| LED Digest 1830: Shaking out Email Marketing |
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================================================== The LED Digest Moderated Discussion List "Effective Online Advertising, Since 1997" pair Networks: The LED's Web Host Hosting and Domain Reg. from a Trusted Leader pair.com for Hosting | pairNIC.com for Domains ================================================== List Moderator: Published by: Adam Audette LED Digest adam,led-digest.com http://www.led-digest.com ................................................ June 30, 2004 Issue #1830 ................................................ .....IN THIS DIGEST..... ==== CONTINUING ================= --== The End of Email as You Know It? ==-- ~ Willie Crawford "...email marketing is going through a shakeout." --== Using Affiliate Services ==-- ~ R. Gortatowsky "The coming internet sales taxation which will go into place next year..." --== The End of I-Sales ==-- ~ Martha Retallick "When one door closes, another one opens." ==== BILLBOARD =================== --== Changing Editor in Outlook ==-- ~ Rich Dudley ===== CONTINUING ================================= From: Willie Crawford Subject: End of Email Hi LEDers, We are in the midst of a period where email marketing is going through a shakeout. As my dear friend JL Scott, of The International Council Of Online Professionals pointed out in a recent article, there are a lot of people that will pack up shop and go home. Those who stay and battle it out will be better positioned when it's all over. I, for one, like battles... guess that's why I spent over 20 years serving in my country's military... that and the fact that I couldn't afford anything else at the time :-) I am now trying at least a dozen simple tools that allow my message to get throught to my list members. The simplest technology is a toolbar. One of my products is a twice-daily recipe exchange mailing list. This produces a six-figure income for me incidentally so don't laugh. My problem was that many list members weren't getting their daily recipes. My solution was to have them download a toolbar that allowed them to access it directly from my website. You can check out the toolbar at: http://chitterlings.com/new.htm This toolbar installs as another row at the bottom of Internet Explore 5.0 or higher browser and then every time that they open their browser, there I am! The toolbar pulls down an HTML webpage from my server that is the dimensions of the toolbar. So any time that I update that webpage, I also update the toolbar which was in use by over 2000 member within 3 days of when I offered it to my recipe list. I am employing several variations of just this technology. For example, I offer a free 20-lesson internet business success course from my website. Many of those issue were blocked by filters because of words within the message. I now deliver that course via a different toolbar with three drop-down menus, as well as via email, ebook format and a printed version that is mailed to clients. The possibilities are for just this toolbar are endless. If you'd like to check out this toolbar just drop by my site at http://williecrawford.com It's offered from the homepage. Now is not the time to run away because it is getting more difficult to market effectively via email. It's time to acknowledge that BECAUSE of the changes, those who are innovative "fighter" can move to the front of the pack. Willie Crawford http://success-alert.com ------- new post - new topic ------- From: R. Gortatowsky Subject: Affiliates > Has anyone advertised with affiliates like CJ, Performics, > or Affiliate Fuel in a pay-for-sale arrangement...? Did you find > affiliates to be a successful component of your marketing strategy? - Ellyce S., LED 1820 Hi all! In regards to affiliate models they "were" an effective means of generating qualified buying traffic. They are slated to evolve now and many people are going to be out of luck so to speak due to the evolution at least here in the USA. Bare with me for a moment. The coming internet sales taxation which will go into place next year irregardless of what anyone cares to believe (and the big players know it such as eBay, Amazon etc) throws a huge monkey wrench into affiliate programs. As it is that income is taxable but accounting of it has not been a huge issue for the retailers / resellers. As of next year it is here in the USA. Is the affiliate having to pay a sales tax? In theory yes, however sales tax is also charged by the POS direct leading to an illegal scenario of double taxation. Irregardless of this facet in simply accounting alone of POS's having to report paperwork TO THE AFFILIATE it becomes an accounting disaster and instantly makes what has been a in the green type program one that runs in the red. Atop this word has had it that any affiliate past / present is virtually guaranteed an audit within the next 3-5 years as considerable issues of accounting on all sides are in question, exactly how much money is unaccounted for in other words. Sites are already reacting to whats coming. The flat rate sales tax pretty much kills eBay for example as its been known. eBay now has been pushing eBay Business, the new venue that phases the old away into history. The businesses using affiliate programs are working on models now that reward the buyer not some driving site / entity. This is the replacement of the current affiliate models. While it will first rear its head in the USA it will also snowball. No POS globally will be able to compete against POS's that are constantly rewarding the customer as the affiliate. Its not only something they have no real choice in due to the coming flat rate tax but its also a heap lot smarter than present affiliate programs and thus better for the reseller / POS but also the customer. The days of external entities leaching unto sales by being qualified traffic directors will be dead by the end of 2005 and replaced with much more effective models that again are better for the POS and customer. The customer becomes the affiliate. He/she drives friends and sales to sites. He/she is then rewarded with store credit. Now the accounting is all in-house, no concerns over the taxation matters and no real revenue is paid out. Instead the customer is rewarded with store credit that they of course use to buy even more at the POS. This is the new model for the USA that replaces affiliate programs. If companies in Europe lets say intend compete they will need do same. Its a better model in literally all respects for all parties involved except those who have been making money by driving traffic. This model will drive more repeat buyers and more new buyers than any prior affiliate model. Why? Because the people rewarded are the same people spending the money. This is not an "if" issue. It is actively being worked on and has been for well in excess of two years. We perform drop ship sales for numerous sizeable web POS's and have had numerous discussions of integration surrounding these new programs. To direct people now to be in affiliate programs will lead them only to disappointment as soon enough they will find they did nothing but waste time they could have been using to step into the "new web". The internet as it has been known with points of sale where anyone can sell, where affiliate programs allowed a automated income for unrelated parties and much more will be rapidly coming to an end. Next year it begins in the USA, flat rate sales taxation is only one facet of whats coming there is much (MUCH) more that will deploy from 2005-2009. Issues that deal with security both of the citizen and in fact nations. Contrary to belief the Internet has not been a good thing for the world. It has in fact been a cultural disaster. Do some reading related to cultural destruction, the internet and the effect it has had on enormous growth of fundamenalist religous growth globally. Its one thing for a nations people to "hear" cultural differences its very different when they can log on and see it and watch the culture accept it. Take smut porno. For religous cultures to hear "this is what one can get in the USA/Europe" is one thing. To log on, see it, realize the people of the culture do not attack it says to them, "They are the infidels" and makes it EVER so easy to recruit radicals to attack it. The fastest growing religous sect in the world right now is at breakneck speed due to the complete lack of regulatory measure on the internet. In the USA this religion now has more members than the USA has armed forces or the ability to deal with them were they to become an insurrection army. This has all been realized by the US Federal Government and then some. Its why 6 months into the Bush administration work began to regulate the internet. Anyone who's paid attention to releases such as those from the Federal AG's offices will realize whats happening. The "big players" on the web do pay attention. The rest never bother. We are informed as we are connected. We are connected at both ends in fact most of which we cannot even discuss due to NDA's. Suffice to say the web is going to "grow up" and in doing so there will be lots of fallout but at every stage of whats coming the web becomes safer, better for real business and better for public consumption. Its long past due. R. Gortatowsky The Software Society ------- new post - new topic ------- From: Martha Retallick Subject: End of I-Sales This whole situation reminds me of that old expression, "When one door closes, another one opens." So, adios, I-Lists, hello, LED. I feel privileged to be part of this community. In the brief time I've been here, you've helped me a lot. And I haven't even unleashed any of my bicycling stories on you yet <g>. Martha Retallick http://www.postcardmarketingsecrets.com ==== BILLBOARD ==================================== From: Richard Dudley Subject: Removing Word as e-mail editor > I am currently mortified by the fact that my e-Mail programs > has been engulfed by Microsoft Word, so that the mails > I send out are of the type I hate to receive! - John Smart, LED 1826 John, If you're using Outlook as your e-mail program, go to Tools >> Options >> Mail Format. Uncheck "Use Microsoft Word to edit e-mail messages", and you can change your default format to Text as well. This is for Outlook 2002, I don't think that's changed in Outlook 2003. Rich Dudley www.bloomeryweddings.com ------------------------------------------------------- The LED Digest is sponsored by pair Networks: pair.com for Hosting | pairNIC.com for Domains Copyright 1995-2004 Adam Audette. All Rights Reserved. ----------------------------------------------------------------- "I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is to try to please everyone." - Bill Cosby |
