WEBSITE101: READING LIST
A Short Weekly Tip-Sheet for Small Business Web Masters
March 22, 1999 Issue #4
Mike Valentine, Editor, learn@website101.com

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By subscription only Welcome to the March 22,1999 issue of

"WEBSITE101: READING LIST"

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IN THIS ISSUE
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=> Sponsor: adURLplates
=> Feature article: Draw Your Customers Like a Magnet!
=> Guest Column: Giving Away Free Information
=> How to Be Featured as our Guest Columnist
=> Classifieds
=> Subscribe/Unsubscribe information
=> New in this Issue: Suggestion Box!
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SPONSOR of this issue
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DRAW YOUR CUSTOMERS LIKE A MAGNET!
by Mike Valentine
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The web is SO FULL of creativity and innovative ideas that
it's often hard to remember where you saw the last amazing
tidbit unless you bookmarked the site you visited. Sometimes
I don't even do that because my bookmarks already fill up
the screen and scroll even more! When I am taken by a great
new website, I'll often go right to sign up for their news-
letter so that I'm reminded of their web address often and
remember to return when I receive their mail.

Internet based businesses are wising up to the need to stay
in contact with their potential customers by offering these
regularly sent newsletters. Some of the best examples of the
technique are the search engine related e-zines sent to the
entire database of their listed web sites! Some even require
your subscription to list your site. Those zines attract a
huge advertiser interest because of the giant captive
audience it delivers (remember the subscription requirement)

Other zines are opt-in for subscribers, like LinkExchange
Digest, sent only to customers of their Banner Exchange who
have asked for a subscription. Every other day, LED shows up
in my e-mailbox with incredible posts from leading industry
gurus that contribute to the moderated list. It's invaluable
for webmasters interested in the latest internet development
or the newest web trends.

This leads to my point for this weeks advice, head on over
to one of the many available list hosts like ListBot.com
(my list host) or OneList which both offer opt-in list
distribution and archiving of your own newsletter. This is
becoming the ONLY way to market and establish customer
loyalty on the internet and leads to referrals and forward-
ing of your news and information to others. While it does
require dedication on your part in sitting down to compose
and edit a regular newsletter, you can choose your lists'
frequency by how often you're willing to DO that task.

I have set up newsletters for clients to send out to their
own list of subscribers and find that they often tire of
the additional responsibility of creating a regular news-
letter and soon stop (or never begin) writing and miss
building a community with their existing customers. Be sure
you are willing to do the work before building subscribers
so that you don't disappoint loyal followers looking for
regular contact from your organization. IT WORKS WONDERS
AT ESTABLISHING AND KEEPING CLIENTS! I didn't mean to shout
at you there but I do want to emphasize the effectiveness.

Those of you who are unwilling to create and manage a
regular newsletter or e-zine might consider another option.
Autoresponder-generated reports, books or lessons in your
own particular specialty available from your web site. We
have just established one of these in the form of a "Short-
Course" on small business e-commerce delivered automatically
to those who request it from our home page. When visitors
enter their e-mail address and name, our autoresponder
immediately sends a greeting note and then follows up with
"Lessons" from WebSite101 sent every other day for a week!

This method means that we have created what we consider to
be valuable advice to the small business. Info is created
ONLY ONCE and sent automatically to anyone who requests it!
You have the opportunity to emphasize parts of your business
that you want to highlight to new visitors by going to them
via e-mail instead of waiting for them to come back to your
site (which they may forget to do otherwise!) We have added
a great incentive to those who waver; a chance to win a free
custom designed website by "Registering for Class" It's the
only way to enter the contest! (Contests build traffic too!)

This approach provides value to the visitor of free advice
and important information, value for WebSite101 in the
ability to highlight specific portions of our services to
potential clients, and finally, opportunity to win a free
website design for businesses ready to expand their company
to the web. The advertising benefit to us is the increased
traffic generated by the benefit to the VISITORS of solid
information and the chance at a free website! Everyone wins!
Give it a try and tell us what you think! It's easy to get
unsubscribed if ya wanna stop! http://WebSite101.com/shortcourse.html
or visit http://www.website101.com and enter via the form.
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GUEST COLUMN

Win customers by giving away FREE information
by Harvey Segal

What is the best way to attract visitors to your site?
Experts agree on this point - it is by providing Free
Information. Let's see how to do this and why it works so
well.

Suppose you are a supplier of video recorders. Hopefully you
will be the owner of a professional sounding domain name,
such as www.VCRworld.com You write an informative article
entitled "How to Choose a Video Recorder" which explains:

* the key features of video recorders
* a guide to prices
* handy tips for using video recorders
* useful accessories
* potential problems
* future developments

Put this article on your web site or have it available by
Email (on an autoresponder if you expect a big response).
While your competitors are all posting similar ads which
say, "Buy, buy, buy our cheap video recorders" or sending
unsolicited bulk Email to thousands, you will be posting
short ads which say Our Free Guide "How to Choose a Video
Recorder" explains the key features to look for, prices
and handy tips.

Visit www.VCRworld.com

And whenever you contribute to any group where there are
potential customers you include in your signature file

"How to Choose a Video Recorder " (FREE guide)
www.VCRworld.com

Your visitors will be impressed by the quality of free
information you are providing and your well chosen domain
name: they will regard you as an authority on the subject.

They will be easily influenced to buy from your site while
your competitors' unoriginal ads are consigned to the Email
waste bin.

For more FREE INFORMATION , great ideas and tips read
Harvey's FREE BOOK "The SuperTips Book of Internet Marketing"

Harvey Segal
mailto:hsegal@supertips.com
http://www.supertips.com

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How to be a guest columnist:

We are always looking for great ideas to help small business
webmasters increase their online effectiveness and profits.
If you have a great idea or a promotional tool that would
help your fellow subscribers succeed, Please submit them to
teach@website101.com or at http://www.website101.com/ok.html
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SUGGESTION BOX

We would like to initiate a new feature starting next week.
Do you have a simple suggestion or unique idea for your
fellow Reading List subscribers? Send us your one paragraph
ideas for inclusion in this space! What are you doing to
improve your web site or increase your traffic. Do you want
feedback or comments on your great ideas? If this featured
section proves popular enough, we may move to a moderated
list format to discuss subscriber innovations in marketing.

Until then, join yours truly, Mike Valentine at the "E-Boz!"
Business Forum where I moderate the "E-Commerce" topic.
http://www.eboz.com/cgi-local/discussions/Ultimate.cgi


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CLASSIFIED ADS


************

Mike Scanlin Four Corners Effective Banners
scanlin@photolabels.com http://www.whitepalm.com/fourcorners
Increase your traffic: Subscribe to Banner Tips e-mail list:
http://www.whitepalm.com/fourcorners/joinlist.shtml Free!

************

Have you got an advertising budget of over
$3000 a year? Want more prospect leads?
Mailto:webmaster@e-moneynow.com and I'll show
you how to get over 1,000,000 hits a DAY
to your website and more prospects than you can handle

************

MayberryUSA is a National Filtered Internet
Service Provider providing a truly
family-oriented, Internet experience for
the great American moral community.
http://www.mayberryusa.net/

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Copyright © 1999 Mike Valentine

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--------------WebSite101: Reading List-------------------
Mike Valentine
WebSite 101
learn@website101.com