Email Marketing - Single Optin vs Double Optin

We've updated EmailMarketingDirect.com with a new post:

http://emailmarketingdirect.com/email-marketing-single-optin-vs-double-optin/

New Email Marketing Blog

I've just set up a new Email Marketing Blog at http://emailmarketingdirect.com/.

This is a WordPress hosted blog.

While providing great tips and strategies for email marketing, this new blog will also allow us to test WP plug-ins for the TrafficWave.net AutoResponder system.

Stay tuned!

Testing ping.fm to help promote TrafficWave AutoResponders

Enough with the Magic Surf and Traffic Exchanges Already!

I've finally had enough. All this talk about the magic of Surfing and Traffic Exchanges is just really getting to me.

Somehow, people have picked up the idea that if you start using Surf Exchanges and Traffic Exchanges, you can magically click and surf your way to millions of dollars.

Give Me A Break!

Listen ... Surfing Programs and Traffic Exchanges are fine. They actually do work.

But most of us are just doing it all wrong!

Take a look at this video to see what I mean AND find the solution:

http://www.trafficwave.net/lcp/BR1655/trwvsurf/10559

Brian Rooney
TrafficWave.net LLC

TrafficWave AutoResponders Pay 10 Levels Deep!

TrafficWave.net AutoResponder Affiliates are discovering the power of leveraging as they build Affiliate teams to help promote TrafficWave.net AutoResponders.

Utilizing a powerful pay plan that pays through 10 levels of referrals, includes weekly Fast Track Bonuses, Monthly Commissions, and Leadership Bonuses, TrafficWave.net has attracted powerful online marketers to help increase market share.

Top TrafficWave.net Affiliates are now earning 5 Figure Annual incomes by referring clients to the TrafficWave.net AutoResponder system.

Independent Affiliates are a huge part of the success of TrafficWave.net.

We appreciate, value, and support each of you as we work together to educate businesses around the world about the benefits of powerful AutoResponder technology from TrafficWave.net.

AutoResponder Deliverability: Proof

Any AutoResponder service can claim a high deliverability rating (and some do) but proving it is usually a different matter, altogether. The unfortunate reality is that there appears to be a lot of misinformation about deliverability and many email marketers often find out too late that their chosen AutoResponder service isn't quite as good as they might have thought.

TrafficWave.net provides (and can verify) outstanding deliverability and "sender reputation" as demonstrated by Return Path , an independent company that also runs Spamcop.

Return Path rates all mail servers on the quality and overall reputation of the email they send based on a number of factors including deliverability, complaint rates, mail volume, etc...

The Terms of Service for Return Path prohibit us from publishing results directly from their network but you can take a look at our Score by clicking here.

(You will need to register for a free account which takes about 2 minutes.)

You can also review the score for other autoresponder services you may be reviewing to do your own comparison.

Things to look for are:

1. Sender Score (Overall score given by Return Path for email senders).
2. Accepted Rate (How much email is actually getting through).
3. Complaints (A higher score means fewer complaints).
4. Unknown Users (A higher score indicates responsible data management)

Take a look and we think you'll agree that TrafficWave.net has one of the better reputations in the industry.

Why is TrafficWave.net able to provide such outstanding reliability? Let's take a look at a few factors:

1. TrafficWave.net enforces a clear and stringent anti-spam policy.
   We maintain a zero-tolerance stand when it comes to unsolicited email.
   
   
2. TrafficWave.net maintains consistent and open communication with major service providers to ensure and enforce best practices in Email Marketing. WHEN (not "if") a problem is detected, our staff are able to quickly resolve and address these issues. (It happens to all of us)
   
   
3. TrafficWave.net constantly monitors for and removes email addresses that become undeliverable. This helps our database remain clean and function efficiently.
   
   
4. Removal/Unsubscribe requests are handled quickly and efficiently.
   
   
5. TrafficWave.net maintains multiple test accounts across a wide variety of carriers to check for delivery issues and irregularities.
   
   
6. TrafficWave.net constantly monitors and proactively seeks out any potential or impending delivery issues.
   

TrafficWave.net takes these measures seriously to ensure that your messages can be delivered across a wide variety of email service platforms.

Beyond the capabilities and internal practices of any AutoResponder service, your own deliverability will also be influenced by how well you manage your lists and the content you use in your messages.

Trying to circumvent or fool spam filters with commonly used spam tactics such as bizarre spelling of certain words will dramatically impact your own personal deliverability.

Sending irrelevant content or abusing the privilege of contact granted by your subscribers will not only affect deliverability but will quickly cause your lists to dwindle due to unsubscribe requests and complaints.

Infrastructure and Corporate policy are one side of the deliverability question.

At TrafficWave.net, we take that role very seriously to help your message get through to your audience.

Professionalism and integrity on your part will take care of the rest of the equation.

Brian Rooney
TrafficWave.net LLC

Creating Followup Messages Video

Watch How Easy It Is To Create a Followup Message in your TrafficWave.net AutoResponder:


http://www.trafficwave.net/videos/followupmsg/followupmsg.htm

Enjoy!

Building Targeted MLM Leads Lists

The biggest challenge faced by network marketers and mlm pro's is finding people to talk to. Buying MLM Leads could be a big waste of time and money. Instead, generate your own targeted mlm leads with powerful internet technology and advertising.

Click To Read More about Generating Targeted MLM Leads

How To Publish Your Online NewsLetter

Should You Publish Your Own Newsletter?

Whether you run a large corporation or a small home-based business as a solo-entreprenuer, publishing your own online newsletter can be a great way to grow your business.

Some of the benefits you can expect from publishing your own online newsletter include:

Improved Credibility.
Publishing your own online newsletter keeps your company name in front of your best customers and prospects. This sort of exposure can help build your credibility.

Reduced Marketing Expenses.
The cost of publishing an online newsletter is significantly lower than printing and mailing paper-based newsletters.

Reduce Distribution Time.
Once the design is completed, your online newsletter can be sent out with the click of your mouse. No waiting for printing, sorting, postage, deliveries, etc...

Instant Feedback.
With the speed of the Internet, you can track any feedback or responses to your online newsletter almost instantly, Know how many people opened your newsletter and how many people clicked through to your site or offer page.

How To Get Started

Your market should already be giving you a number of ideas on what to cover in your newsletter. A dentist might send out regular dental hygiene tips. An insurance company might send out tips on insurance policies, options, or financial investment tips. A veterinarian might send out tips on how to care for animals. A business coach might send out tips on personal developmenet or promotion.

One good way to find ideas is to go through your emails and look through the questions your clients and prospects have asked. These emails provide great starting points and could provide ideas for several newsletters.

Decide on how often you will publish your newsletter. Weekly, b-weekly, and monthly are typically the most preferred delivery schedules. Your market and feedback will help you decide on the best schedule for your newsletter. The key is to be consistent and keep your prospects and clients informed with relevant and timely information.

Once you've decided on a schedule, format, and content, the next step is to begin building your list of subscribers.

Start with your existing customers. Ask them to subscribe to your newsletter by filling out a subscription form at your web site. You can use services like the TrafficWave.net AutoResponder System to build and manage your subscriber lists.

You can also invite visitors to your site to subscribe by filling out the same form at your web site.

If you send out direct mail, add a note and invitation to your next mailing.

Be sure to include an invitation to subscribe on any emails you send out, articles you write, forums you belong to, etc...

By using a service like TrafficWave.net, you can easily create templates for your newsletter that incorporate your logo, look like your web site, etc..

You can also track the number of times your newsletter is opened and even track the number of click-throughs to your site. This helps you get a good grasp on how well your newsletter is being received and how productive it is being for your business.

To learn more about the TrafficWave.net AutoResponder system, request our free report by filling out the form to the right.

How To Create an AutoResponder Letter in TrafficWave.net

Hi, Folks.

Here's a quick video on how you can create a follow up message in your TrafficWave.net AutoResponder campaign:



If you find it helpful, leave me a comment.

Brian Rooney
TrafficWave.net LLC

Can We Really Change The World?

I know it's a movie ... but let it sink in.

What could we REALLY do if we committed to being the force for change in our world?



The idea is so powerful and at the same time so fragile.

This is because it is so easy to do .... and so easy NOT to do.

What would your life be like if you applied this approach to your own business, your relationships, and your family?

To truly give from the heart with the ONLY qualifier being to pay it FORWARD ....

Makes one think....

Twitter: Business or Pleasure?

Hi, Folks.

Recently, I've been spending a lot of time on Twitter. For a long time, I just didn't get it. I always imagined a bunch of teenagers sending stuff like, "I'm checking my email" or "I'm getting ready for a date".

I did NOT want to be like this:



Frankly, that video shows you what my opinion of Twitter was.

And don't worry ... there are PLENTY of people that actually do use Twitter just like that.

But when I started noticing some of the more prominent marketers that I'm familiar with using Twitter, I decided that I might want to take another look. There must be a reason the "pros" are on there, right?

You've heard the phrase:

"If you want to be successful, do what the successful people are doing."

Thus began my journey in to Twitter.

I opened my Twitter account and I began looking for those marketing folks I mentioned. When I found them, I clicked "Follow". I started reading what they had to say. Some of it was ... well ... just silly ... but I like a little humor, so .... ok.

Some of the stuff they posted was pretty good. There were some solid ideas and tips being shared.

Learning some new tips on Twitter: Priceless

Then one day, someone asked a question on Twitter about recording on a Mac.

I've used my Mac to record audio for my web site, music demos, videos, etc... so I thought, "Hey ... I can offer some tips there."

All of a sudden, I'm tweeting. I typed in my little reply.

The person that asked the question replied with a "thank you" and we made a few tweets back and forth.

Hmmmm..... that was kinda fun!

I decided I would update my profile on Twitter to tell folks a little about myself.

I don't remember the original description but I remember that "Email Marketing Pro" was part of it.

Once I updated my profile, something interesting started to happen. People were searching Twitter for other people with similar interests. A few more people started following me on Twitter. A few of them would ask a question about Email Marketing.

Hmmmm.... What's this? Making new potential business contacts?

I also added something about being a bass player, a father of 5, etc....

More "followers" with similar interests started showing up.

My conversations are becoming more and more diverse. More people are interacting with me.

I am making new contacts. We're sharing tips back and forth.

Someone asked me about my business and if I had some advice.... I got a new client!

Old friends are finding me on Twitter and we're reconnecting.

Hmmmm.... this Twitter thing is fun AND profitable on many levels.

But here is where the real dynamic of Twitter has kicked in for me.

As I'm talking with people on Twitter, they have a whole network of followers, too. One day, I shared an email marketing tip with one of my contacts on Twitter. They shared a comment back to me and did what is known as a "retweet" where they publish my comment again for their followers.

Hmmmm... all of a sudden, their followers are introduced to me and what I do.

After a very short time, I'm getting close to 800 followers and I'm having some conversations about music, business, marketing, homeschooling, basketball, personal development, email marketing, old high school memories, and discovering new things all the time.

There are some absolutely amazing people on Twitter that we can all learn from.

There is no shortage of the "I just brushed my teeth" folks, but they're easy to ignore.

Think of Twitter as a world-wide social gathering. With the click of your mouse, you can decide who to interact with and how to interact with them.

So if you're still on the fence about Twitter, my advice is to jump in.

Then ...

1) Take time to seek out and follow people you are genuinely interested in.

2) Take time to see how the conversations flow.

3) Be genuine and add value to the conversations.

4) Go ahead ... have a little fun.

5) Be courteous and respectful ... even when you disagree.

6) Enjoy the journey and let it flow.

Yours in Success,

Brian Rooney
TrafficWave.net LLC

The Great MLM Spillover Debate

The Great Spillover Debate

Spillover: Are you looking for it or creating it?

There is no shortage of opinions when it comes to the idea of making money based on spillover.

Does spillover happen? Absolutely.

Is spillover the way to build fantastic wealth? Hardly.

The plain and simple truth of the matter is:

Spillover happens when it does because SOMEBODY is promoting.

In a simple illustration of a 3x matrix, it looks like this:

Level 1 can hold 3 sales.
Level 2 can hold 9 sales.
Level 3 can hold 27 sales.
Level 4 can hold 81 sales.

And so on....

This sort of plan can and often does lead to spillover whenever there is at least one person that is effectively promoting and referring others.

Let's suppose you join a matrix plan and you are going to be a referring "machine". You see the potential and you know that the only place success comes before work is in the dictionary. You're ready to "rock enroll" and you know that you can help a lot of folks in the process because of the way the matrix plan is set up.

You get your three closest associates or friends or family members on the phone and you tell them what you are doing. They are excited and they join.

You now have 3 people on your first level.

Congratulations! You are off to a strong start.

Next, you contact some more close friends, associates, or family members and you plug them in on Level 2. It takes 9 people to fill Level 2.

You now have a full first level and a full 2nd level.

You are making even more money and everyone on your first level is seeing some growth because you created spillover for them by filling your 2nd level.

Your next task is to fill Level 3.

That will take 27 people. (3 x 9 = 27).
Getting tougher to carry that load by yourself, isn't it?

While you are working on filling Level 3, you start to get phone calls from people on Level 2. They want to know where the spillover is. Why aren't you building their downline for them? What's going on?

A couple of the people on Level 1 want to know why their downline is building so slowly. Can't you do something to speed things up? They have to make money so they can make a car payment this week! What are you doing up there, anyway?!?!?

Let's say you are really good at this stuff and you manage to fill your 3rd level with 27 new referrals.

Congratulations! You've done well for yourself. You've created spillover for your first level people and your 2nd level people. But now the 3rd level people want to know where their spillover is and the people on levels 1 and 2 want to know why they aren't making a few thousand dollars yet!

Sound familiar?

I know the true builders recognize some of these comments and questions. They get this sort of nonsense every single day.

Here's the thing that amazes me (and I've seen this a LOT over the years):

Someone will get up WAY too early in the morning, to drive WAY too far to a job they absolutely hate.

They will spend ALL DAY at that job making FAR too little money. They will then drive home in traffic, complaining about their stupid job, their lame boss, their lousy pay, and how this just isn't what they envisioned for their life.

But when their upline sponsor asks them about spending a few minutes a day promoting their web site to help with the team build, they instantly talk about how they don't have time, can't figure out how to log in, don't know where or how to post an ad... "I'm not good with that stuff!", etc...

And then they ask why their downline isn't growing faster.

It's a vicious cycle and I see it repeated throughout the world on a daily basis.

I want to be clear: Matrix plans can help a large number of people because of their design. As sales begin building, the new sales are forced down into the lower levels of the organization and that is called spillover. It does happen and I see people making money as a result.

But rarely do these sorts of people really get in to the big money.

Here is how the big money earners really do it:

They build with a team. They seek out fellow builders and workers and they work together with an attitude and approach to CREATING spillover rather than receiving spillover.

Suddenly, it's no longer about one person being able to refer 30 or 40 people on their own. It becomes about a team pulling together to create a massive group-wide momentum that results in the income levels that we end up reading about with other people.

Consider this:

If you are the kind of person spending an hour in the morning to drive to an 8 hour job and then another hour getting home and still not making the kind of income you desire, consider dedicating yourself to spending just 30 minutes a day and finding others that will do the same to take your life back by building your business.

When I started working online, I had 3 jobs. I worked as a janitor during the day, taught music lessons and played music at night, and cleaned boats on the lake on the weekends. I was working 60 to 70 hours a week on a regular basis.

THEN, because I absolutely KNEW there was a way to take my life back, I spent my evenings studying, researching, and trying various online methods of building wealth.

There were times when I didn't sleep for 2 days in a row. I was that dedicated to taking my life back and providing a stable life for my family. Bear in mind that I was doing this while married and with five kids! I wasn't a single guy with a few needs. I had a big rent payment, lots of groceries, car payments, and bills that just kept showing up month after month!

I knew that my current jobs were not going to get me there.

I knew that I couldn't just keep adding jobs.

I knew that there had to be a better way.

I knew that I was going to have to work my butt off for a while.

So I did.

I made a ton of mistakes along the way.

Some things didn't work out.

I maxed out a few credit cards along the way.

But I knew the answer was to keep plowing forward. I absolutely REFUSED to quit.

Today, I'm sitting in my home office writing this article. My commute to work is about 20 seconds. I don't fight traffic unless I'm taking my sons to a basketball game on the other side of town and I don't have to ask permission to take a day or the weekend off!

And the most important part of all (even more important than the fact that I make a LOT more money now) is: I absolutely LOVE what I do!

I want you and others to see that it can be done IF you wrap your mind around the idea of being willing to put solid effort in to CREATING your success.

Someone once told me... EVERY Online opportunity works. And every online opportunity doesn't work. It depends on the person involved and how they approach their business. I have to tell you: I agree 110%.

Brian Rooney
TrafficWave.net LLC

You Bet I Practice What I Preach!

Sometimes, members will email me to say something like, "Yeah... I read all your articles and stuff but can you send me something that I can use to get started with making money online?".

I guess they think that I have some super-secret methods that I don't share about in my blog posts, tweets, articles, etc...

But I want to be very clear: All this stuff I'm teaching you to do .... THAT is what I do, personally!

When I post something about blogging .... I get that from blogging.
When I post something about using Twitter... I get that from using Twitter.
When I post something about article marketing... I get that from my actual article marketing.

I practice what I preach, folks! And THAT is why I make money online.

When you read it from me, you can believe that I have personally walked it out and THAT is why I can share it with you!

Put all that reading and all that thinking in to action today and start earning.

Do You Want E-Mail Marketing Results?

Hi, Folks.

Every day, (and I do mean EVERY day), I get emails from people that are frustrated by their lack of e-mail marketing results.

"I don't have a list."
"Nobody buys what I'm offering."
"I don't know what works."
"I'm not a technical computer person."
and the list goes on.

One of the keys to success is to find someone that is doing what you want to do and then ....

Do What They Do!

So .... let me give you an idea of what I do.

1) I have over 200 new people ASKING ME for information on my offer every single month.

UPDATE: This has grown to over 300 people asking for information every month!

2) I am able to generate new sales in MINUTES.

3) I can tell you EXACTLY which headline worked better than another.

4) I can tell you EXACTLY which of my ads are getting results.

5) I know EXACTLY how many people respond to my ads.

And believe me ... there is more.

All of this (and much more) is included in your TrafficWave.net training.

The best part is that MOST of the stuff I do is absolutely FREE! I started spending money on some of the techniques AFTER I was generating profits.

Want to know the secrets to generating 200 new leads every single month, tracking your ads, and creating sales? Log in to your TrafficWave.net back office and click "Training Articles". Subscribe to my training series. There are two:

1 for Affiliates (how to earn with TrafficWave.net)
1 for Customers (how to use and profit from the tools in your business).

EVERYBODY should subscribe to the tools training.

And if you want to earn with the TrafficWave.net Affiliate plan, subscribe to the affiliate training!

You can follow along with me as I use the exact same strategies I teach you to use in building and profiting from your lists.

And even better... as I learn new strategies and put them to the test, I turn around and teach you the same stuff!

If you want E-Mail Marketing Results ... Start by requesting your TrafficWave.net training in your back office today!

Brian Rooney
TrafficWave.net LLC

Stop Whining! Get Back Up and Keep Going!

One of my biggest pet peeves in life is when people (especially grown adults) whine to me about how I don't understand how hard it is. I suppose they have this image in their mind that I was somehow born with a business and have always been able to make money from home.

The reality is that when I started learning Internet Marketing, I was holding down multiple jobs during the day, having to support five kids, and do most of my studying and internet marketing at night. There were times I might not sleep for 2 or 3 days.

But I knew (and I do mean "KNEW") that I had to start doing things differently or I was going to continue struggling to scrape by for the rest of my life.

So when someone says to me, "You just don't understand how hard it is. I have a job I have to do during the day and 2 children at home.", they are right. I don't understand how they can have it so EASY and still complain and whine instead of just doing what it takes!

I've always been a believer in "You Can Make Excuses Or Money. NOT BOTH".

I wanted to share this amazing little video about someone else that has had it MUCH tougher than most anyone else on this planet. But they are a perfect example of continuing to get up and succeed in life no matter how many times you fall down.

How To Build and Profit From Your Own E-Mail Lists

New Article shows you how to build and profit from your own in-house e-mail lists:

How To Build and Profit From Your Own E-Mail Lists

Your comments and feedback always welcomed.

Brian Rooney

TrafficWave.net LLC

Email Marketing Click-Throughs

Any time I run an Email Marketing campaign, I track open rates and click-throughs. 

Open Rate refers to the number of times the message is actually opened. It's not an exact science as some email programs may not load the image that is used to track the open rate and some email programs may not show the full HTML. 

I just know that whatever I see for an Open Rate is probably a little bit low and I adjust my thinking accordingly. 

It's nice to get an idea of your Open Rate because this gives you an idea of how many people on your list were at least interested enough to view your message. After all, if they don't read the message, they can't see your offer, right?

Tracking the click-throughs, however, is pretty precise because I use a unique AdTracker URL for each message that goes out. This lets me see exactly how many people clicked the link in my message and when.

I blasted out an Email Marketing message to one of my lists back on Dec 15, 2008. I was pretty happy with the Open Rate. It wasn't amazing but several hundred people did view the message.

What is more interesting to me, though, is that people are still clicking the link in that message today! I don't know if these folks just don't check their emails that often or if my message got saved for later, or what ... but I love knowing that a message I sent out weeks ago is STILL bringing me new potential customers today!