May 1st is RSS Day!

April 27th, 2008 by elizabethdmrx No comments »

Orange Feed Icon

I was slow to respond to this trend but now I’ve been won over. I check my Google RSS Reader and in seconds all my favorite blogs are right there. Categorized how I choose and I can scan or read what I want at my leisure. No pressure to hurry and read all my email. Here I get updates and take my time looking them over. And I don’t have to search out my bookmarked links.

Have your customers do the same for your Blog or website updates. Then they won’t have to bookmark the site and manually look for the link to see if there is a new post. Their RSS reader will let them know when something new is posted on your site. So they can find out about special promotions and new blog posts with almost no effort.

What is RSS?

RSS (Rich Site Summary or Real Simple Syndication) is a format for notifying interested individuals of changing web content on sites of interest. Many news-related sites, weblogs and other online publishers syndicate their content as an RSS Feed to whoever wants to know the latest info.

Why use RSS?

RSS keeps you easily informed up to the minute by retrieving the latest content from the sites you are interested in. You save time by not needing to visit each site individually and missing info on the ones you forget to visit. You keep your email from overflowing by not having to join each site’s email newsletter.

How do I set up an RSS Feed so I can get the latest info?

Feed Reader or News Aggregator software lets you grab the RSS feeds from various sites and display them for you to read and use. I use Google Reader which you can access through your iGoogle account. There are a lots of RSS readers out there for different platforms for Windows, Linux and Mac.

While you at it don’t forget to RSS my Direct Marketing Rx Blog! Click on the orange RSS button on the right sidebar menu.

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How A $25.00 Gift Card Cost Me $78.00!

April 17th, 2008 by elizabethdmrx No comments »

Get customers buying!

A friend gave me a $25.00 gift card. Once I was in the store I ended up spending an extra $78.00! Expensive gift for me…I thought I was getting something for free and ended up spending three times the value of the gift card. There went my budget…but it was sure fun. So speaks the shopaholic that lurks within me.

Get your customers to spend more by sending them a gift card to entice them into your store, restaurant, gym, auto repair, nursery or what ever business you operate. A gift card makes an unusual mailer that is sure to catch the eye. Dan Kennedy recommended www.ON-CARD.com in one of his NO B.S. Marketing Newsletters. It’s an innovative way to use direct mailers.

The cards are US Postal Service approved to go in the mail. According to the ON-CARD website the cards are slightly larger than a postcard, glossy and about as thick as a credit card with a detachable wallet sized gift card. You don’t have to worry about unopened envelopes with this intriguing direct mail idea. The front and back is customizable to whatever design you want.

Use the gift cards for special promotions, new product announcements, end of season or close out sales or maybe as a thank you for being a loyal customer. It’s an easy & unique way to get your customers to spend more. The potential uses seem endless and are sure to get attention.

Let me know if you use the card in a promotion and send me a photo of the card so we can all see what it looks like.

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The Overlooked Office VIP!

April 14th, 2008 by elizabethdmrx No comments »

Overloaded Gal

Administrative Professionals Week is April 20th – 26th. Administrative Professionals are Very Important People in every office and unfortunately often taken for granted while working hard keeping the office operating without a glitch.

During World War II many women “manned” offices as secretaries, clerks and other positions to fill spots left by men off fighting in the war. Originally started in 1952 as Professional Secretaries Week (renamed in 2000 as Administrative Professionals Week) to recognize secretaries for their workplace contributions. It was also meant to attract people to administrative/secretarial careers.

Show your appreciation by rewarding your client’s secretaries and (don‘t forget your own clerical staff) the entire week. Start with a treat they’ll love: a day at a spa, a gift certificate to their favorite book or other store, a gym membership or chocolate is always a good stand by. And a meal is always appreciated: breakfast, lunch or brunch. It’s not too late to make time to show you recognize a job well done.

What is your favorite appreciation gift to give your Administrative staff? Let me know what gets the best results.

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Unconditional Love is Possible!

April 11th, 2008 by elizabethdmrx No comments »

Cutesy Puppy National Pet Week

Who can resist the unconditional love of a pet? Be Kind to Animals Week – National Pet Week is May 4th –10th. Keep the love alive with regular check ups.

Remind your customers to take care of their pets’ health. Provide pet gifts for you customers and have your logo on the gift so they think of you when Fido is happily playing with your present. Chew toys, cat nip and pet wear are welcome promotional giveaways.

If you are a veterinarian send out postcards for your patients’ owners to schedule regular veterinary visits. Consider offering customized pet care packages for dogs, cats, birds and any other animals you treat. If you offer pet grooming services offer special gifts with purchase.

Worried about the safety of your customer’s pets after all the stories in the news about unsafe products? For safe pet care products and edible treats check out http://www.petdreamers.com

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I Mail, You Mail, We All Have Voice Mail!

April 10th, 2008 by elizabethdmrx No comments »

Voice Mail

Tired of the same old boring impersonal voice mail messages you hear…along with your own bland outgoing message? How would you like to have personal greetings for each of your customers on your cell phone? It adds to your customer service. Lets your clients know you remember who they are and how important they are to your business. Then you need to try YouMail.

Think of the marketing possibilities. You can make targeted offers for specific clients on your lists. You can record your own messages or use some of the free pre-recorded messages available on YouMail. Specific outgoing messages can be assigned to groups of contacts. Whether you are a sales rep, small business or other professional You Mail is worth trying out.

With YouMail you can check your voice mail online and choose to receive a text message notification of new messages. You can even set personalized messages for your family and friends so they don’t get stuck hearing your business spiel every time they have to leave a message on your cell phone.

I’m having fun using the personal message for friends and I have a new business message. The cool part is I can check and listen to my voice mail messages online after getting an email notification. You Mail even mentioned saving testimonial messages in mp3 format for your future use.

Let me know how it works for you (the kinds of messages you use) and the response from your customers. I’m not getting a nickel for sharing this nifty online tool so check it out.

Here is the link: http://www.youmail.com

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Today is Elizabeth Ruiz is a Heck of a Lot Smarter than Everyone Else Day!

April 9th, 2008 by elizabethdmrx No comments »

Superior Brains

Dan Kennedy said today is Elizabeth Ruiz is a Heck of a Lot Smarter than Everyone Else Day!

Here’s why…as a direct marketer I know stuff others don’t. I thought it was common knowledge but apparently Dan says it’s a revelation to others. Not that I’m superior but about the following marketing tips:

  • I know ROI- Return On Investment.
  • I know message-market match.
  • I know to get direct and immediate response.
  • I know customer value.
  • I know how to assemble an offer and put it in a sales letter.

The list of stuff I’ve learned from Dan Kennedy— its amazing how the overwhelming majority of business owners have no clue about these things. I had assumed they all knew the things I know.

According to Dan I need to take a minute here, smile and congratulate myself. And I need to get somebody to pat me on the back. I should observe some business ignorance today and snicker. Feel superior. I am! Woo Hoo. Not often I can say that!

I’ve invested time and studied and searched and learned, so Dan Kennedy says I deserve to feel superior. So I will walk around today basking in my own brilliance and pitying the poor, clueless fools I see all around me. I don’t want to be an arrogant jerk all the time. But every once in a while, I’ve earned it so today is the day I mention it!

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Even Protest Groups Market Their Message Online!

April 3rd, 2008 by elizabethdmrx No comments »

Ev Eon

Are you in the Stone Age with your marketing efforts? A protest group in England used an innovative way to get people thinking about the dangers of a coal fired power plant.

Instead of the usual picket line they posted a video as an April Fools prank that still gets people thinking about environmentally friendly power over coal burning.

How can you use video to get the word out about your business? Check out this nifty video that’s thought provoking and funny to help you think up some ideas. Watch the video: Drink Ev Eon


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Posted in Business, Copywriting, Direct Marketing, Sales, Uncategorized

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Is Your Marketing Message Being Upstaged By a Talking Stain?

March 28th, 2008 by elizabethdmrx No comments »

Green Stain

I love the new Tide commercial with the job interviewee blathering on while the prospective employer just stairs at the shirt stain. The stain babbles nonsense while the employer stares mesmerized. He’s not listening to the interview prospect outlining his skill set and potential value to the company. The oblivious job applicant rambles on unaware of his talking shirt stain.
If your marketing media isn’t performing the way it should as the following questions. Is there a talking stain upstaging my Marketing message? Is it spelling errors, bad design and layout or a poorly worded message? If prospects are focusing on the mistakes and not on the benefits of your product or service then your marketing needs cleaning up. Remove the talking stain and get customers focused on buying from you. .

Let me know what talking stain has been hiding your marketing message. If you haven’t seen the commercial visit www.mytalkingstain.com and check it out. Send me a photo of your worst shirt stain!

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Posted in Blogroll, Business, Copywriting, Direct Marketing, Sales, Uncategorized

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Watch Your Keywords Fight it Out!

March 27th, 2008 by elizabethdmrx No comments »

BoxingBizGuy

Are you wondering which keywords will work best for you? If you’re looking for a quick way to find good search engine results try GoogleFight.com. When you get to the screen you type one phrase into the first keyword box and a second phrase into keyword box #2 and then click make a fight. You’ll see who wins the boxing match when a graph appears showing which phrase has the highest search engine results.

I typed in financial recession and financial boom. Financial recession won with 797,000 hits compared to economic boom which only had 374,000 search results hits. Which means if you want to know what people are searching for it’s the financial recession not a boom. Now you know people are worried about the recession so focus your marketing on surviving or thriving during a recession and get lots more.

Let me know what words win your fights. If you need help getting started check out who wins, vanilla ice cream or chocolate ice cream.

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Posted in Blogroll, Business, Copywriting, Direct Marketing, Sales, Uncategorized

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