One of the most common questions people ask me about email marketing is, “How often should I email my subscribers?” Well, for that there is definitely no one-size fits-all answer. Some publications are suitable for daily email, some will do well several times per week, once per week or even once per month. But in all honesty, I wouldn’t recommend once per month as you’re probably losing your marketing oomph. We already talked about it, but if you’re doing a longer publication (and that may be one reason why you email less frequently), you’re not keeping your reader focused on…

Do you ever think, “I wish I’d thought of that?”  Chances are you have. We have all from time to time recognized a great idea for its value, and of course wished we’d been the one to have the idea. The truth is, you can have great ideas of your own. All you have to do is think outside of the box. What does outside-the-box thinking mean? Inside the box is where we live 99% of the time. It’s where the rules are. It’s where our habits, beliefs and limitations keep us. Inside the box is safe because it’s what…

I’m currently reading a new marketing textbook that was just released called, “Consumer Behavior: Human Pursuit of Happiness in the World of Goods,” written in collaboration with Professor Banwari Mittal and six of his colleagues. If truth must be known, Professor Mittal mentioned me in his book and was kind enough to send me a copy upon its release. The book is a treasure trove of consumer behavior data, opinion and observation. Being a textbook, I bounce from one section to another in no particular order. What inspired this article was in the chapter on consumer motivation. The example in…

As an entrepreneur you may hear a lot about networking and wonder what all the hubbub is about. Networking, both online and off, is a wonderful way to build connections in your industry. It’s a great way to increase awareness for your business and to build your customer base and ultimately your profits. And you probably know that already. What you may not know is networking is also a great way to motivate yourself. Networking exposes you to other business leaders, entrepreneurs and motivated individuals. Even if you don’t have a single competitive bone in your body, when you network…

Brand peeves are those things you hate about other company’s brands. It could be copying icons, such as the Nike swoosh. Maybe it’s using well known music classics in commercials. Maybe you hate logoed merchandise. It doesn’t matter what it is, I just want to give you an opportunity to get it off your chest. Your brand peeves like my own don’t necessarily mean that they are wrong, just that they are wrong for you and me. My number one brand peeve is acronyms for start-up businesses and small businesses that don’t have a lot of years behind them. (Acronyms…

I’ve had a wonderful morning although the two teenagers are home studying for their exams this week so I’ve had to share the computer today (my laptop died about a month ago and my second computer is now dead.. time for a new one). Anyhow, I just wanted to share these awesome free business resources with you. 🙂 East Tech, this software is normally $49 but is free until Jan 31st, 2010 – it Securely and permanently erases unwanted data. http://tinyurl.com/yzy5ajb Quick Books Simple Start: http://tinyurl.com/4junwp Photoshop Alternative (free download): http://www.gimp.org/downloads Data Recovery if your Computer Crashes (like mine did…

There’s not a whole lot of point speaking to people who don’t want to speak to you. If you are involved in advertising in daily newspapers, general interest publications, direct mail to diverse mailing lists or even billboards, you are probably wasting a good percentage of your advertising dollar. Unless you’re overall goal is awareness, then this is a luxury best avoided. A better more lucrative approach would be to begin building niche lists. Niches are finely tuned special interest groups of like minded people. Examples of niches would be Harley owners, runners, trekkies, knitters and new moms to mention…

Very few people understand the tremendous value in their list. Very few people get that. They think they do, but they really don’t. They see it primarily as a list of “potential customers”. Your list is so much more than that. It’s an entity of its own. It’s a machine that just needs you to treat it appropriately and set it into motion. There are many, many ways to make money from a list without sacrificing your integrity or the well-being of your subscribers. Every Subscriber Counts You’ve heard the term that the money is in the list. However, many…

The first month of our Small Spark Contest will focus on your ezine (newsletter) for your subscribers and your customers. Due to some recent events happening right now in the industry I need to add this information along with what I already have planned. The Small Spark Contest will begin February 1st, 2010. But since we’re getting ready to talk about email marketing for the first topic of the contest I wanted to give you some ideas on how to come up with good topics for your ezine. Ezines are a great way to keep in contact with your opt-in…

Before we get into our very first Small Spark Challenge I’d like to talk to you about procrastination. Plain and simple, it sucks. One of the biggest challenges to being self-employed and owning your own business is getting over time management procrastination. It’s just so easy when you’re the boss to let things slide until it’s an emergency and you must absolutely get the task done. Here are a few tips to get out of this habit and start being productive today, not tomorrow. Challenge yourself to something achievable but challenging. Sometimes we procrastinate because the task seems too large…