Read More!]

HOW TO EFFECTIVELY USE OFFLINE ADVERTISING TO BUILD YOUR ONLINE BUSINESS
BY JEFF SCHUMAN

First of all let me say that having spent the past 20 years working closely with small businesses I know exactly what works when it comes to offline advertising.

What I have found today is that online businesses have a built in advantage when it comes to promoting their business offline. You already have a website and autoresponder in place to lead your prospect to. When you combine that fact along with the traditional capture methods of telephone and snail mail there is no reason any online business can't use offline methods to build their businesses and sell their products and services.

[Read More!]

Google AdSense Program Review

Google AdSense, Google's advertising program that lets webmasters display ads from Google's extensive list of advertisers, has taken the Internet by storm. Through this successful program, unobtrusive text-based ads are served in member sites, who then earn a commission every time someone clicks on the advertisers' links.

At this point in time, the jury is still out on whether this program will continue to enjoy its initial success. That is why, through this article, we want to give you some highlights and insights on how the Google Adsense program has worked for us, one month after we signed up for it, so that we can use it as a checkpoint for future analysis. [Read More!]

Catalog Consumers Browse On Paper, But Shop Online
By Ross Fadner

Consumers who shop from catalogs are making more purchases by clicking a mouse, and less by dialing the phone, according to a new report from DoubleClick catalog/retail unit Abacus. Released yesterday, the 2004 Abacus Annual Catalog Industry Trend Report says that Web site sales are likely to surpass call-center sales within the next 18-24 months.

Consumers have traditionally made catalog purchases by telephoning call centers, but according to the new report, online sales accounted for a full one-third of catalog purchases in 2003. This is expected to increase to 36 percent in 2004 and 40 percent in 2005, at the expense of call-centers' and in-store's shares of sales. In 2003, in-store sales represented 24 percent, and call-center sales, 43 percent.

[Read More!]

Make More Money By Airing Your Dirty Laundry
by Clifford Mee

There's an old saying, "Don't air your dirty laundry".

If you're selling any product or service either online or offline this is horrible advice.

You see sooner or later, your customers are going to find out the negative aspects of your product. Call it kama if you like, but they will.

And when they discover it, at the very least you'll lose credibility, generate higher refunds and lose customers for life. At the worst your business reputation will get entirely trashed.
[Read More!]

How Yahoo's Recent Facelift Can Mean More Traffic To Your Site
Copyright © 2004 Tinu AbayomiPaul

It even surprised me.

Yes, even though I have been pointing out the possibility since July, and was forced by demand to release my study findings before my book was even half finished, I was shocked when I heard the news as well.

You see, I was sure we were at least a year off from this glorious day.

The News

Yahoo has had a little facelift, which you've probably read about by now. The real news is more important for your site - the “My Yahoo!” page looks different too.

[Read More!]

Community-Based Websites On The Rise: What’s In It For You?
by Cheryl Brown-Oda

Ah, the internet! It’s a wonderful thing to be able to connect and communicate with people all across the world!

But until now, it’s been very difficult (almost impossible) to use the internet to connect with
people, businesses, products, services and information on a local level.

Why do I say “until now”? Because more and more, we see community-based websites emerging

on the internet. Websites that serve as your own community’s portal, enabling you to connect, communicate and stay informed on all your local community events, issues and happenings. All with just a click of your mouse.

[Read More!]

Hello Internet Marketers! We have some great news here on Kick The Email Habit!
As you know and may have noticed, we are featuring a different company each week as our guest. Well, a well-known and young Internet marketer, entrepreneur, speaker, and so much more, Rok Hrastnik will be an upcoming guest here.
Not only that, but Rok has agreed to answer a question per week from one of our subscribers! So, start sending in your questions now. Rok will pick one to answer, so make it good!
Here is the link to his website so you can start finding out what to ask him. Oh, and Rok has been a successful email marketer but he is very much promoting RSS as the New Wave in Internet Marketing. So, hopefully many of you will jump on this bandwagon and join us here on Kick The Email Habit and ride the Wave!
Visit Rok's website here
Marketing Studies
That's all for now. Get us those questions using the QMTP box in the upper right hand corner of this channel. Oh, and you need to be subscribed to this channel in order to particpate in the Q & A here.

To subscribe without email and without $
CLICK HERE Thank You!
Kim Bloomer

A Sales tip from Tina Brooks

Sometimes responding to statements is the wrong thing to do!

I had spent a good half hour introducing the prospect to my sauces and finally finished presenting them, thrilled that the prospect was really enjoying the sauces. Everything was going great, so I zipped my lip as I'd been taught and waited for the assent that meant I'd made the sale.

The customer stood there, smiled warmly and said “Fantastic, those are the best sauces I've ever tasted! They're exactly what I've been looking for and I think they'll market really well!
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250+ Sites and Tools To Promote Your Business Online!

When I first started working my business online I had but a replicated site. Now a few short months later I publish several RSS channels, have websites and well, just so many different things going on online and offline it would take much too long to share.
Suffice it to say though, I spent many, many hours online looking for ways to promote my business and website without spending a fortune. That can happen very easily too since there are so many resources out there that claim they will help you make thousands of dollars if you'll just purchase their system or their PROGRAM for a mere $147, or $197 or, $477!!!

Yikes, that's a lot of money especially when you're starting out. So, with the suggestion of my partner and website builder and friend, Cathy Carlton, I started keeping track of all the places I visited online that offered a place to submit my website and channels to for free or offered tools to help me make navigating and working online a less time intensive process.

I spent hours doing this keep in mind. So although many of these resources are free, I had to find them and figure out what hoops to jump through in order to be able to use the free resources.

Not only that but I had to sit here in front of this computer all the while READING through all the baloney and junk just to get to the actual places to submit my sites and channels to and to find the resources to promote my business online. I also ended up subscribed to way too many ezines and newsletters in the process.

By grabbing a copy of our ebook, 250+ Sites and Tools To Promote Your Business Online, TODAY, you'll receive some extra bonuses by acting promptly! You're probably thinking, "yeah, but what will this COST me???" Right?

This is where it gets really good - and I actually mean that! Not like some offers that get you KNOWING you really NEED their product, only to find it costs something outrageous, you'll be pleasantly surprised by our offer...

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Are You Starving Your Home Business Of Lifeblood?
by Mal Keenan


If you've seen Kevin Costner's film the "Field of Dreams" you will remember how he was inspired to build a baseball field with the words "If you build it, they will come". He built the stadium, and with a little faith, streams of visitors were coming to see his dream.

Sorry to bring you back to the REAL world but this isn't "Field of Dreams" and you aren't Kevin Costner. If you want visitors to your dream website and you want some measure of success online, you need to take some important steps to do so.
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