Email marketing is one of the tactics with the most potential for profit. You’re sending messages to people who have expressed an interest in your business. However, many email marketing campaigns fall short of expectations. Here are nine strategies to increase your conversion rates in email marketing campaigns.

1. Start on the right foot – Many business owners do a great job of motivating the sign-up and then they immediately drop the ball. Email marketing is about building a relationship. As soon as someone signs up for your email list, send them a welcome email. If you can include links to valuable content and resources, you’re setting the groundwork for a great relationship. Your prospect will look forward to opening emails from you and receiving value and benefit.

2 Share your enthusiasm – In order to make an impression and have an impact, share your enthusiasm for both the information you’re sharing and the offer. When you love what you’re doing, it shows. It also shows when you don’t believe in your message.

3. Write a great headline and subject line – Learn some basic copywriting skills. Learn to write a great headline. And take the time to test various headlines to see which ones generate the best results. You want your subject line to motivate recipients to open your email. You want your headline to motivate them to read your message.

4. Proof positive - People make buying decisions based on their emotions. They reinforce these decisions based on logic. Use testimonials, data and even case studies or endorsements to offer proof. Help your prospect justify their decision to buy.

5. Can you guarantee? – A guarantee minimizes and often eliminates any risk. And if you’re hesitant to offer a guarantee, remember this… most people do not return their products even when they’re not 100% satisfied. Sure, you’ll have a few people who return it. However, the results you’ll receive in conversions will more than make up for those few returned products.

6. Ply them with gifts – Continue to build your relationship with your subscribers by giving them stuff for free. In addition to sending regular newsletters, also give them unexpected gifts. Consider sending a free e-book or report.

7. Make it professional – Make sure your email messages look professional. Create a consistent theme or format. Brand your messages. And include a signature box. It adds credibility, awareness and personality to your message. Additionally, your prospects begin to know what to expect from you. Establish a relationship with them and they will buy.

8. Call to action – Always include a call to action, even if you’re only sending valuable content without a promotional message attached. Send recipients to your website for more information. Inspire them to check out a video or blog post. Share a free resource with them. Each message you send should have a purpose and a call to action to support it.

9. Test and track - Finally, test and track your email marketing efforts. Review your analytics. Learn which messages convert higher than the others. Test subject lines, calls to action and even the design of your message.

Email marketing is too important a tactic to simply let it go to waste. Use these tips, test and track and fine-tune your email marketing strategy today. Even a small increase in conversions is worth the effort.

Does writing your website content seem to take all day? Do you have time pressures to write quickly but just cannot seem to get the job done? Take advantage of these professional writing tips to speed up your writing time. Get more done in less time.

1. Create a plan or outline. Before you begin writing your content, plan it out. Decide exactly what you’re writing about. Create the structure for your piece.

For example, if you’re writing a “how to”, then outline the steps you’re going to include in your article. If you’re writing an informative article, then what information are you going to share to support your headline? Are you writing a tips article or report? If so, what tips are you going to write about? Create the structure and plan your content before you write it. Planning your content can be accomplished in a few minutes and you’ll cut your writing time in half.

2. Set a timer to keep you focused. Many times the reason it takes so long to write is because you’re distracted. From the internet to chores and other tasks, it’s easy to get sidetracked from your writing. Setting a timer helps keep you focused on a single task. Set the timer for the time you think it should take to write your content piece.

3. Work in blocks. Sometimes writing a lot of content can feel overwhelming. Instead of looking at a ten-page report or a list of twenty blog posts, break them down into smaller bites. If you have ten articles to write, then write three and take a break. Come back, write three more and then take a break. Try to write for no longer than an hour at a time without taking a break.

4. Edit later. Editing while you write slows you down dramatically. Fiction writers know that it also inhibits your flow and creativity. Simply write until it’s done. Then go back and edit for spelling, grammar and clarity. You’ll get twice as much done in half the time if you use this simple tip.

5. Write when you feel most productive. This may sound a bit strange but it’s best to write at your most energetic and focused time of the day. If you save your writing for when you’re feeling low energy, you’re going to be moving slowly. If you’re a morning person, then write first thing in the morning. If you’re a night person, then vice versa. Many people save this time of the day for their-profit generating tasks. However, content is an essential aspect of any online business. Make it a priority.

Writing fast takes practice. It also takes focus, a system, and a commitment. Try these top five tips and get more writing done in less time.

Social networking can seem a little daunting if you’ve never dipped your toes in. There are so many different sites – What is each one about? Which ones should you sign up for? How do you use them? In this crash course, you’ll learn enough about each social network to get you started.

Facebook
Facebook is the largest social networking website in the United States and Europe. Its main features are that you can add your friends and stay in touch, as well as see a constant news stream about what’s going on with the people around you.

In many places in the world, “Facebook me” is a common phrase. Being on Facebook will allow you to stay in touch with people you may otherwise slip out of contact with.

Twitter
Twitter specializes in fast, sound-bite sized 140 character messages called “tweets.” These can be anything from quick life updates to business tips.

Twitter utilizes a “following” system, where you can “follow” other people to see their tweets and others can “follow” you to see yours.

Blogging
Blogging allows just about anyone to publish a website quickly and easily. Through blogging, people who wouldn’t otherwise start a website can quickly become ranked in the search engines and publish their ideas to a lot of people.

A blog is short for “Web Log,” a sort of online journal. Blogs tend to be updated more often than other websites.

LinkedIn
LinkedIn is like Facebook for professionals. You can upload your resume, work history, references, and testimonials as well as have professional relationships online.

In many industries, especially tech related industries, your LinkedIn profile can be as important if not more important than your physical resume.

Digg & Reddit
Digg and Reddit are voting based news sites. Other users submit articles which are then voted on by the users. When you browse the front page, you’re presented with the highest rated articles.

That means that your news is chosen by democracy and end users rather than by magazine editors.

StumbleUpon
StumbleUpon is a unique social networking site that helps you randomly find websites that you might enjoy. It does it through a combination of the interests you provide as well as your previous habits.

Here’s how it works: First, you install a browser toolbar. When you want to “StumbleUpon” a new site, just click the Stumble button and you’ll be taken to a random website that the system thinks you’ll like.

Meetup.com
Meetup is another popular social networking website. With Meetup, however, most of the interaction happens in person rather than online.

Meetup helps create physical meetings where people get together around various topics, from philosophy to dating to hiking.

Taking Your First Steps in Social Networking

As you can tell, there are all kinds of different social networking sites out there. The best way to learn is to just pick one or two and get started. It’s a lot easier to learn than it looks!

When others can’t read about you and your products, they can watch a video. Everyone likes videos. If you are not using video marketing for your online business, maybe you should consider it.

Have you ever been on YouTube? If you see a video that interests you, you are more likely to share it with those friends on other social networks and through business contacts. It is a very popular medium.

If you want to create an online video for showcasing your expertise or advertising the benefits of your products, here are some tips for doing it right the first time and every time after that.

* Know your audience – Just like with article marketing, if the content isn’t relevant, then no one will want to view it. There are probably hundreds of videos online that no one has seen yet. The reason why is what you want to avoid with your work. Give them exactly what they want. How do you find out? Set up a forum or sort of “suggestion box” for reader comments.

* Choose the proper keywords – Not only are you looking for keywords that are relevant to your subject, but also video triggers. These are words that make people want to share your video. Going viral is like a dream come true for an internet business. You don’t have to be creating a wacky funny accident video to appeal to a lot of viewers.

* Rehearse your wording – Poorly made content videos are shunned just as much as those that are not interesting. Practice your monologue and camera movements. It will pay off in the long run to have the right lighting, the proper volume and slow panning with the camera. What would you like to see in a video? Put those elements in yours.

* Go for broke – Don’t go for the mediocre video. Pull out all the stops. That doesn’t mean spending big bucks on your video but using all the tricks and techniques to get it seen by the most people.

* Timing – This is everything. If you are trying to make use of a relevant event, time your unveiling of the video to that event. The worst thing to do is create a video for a time that has since passed. Stay up to date on your video content.

* Easy access – Your video may appear on YouTube but it doesn’t have to be just for that one site. Think about submitting to multiple video distribution sites. Allow it to be downloaded, commented on and embedded on sites. The more access others have to your marketing videos, the more people will know about your site. The only exception is a video that is for sale as a product.

Where will your video end up? Hopefully it will end in more traffic for your website.

Writer’s – or blogger’s – block happens to everyone. It can be caused by a number of things. You may be feeling uninspired. You may be feeling unmotivated. You may feel as if you’ve simply run out of ideas. Here are ten smart tips to beat writer’s block.

1. Walk or exercise for ten to fifteen minutes. If you’re struggling to find inspiration or motivation to blog, take a break. Head outside for a brisk walk. The fresh air and sunshine will clear your head. If the weather is inclement, stretch your body for a few minutes. Get the blood circulating.

2. Do something menial. Have you ever noticed that great ideas come to you when you’re doing something menial? Inspiration comes while you’re driving, in the shower or washing dishes. If you’re having trouble finding blogging inspiration, set it aside and do something menial. You may find that great blogging idea.

3. Keep a list. Keep a list of blogging ideas. Keep a notebook or recording device with you at all times. When an idea for a blog post comes to you, jot it down. Then, when you’re dealing with blogger’s block all you have to do is pull out your handy dandy list.

4. Read a magazine. Magazine covers are great for inspiring ideas. Grab three to five headlines from the cover of a magazine and change the words. For example, “Ten Ways to Beat ______” or “Top __ Tips for ________”. All you have to do is fill in the blanks.

5. Read industry blogs, articles, and e-books. Reading industry news often helps inspire ideas for your own blog content.

6. Borrow from some old material. Grab an old post that received good feedback, traffic or comments and update it.

7. Create a blogging ritual. Blogger’s block often occurs because you’re not in the right frame of mind to write. Create a writing or blogging ritual. Pour a cup of coffee. Take the dog for a walk. Check your horoscope and then sit down to write.

8. Answer a question. If you’re struggling to find inspiration and motivation, simply answer a question that you commonly hear. Chances are you can answer it in about five to ten minutes. Instant blog post.

9. Break a routine. Writer’s block is also caused by too much routine. If you’re struggling to find motivation or inspiration to blog, change your routine. Head to a coffee shop. Write on paper instead of your laptop. Record your blog post and then have it transcribed. Mixing things up helps open your creative blogging side.

10. Push through it. Sometimes you just have to push through it. Tell yourself, “I’m just going to outline my blog post.” Or, “I’m just going to write the first paragraph.” Get that first task done, take a break and then tackle another smaller task.

Blogging day after day, month after month can be difficult. To make blogger’s block easier, try to write several blog posts on those days that you’re feeling creative and productive. Then you’ll have a stockpile for those days when you feel blocked.