Stop Thief! Headlines Increase Open Rates

Have you ever had someone yell "stop thief" on a street you near where you were standing? What do you do? You stop and take a look to see what is going on, right?

Well, good sales copy headlines produce the same result: people stop and open the email. Yet, how many salespeople pay attention to their email headlines? Most do not.

Sales executives often get lazy, too. They simply say what it is...

For example:

"Following up about ____"
"Here's my report for your review"
"Read our white paper on ____"
"Check out our new blabber widget"

Isn't this how most sales emails read that come across your inbox? Do these work for you? Or do you think they're boring? There's a better way. I've been studying email marketing and personally developing email campaigns for about ten years now. The first thing I notice about an email is the headline. Without a good headline, your open rate, or "opens", is low. With a good headline, your open rate increases.

The quality of your list can also dictate your success with open rates, too. However, for now, let us just say you have an average quality list of prospects that both know you and do not know you and you are trying to build a relationship so that over time, they decide to move in deeper and buy your products and services. That is why you have a list, right? How can you influence your success with that list?

Well, if they only read 20% of your emails, the odds of them making it to "buy" go down dramatically. You need your prospects to open your emails. PERIOD. Your headlines matter!

So, think about your headlines. If you are wondering what headlines work, watch what other marketers do - especially Internet Marketers. Study the best: Frank Kern, John Reese, David DeAngelo, Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero, and John Carlton. Learn from them. In addition, especially, pay attention to what they teach about headlines. I "borrowed" the phrase "Stop Thief" from a headline Frank Kern used a few months ago. And, I'm pretty sure he borrowed it from another great writer. It works, right? You would not be reading this free training right now, if it didn't work for you. Of course, the headline ALSO must apply to your topic, so make sure to use relevant headlines, too.

This is part of what I teach in Cold to Gold. I help you understand the types of headlines that work, and those that do not (and why).

What do you think is better:

"Check out my keynote on 'The Biggest Mistakes Sales Executives Make'"

or "Oops! You just fouled up!"

Hey- maybe I'll use that one! Haha...

When you start to understand your headlines, you will approach your email in a completely new way. A previous manager (a CEO, no less) get mad at me for teaching my team how to write better letters. Frankly, he was crazy! If your team cannot write a good letter, how do you know they can communicate with their email, or follow up properly? Seriously! Improving our communication skills is the number one way to improve our ability to sell. Writing powerful headlines means you know the right words and phrases that convey ideas, trigger people to buy, and excite people to take their sales engine, ignite that engine, and send it zipping down the racetrack!

So, how is your sales engine? Is it zippy? Or, does it feel a quart low on oil? The best way to keep the sales engine firing on all cylinders is to maintain it properly. In the world of selling, that means education. You can read it in a book, or you can get the information from direct from the trainer.

Right now, for a limited time, you have an opportunity to learn more about how to shift thinking, what you say does matter, and more in Cold to Gold Mind Spark Sessions TM (http://www.coldtogold.com/). Visit the website, or call me and we will talk about how to work with your team to impact higher results.

Until then, enjoy the free training I just gave you and have a great day!

Your friend in selling and life success,

Scott Andrews, CEO
ARRiiVE Business Solutions
http://www.coldtogold.com/

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Online OVERKILL: Go OFFLINE to Grow Customers, with Shel Horowitz on the ARRiiVE: Innovations In Business Show

This week on ARRiiVE: Innovations In Business Radio:

Shel Horowitz on Online Overkill! Go OFFLINE to build real relationships and more sales with Shel Horowitz on "Real World (offline) Marketing!"

Visit the ARRiiVE: Innovations in Business Show (http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/37798) at 2PM PST / 5PM EST on Wednesday, August 20th where Shel Horowitz discusses:

When: August 20 at 2PM PST or 5PM PST
Topic: Online Overkill! Go OFFLINE to build real relationships AND more sales.
Dial: (724)444-7444 enter 37798 # 1 # to call the show.
Online: Visit http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/37798 or
http://www.arriive.com/arriive_liive.htm to listen online.

Description: So many times we forget that people buy from people they feel they (1) know,
(2) trust, and (3) who inspire them in some way, shape, or form. Let's face it: the computer is a bit impersonal. Are you so wrapped up in all your social networks, email strategies, and other modern approaches that you've forgotten the old-school marketing methods
proven to work for the past 100 years?

There's a reason people use direct mail, telephones, and face-to-face marketing to sell products, even in 2008.

This is your chance to straighten up and fly right and get your real-world marketing act together!

Join Scott Andrews, CEO of ARRiiVE Business Solutions, as he interviews
Shel Horowitz, Author of Grassroots Marketing and Principled Profit,
for a special 45-minute show at ARRiiVE: Innovations In Business. It's
simple and easy to call in or listen during the show broadcast.

If you miss the show, visit http://www.ARRiiVE.com or listen here at:

Liz Taylor Murdered: The power of SPAM going too far

Today's #4 highest search term at Google Trends is "Liz Taylor Murdered". Out of curiosity, I clicked on it, as this is quite a shocking story.

From Google: Hot Trends (USA)

Aug 14, 2008 - change date Updated 25 minutes ago 1. electric vehicles of... 2. beijing 2008 olympic... 3. julia child 4. liz taylor murdered

Guess what: the story about "Liz Taylor murdered" is a FAKE!

Don't you hate when you chase a story to learn what's happening, only to find out you've been duped by EMAIL SPAM? It happens to the best of us. However, I figured this one must be a fake because the Today show hadn't mentioned it, and "Liz Taylor murdered" would be one of those national stories to hit ALL the airwaves very quickly. As of last time I checked, Liz Taylor is now 76 and is still making appearances in glittery gowns with that wonderful smile of hers.

Frankly, I think it is a sick tactic by email spammers to use a celebrity murder to draw more traffic to their site. Worse than that, this email purportedly contains a VIRUS. Icky, huh?

So, why am I writing about it?

The first reason I'm writing about Liz Taylor murdered: To illustrate the power of EMAIL MARKETING If you're not yet dialed into ETHICAL email marketing, you might consider it. I help people design email campaigns and also offer a powerful email marketing software solution for anyone who is serious about doing massive email campaigns without SPAMMING people.

The second reason I'm discussing Liz Taylor murdered: To illustrate the power of KEY WORD PHRASES. If you haven't optimized your website key word phrases you might consider hiring an expert (hint, hint) to help you optimize your website for more traffic.

The third reason I'm talking about Liz Taylor murdered: Because I'm running a simple article marketing test to see if this article draws traffic just by discussing the email spam of a fake story. How crazy is that? I thought it made for an interesting research angle, so that's how I'm approaching it.

We'll see what happens and I'll report back to you on my findings soon.
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Liz Taylor "Cleopatra" photo from Wikipedia.
Article Copyright © 2008 by ARRiiVE Business Solutions. All Rights Reserved. SUBSCRIBE.

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Why Titles Matter at ARRiiVE: Innovations In Business Radio Show

Scott Andrews, CEO of ARRiiVE Business Solutions, has been talking a bit lately on branding and Why Titles Matter for books, blogs, products, and more. It is amazing how many people labor away at a business without ever getting the title right. Are you launching a new product? Call in and talk about ideas for what title to give your idea, product, e-book, and more!

Join in at the ARRiiVE: Innovations In Business Radio Show today at 2PM PST / 5pM EST.

Call in to join the show:
Dial (724) 444-7444
Enter 37798 #
Enter: 1 # or your Talkshoe PIN

To Join from your computer (with LIVE CHAT!):
http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/37798
________________________________________

Copyright © 1999-2008 by ARRiiVE Business Solutions. All Rights Reserved. SUBSCRIBE.

It's Simple And Easy

Have you ever read the copy of a marketing program?
You know, not just read it, as a consumer, but turn it around and read it as a marketer?

Your perspective shifts, quickly.

For example, a long time ago I learned two words that sell more of anything. These words apply to selling a house, selling a car, marketing a vacation program, selling an online e-learning course, or almost anything I can think of.

These two words WILL increase your sales conversation rate.

They won't take out the garbage or mow the lawn, but they will help you pay for getting the garbage picked up and the lawn mowed.

What are these two magic sales words?

"It's SIMPLE and EASY."

Examples of using SIMPLE and EASY:

"It's so simple, you'll be shocked at how easy it is to install."
"It's simple and easy to book your vacation."
"It's simple and easy to call into my radio show."
"You'll love how simple and easy it is to use our DVD player."
"The controls are amazingly simple and easy. Just follow these three steps..."

Can you see how it works?

Now, you can use simple and easy even if the program isn't that simple and easy. I don't recommend deceptive marketing, though, so if you feel like your program is complicated, look at it in the simplest form, then make it work that way. Therefore, when you say it is simple and easy to use it, you're telling the truth. It's called responsible marketing.

Try using simple and easy five times every time you are pitching something. "Notice how simple and easy this is to call our support line?" then a while later "Not only that, but it's really simple and easy to sign up for this great way to improve your service," and so on.

Simple and easy will help you sell more.

Try using these key selling words with your marketing and sales approaches.
________________________________________

Copyright © 1999-2008 by ARRiiVE Business Solutions. All Rights Reserved. SUBSCRIBE.

Email Marketing: More That Buy

My Lorman's Email Marketing Seminar in San Jose today was rescheduled. For those of you who were aching to learn about my content for this show, I've decided to post my slide show and review these slides in a webinar next week.

Although the talk was cancelled, you now get a chance to have me personally walk you through the slides, share personal stories of success, and also learn the secrets *not* contained in this slide show. To gain access you'll want to be on my conference call on March 6, 2008, at the ARRiiVE Innovations In Business Show.

Get Access To The WEBINAR:

Get personal attention from Scott Andrews: this will be a private call. The call will be held on March 6, 2008 at 8:00 a.m. PST Just CLICK HERE to sign-up. It's just $29 to gain access to this private WEBINAR. Act now - space is limited to 10 people on this call so I can give you proper attention.

One I receive your payment, I'll give you the access to the call.

Click Here To Sign Up!

You'll kick yourself if you miss out on this one! Save money and sign-up today. Otherwise, I'll be selling the complete program with slides, the e-book, and the recording of the call online for $47 US after the call.

Here's the slides for the call in advance:

SlideShare src="http://static.slideshare.net/swf/logo_embd.png"> View Upload your own

So, Click Here To Sign Up today and get a discount from the advanced program!
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Copyright © 2007-2008 by ARRiiVE Business Solutions. All Rights Reserved. Want More? SUBSCRIBE. ARRiiVE helps you grow traffic and money from blogs. Contact us to learn more.

Announcing "Blogging For Business"

I launched a new program last Monday and forgot to mention it here at the blog:

Profitable Business Blogging

Through this valuable course, which starts Tuesday night, November 27, at 6PM PST - 7:15PM PST (don't worry, I'll provide audio downloads of the teleseminars you might miss), you can learn:

• How A-List bloggers built their blogs
• How to launch your own blog
• How to use blogging software technology
• Powerful promotion strategies
• How to get your articles Top Ranking in Google (what I call G-juice!)
• And much, much more!

The information in this course is compiled from over 500 hours of personal internet research. If you're starting a blog, why invest all that time when you can learn what I know within one month? If your time is worth more than the cost of the course, (discounted from $447 to just $245 through November), then you will benefit from this powerful program.

If blogging isn't your bag, but you know someone else who is launching a business, or trying to find ways to grow traffic to their business, then you might want to refer them to this program which will help them become much more productive in much less time.

One tip from Profitable Business Blogging:

"Did you know that when you search for a name on search engines, that domain hawks might be watching your search? This means that someone else might reserve the name before you do. Do you know which search tool lets you search for a name without tracking your search? Just this tip alone can help you protect the name you so dearly need to protect. (This tool link is provided in the program.)"

I've got about 1,001 more tips like this, and many of them worth immediate money to someone who is just getting into blogging. Even if you're an experienced blogger, you will find this course to be a valuable refresh -- not to mention that I'll be adding more and more resources to the PBB website every month - your course fee gives you access for a whole year to this valuable resource database.

If there is a way I can help make the program better, specifically, for you, please email me and we can discuss. I'm always seeking ways to improve my content of the programs I offer through ARRiiVE Business Solutions.
__________________________________

Post by Scott Andrews, CEO of ARRiiVE Business Solutions.

ARRiiVE Business Solutions helps executives improve sales & marketing, launch products and services, and build dynamic, cross-functional collaborative teams. For more information, contact info (at)ARRiiVE (dot) com or call us at 1 (805) 459-6939.

Copyright © 2007 by ARRiiVE Business Solutions. All Rights Reserved. You may republish this article only if you publish in WHOLE with the COPYRIGHT and ALL ACTIVE LINKS intact.

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The Best Way To Increase Email Open Rates

The Top Way To Boost Your Email Marketing Is To Increase Your Email Open Rates.

Seems easy enough, right? Well, not really. Most people don't realize the #1 way to increase email open rates all keys on one concept:

Write Better Subject Lines.

STRONG SUBJECT LINES are the single most important way to increase your email open rate on emails sent out to a list, database, or newsletter.

That's right. You often end how you begin. Begin with a poor subject line, and people opt-out or fail to open your email (or e-mail). So, be smarter than that, and write catchy headlines that increase traffic and increase website traffic.

Ways to increase your email open rates:

1. Write from the reader or prospect's perspective (instead of the marketing perspective). This is the #1 problem with most email subject lines. Their perspective is backwards. Just as with selling, when the salesperson is obsessed with telling you all about their product, if they don't know what YOU NEED or build a RELATIONSHIP PRIOR to trying to sell something to you (or just allowing you to buy) they'll fail, it is the same with Email Marketing. First, build a relationship. Second, understand the buyer's needs. Third, understand their emotional reasons and logical reasons why they might need your product. Fourth, position your product to address those reasons. Fifth, make it easy to buy. Okay, I digress.

A better way to increase your open rate:

Write to what your customer or prospect cares about instead of writing what you want to sell. We need help with things like (a) more traffic, (b) more customers, (c) more sales, (d) losing weight, (e) staying young, (f) quitting smoking, (g) dress to impress, (h) how to get more love, (i) better meals, (j) more restful sleep... and so on. So, take smoking, for example. You wouldn't say "Five patches to help you with smoking." It would be better to write "Having problems quitting smoking?" Now you're writing about the problem, not your solution. (The solution will come inside the email, not in the subject line.) You will increase your open rate if you think about what the reader needs to see rather than what you want them to see.

2. My most powerful method to increase e-mail opens is to ASK A QUESTION. Using a question is the single best way to increase an email open, because what must we do with a question?

Right. ANSWER IT. So, try rewriting your subject line from a statement to a question. Instead of "We found a way to quit smoking," Better would be "Want a new method to quit smoking?" Fortunately, I have seen very little SPAM with a question mark, so your email is not likely to get flagged for SPAM violations.

3. Find a problem. Increase opens because they will care more. The first thing customers care about is their problem. Write about it. Just as with good headlines in PR, it's the same with Email Marketing in trying to increase your email opens. Find a problem that your article, product, or service solves. Then look at the email from the perspective of the PROBLEM, not the solution.

Say, for example, that you're selling highly professional website design. Your headline might be: "Warning: Is Your Website Ruining Your Professional Image?"

4. An email gets opened when it offers something new, better, or secret. So, offer a secret to get your email opened. Or, offer something new and improved. These words have been staples in the Consumer Packaged Goods industry for so long for a good reason: because they work! "New and Improved! Want new secrets to Vista?" Might be a developer's handbook subject line for secrets to using Vista. Or, "Secrets From A Guru Revealed: How To Build Your List Faster With Less Effort" might be a way to sell an email list marketing solution.

5. Using names to improve your email open rates. First Name/Last Name? People think if you use my name, I'll open it. Perhaps, but what if you used the WRONG name. That's a surefire way to make sure I'll delete it. Or, if the end-user goes by Mike, but his website name is Michael, he can screen you because you'll say "Hey Michael..." See what I mean? As an email recipient, I'd rather you tell me YOUR name. If I like it, I might open it.

For example, "ARRiiVE Discovered The Top Problem With Email Opens" might get read more than "Michael, buy this powerful email marketing tips e-book." Even better: "Want to discover ARRiiVE's secrets to increase your email open rate?"

6. Poor word choice limits email opens. Good word choice will increase your open rate. Words like Welcome... Free.... Win... might either turn off your prospect, or worse, get caught in a SPAM filter, so your prospect never sees the message at all. Exclamation points are over-excited. Avoid those. Even F-R-E-E could get you blocked. Hey, Hi... What's up? Are all getting blocked by some people. No subject line at all is definitely a no-no.

Better word choices: Secret... Top 5 Ways... Challenges facing...

7. Make a joke. Depending upon your industry, saying something funny might increase your open. Or, if it is a holiday, you might say, "A Funny Message for Thanksgiving" as people like funny emails. You can also get clever. Words with the "K" sound make people laugh. If you want people to think your email is funny, you could say, "Want To Touch Something Squishy?" That sounds funny, silly, and inviting. I'd expect a goofy email to follow.

8. Offer a Statistic to increase open rates. Even better yet, a statistic is more powerful if the statistic is something shocking. For example, a company who helps you quit smoking might say: "15 Million People died of lung cancer this year. Are you next?" They're hitting the problem square in the nose: it isn't smoking, it's HEALTH! Identifying the right problem, then giving a statistic for that, especially a shocking one - people's health, baby health, loss of something, or so forth, can be shocking. Like "100 Billion In Toxic Waste. What About Your Baby's Diapers?" might be a way to sell "green" diapers, for example.

One funny email I'm thinking about trying is this: "Only 3% of people will open this email." Just to see what percentage opens it.

9. Keep Is Succinct. The only thing I don't like about the last example I gave is the LENGTH. Sometimes, length matters. As in, brevity. And, the more powerful way to say it is with the right words, in as few words, as possible. In my tests to write this blog posts, I found that subject lines with 49 or fewer characters had click-through rates 75 percent higher than for those with 50 or more characters.

Try these tips to increase email open rates and see if you don't increase your email opens in your email campaigns.

If you're seeking more of this type of information, I'm publishing a new e-book on email marketing, which will be coming out in about a month. Add our feed and you can keep track of the product announcement.

Remember, with your subject line, you've got about 3 seconds to impress someone, if that. So, it has to be powerful, concise, intriguing, funny, shocking, or at least intriguing enough to get an open.

I'm actually thinking I need to update how I do my newsletter, to address these, rather than say "AspireNow's Monthly Newsletter" as that does not follow the guidelines of my subject lines. So, see, sometimes in writing advice, we improve our own material. If you subscribe to AspireNow's Newsletter, you'll see how I do at following my own advice!

_________________________________

Post by Scott Andrews, CEO of ARRiiVE Business Solutions.

ARRiiVE Business Solutions helps executives improve sales and marketing, launch products and services, and build dynamic, cross-functional collaborative teams. For more information, contact info (at)ARRiiVE (dot) com or call us at 1 (805) 459-6939.

Copyright © 2007 by ARRiiVE Business Solutions. All Rights Reserved. You may republish this article only if you publish in WHOLE with the COPYRIGHT and ALL ACTIVE LINKS intact.

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