Stop, Stop, Stop the BAD Email Marketing Etiquette...Please

This article is going to touch a cord with some of you I know but for others of you when I write stuff like this you 'jump for joy' that someone finally said it!


So, I'll take my chances with you here and go out on a limb and say "Please Stop with the Bad Email Marketing Etiquette, it's so annoying and it actually makes you look really, really bad."

What I'm talking about here is this:

• Many of you may not have a clue what you're doing with sending emails because you're new to it and you add everyone you meet to your list and send. You just haven't been shown that there is a right way and a wrong way to do email marketing (meaning sending email newsletters or eblasts to groups of people who have NOT asked to receive it.).

• Others of you however have a feeling you're doing something 'not so right' but you're hoping nobody notices or that you don't get in trouble. Maybe you're really desperate to do anything these days to get business? (I get that but this is NOT the way to do it)

• Then there's those of you who KNOW you're doing something in bad etiquette but don't care, you're going to do it anyway.

Well I'm here to burst your bubble either way that adding names and contacts of people you meet to an email newsletter or any email list someone has to 'unsubscribe' from in order to stop receiving the emails is not only against THE SPAM LAWS but it's also very, very, very bad email marketing etiquette.

You can actually HURT YOUR REPUTATION more than help it by doing this.

I get at least one email newsletter or eblast every day that I never asked to receive or opt in to receive on my own. Someone, somewhere just decided to add me to their list because I met them or they picked up my card somewhere or my email address was on some group or social site or on some random list. Half the time I don't even recognize who the person is and that's IF they bothered to put their name or picture in the dang email (don't get me started about that!).

People can actually report you as a spammer you know right? If they do this and you get reported about too many times your email could get shut down or at least blocked all over the place. Then where would you and your business be? Up a river without a paddle, right?

So, I'm begging you, if you're reading this to STOP, STOP, STOP doing this.

I'm going to give you something to do INSTEAD....

Instead of adding everyone to a subscribed list whether they subscribed or not, send out a series of 2-3 emails to those people you want to join your newsletter list - give them a sampling of what they'll get, give them a free gift (an audio recording, interview, teleclass, webinar - something of value with content) to try you out. Don't have this come in the form of a newsletter though, send it from you as a personal follow up note, it will be much more well received.

Don't, don't, don't SELL ANYTHING in that first couple of emails or they'll for sure delete you. You have to build relationships with them first and even go one step further by asking them how YOU can help THEM? You'll get much more response, and positive response I might add.

You'll be able to establish a dialogue, interact with them and THEN hopefully they'll want to opt in and get your newsletter or better yet do some kind of business with you!

But if you just blast these people and don't even refer back to how you met, where you got their information or make some personal connection in that first one or two email follow up messages then you'll definitely have NO chance of getting them 'legitimately' as a subscriber on your list.

If you'd like to find out if or how I can help you not only with your email marketing but your entire business and marketing planning, promotion and implementation you can apply now for the opportunity for a complimentary Strategy Session with me or a member of my team. This is a very limited offer, I only meet with a few entrepreneurs each week who are truly ready to make some big impacts on their lives and the lives of others.

Go to www.AskKat.biz now to apply.


© Copyright 2010 K. Sawa Marketing International Inc.

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? To publish this article in your ezine or website please include the following blurb: Katrina Sawa is an Award-Winning Author, Speaker and International JumpStart Your Biz Coach who's helped hundreds of small business owners take dramatic steps in their businesses to get them to the next level in business, revenues and their personal life. She offers one-on-one coaching, group coaching and do-it-yourself business-building products. She's been featured on various news talk shows and radio shows including Oprah and Friends XM Radio. Go online now to get started with her Free Entrepreneur's Success Kit at http://www.JumpStartYourMarketing.com!

Avoid These 10 Design Disasters When Creating Your Business’ Marketing Materials, part 2

Here are the remaing 7 tips onWhat Not to Do When Designing Marketing Pieces Yourself - Avoid these 10 design disasters when you create your own materials.

4. Don’t use color indiscriminately. More color does not necessarily make something more appealing. Often it does just opposite and makes it loud and annoying. When someone screams at you, do you want to listen or run away? The same is true for your materials – you want to ensure your reader reads on and does not stop because of an overuse of color and/or poor design. Most, if not all, of your text should be the same color, preferably black for readability or red for a call to action to key items. For a unique look, try duotone photographs or print in two colors. If you plan to use full color on a piece be sure that you utilize the selected color instead of just using color in your logo, for example, and nowhere else; That would just be costly and a waste of color. On the flip side, try not to use too many colors in the text; For example, I have seen business cards that had 5-7 colors in the text. I found it difficult to read and/or follow and found that nothing stood out.

5. Don’t be redundant. Be sure that you do not repeat the name of your industry or product in your company name, your tagline or your headline throughout a given piece. Potential customers already know your industry. Restating it implies you do not.

6. Don’t choose low-quality or low-resolution photography. A photograph may look great in an album, but unless it features a proper balance of lighting and good composition, it is not print-worthy. Photos need to be at least 300 dpi to render a professional print.

7. Don't fill up every inch of white space on the page. White space, or negative space, brings focus to what is important on the page. It also and gives the reader’s eye a rest. You may have a lot to say, but placing it all into one space creates chaos and minimizes the impact of what is being conveyed to the reader. It will visually overwhelm the reader as well -- think less, not more. Remember, you have a Web site (or should have) that your reader’s can visit for more detailed information.

8. Don't focus on the details of your product or service; instead, focus on how it benefits your audience. Unless your product is extremely technical, make your offering relevant to your audience by emphasizing its benefits, not its features. Otherwise, it would be like going to a party and talking about yourself all night. That is not exactly the best way to win friends or gain customers. Your heading and your message must hit your target market’s ‘hot buttons’ and get them to think about what is in it for them?

9. Don't do exactly what your competitors are doing. When you are positioning your product, it is important to know your competition.

However, do not copy them. Instead, determine what your customers want and what they are attracted to. Stand out without sticking out. If you can take your logo and place it in your competitor’s ad and it applies and vice versa then you are not getting creative or unique enough. Your message will look just look like your competitions’. Besides, do you really know if your competitors are getting good response on their ads? Maybe they are not.

10. Don't change design styles with every marketing piece you create. Strive for a consistent look and feel, keeping the same fonts and logo placement, throughout your marketing campaigns. If you use photos in one ad, do not use just illustrations in another. If you place your logo in the middle of one brochure, do not place in at the top-right corner in another.

Finally, do be clear, clean, compelling and consistent. You will end up looking, and selling, like a pro. K. Sawa Marketing can help you design, create and print as inexpensively as possible all your marketing materials, brochures, Web sites and more! Just ask.

© Copyright 2010 K. Sawa Marketing International Inc.

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? To publish this article in your ezine or website please include the following blurb: Katrina Sawa is an Award-Winning Author, Speaker and International JumpStart Your Biz Coach who's helped hundreds of small business owners take dramatic steps in their businesses to get them to the next level in business, revenues and their personal life. She offers one-on-one coaching, group coaching and do-it-yourself business-building products. She's been featured on various news talk shows and radio shows including Oprah and Friends XM Radio. Go online now to get started with her Free Entrepreneur's Success Kit at http://www.JumpStartYourMarketing.com!

Avoid These 10 Design Disasters When Creating Your Business’ Marketing Materials

Have you ever noticed how many articles there are relating to creating your own marketing materials? These articles concentrate on areas a business owner "should do," offering such clever advice as "know your audience," "say it with pictures" or "write clearly and distinctly." This is not bad advice. However, you should also know what not to do. This article focuses on just that. More specifically, it will address what most ‘do-it-yourselfers’ are tempted to, but should not do.


What Not to Do When Designing Marketing Pieces Yourself - Avoid these 10 design disasters when you create your own materials.  These are the first 3 tips, I will reveal more in my next post.

1. Don’t enlarge your logo so that it is the main focus of the page. Your logo features the name of your company and is important. However, it is not the main point. Remember, people are interested in what you are selling, not who you are. In fact, the smaller your logo, the more established your company will appear. If your customer is interested in what you are selling or promoting, they will look on the marketing material to find where they can purchase the product and/or service.

2. Don’t place your logo in the text of your piece. Of course, it is acceptable to use the name of your company in the text of any of your marketing materials. However, avoid inserting your actual logo into a headline or text of your materials.

3. Don’t use too many fonts. When you begin to build your materials, be sure to use fonts sparingly. Choose one or two fonts to use throughout the materials in order to establish your brand. Your font choices should be consistent with your image and your industry. Note that cursive and creative fonts are often hard to read. Understand your audience’s ability to read your materials and ensure that they still stand out.


© Copyright 2010 K. Sawa Marketing International Inc.

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? To publish this article in your ezine or website please include the following blurb: Katrina Sawa is an Award-Winning Author, Speaker and International JumpStart Your Biz Coach who's helped hundreds of small business owners take dramatic steps in their businesses to get them to the next level in business, revenues and their personal life. She offers one-on-one coaching, group coaching and do-it-yourself business-building products. She's been featured on various news talk shows and radio shows including Oprah and Friends XM Radio. Go online now to get started with her Free Entrepreneur's Success Kit at http://www.JumpStartYourMarketing.com!

Are You Working Too Hard? 3 Steps to More Freedom

Are you a worker BEE???

In my business, I am constantly redefining myself, my services and my products in order to stay ahead of or at least keep up with the ever changing industry of marketing. If I don't bring fresh new ideas and material to my clients and contacts on an ongoing basis, then someone else will.

To stay at the forefront, I spend a significant amount of my time working "on" my business, not just "in" it. That means, instead of always consulting with clients, I lock myself up with my computer and write up my ideas, products, figure out how to market them, get them on my website or decide how to offer them to my clients.

I wanted to bring this to your attention this week because I see hundreds of small business owners and entrepreneurs each month who are struggling to "get it all done".

You know what I mean.

What I've found is that most entrepreneurs are not taking the time to work "on" their businesses, only struggle and stress out "in" it.

These same entrepreneurs are not open to learning new techniques about marketing, learning new industry standards, keeping their website and marketing materials current or even get out and meet new people to build relationships with to further their business. Or it may be that they're open to it but they don't see it as a necessary enough thing to fit into their schedule.

Hopefully this doesn't sound familiar to you. But if it does....

I'm here to tell you I've seen a large percentage of those businesses go OUT OF BUSINESS by not focusing on the BIG PICTURE.

We all know the stats on how many businesses go out of business these days but with all the great info out there now (including my own resources - some paid, some FR.EE), it boggles my mind why they don't do something about this.

Here are 3 action steps you can take to work more "ON" your business, easily and immediately:

1. Schedule 1 day each month as "Creative" Day - a day you will do nothing but sit and write down all the ideas that come to mind about how you can update or increase your business, who you know that you can work with on joint ventures, etc.

2. Schedule another day each month as "Implement" Day - a day you will do nothing but put those ideas into action - updating the text on your websites, writing and sending out a press release, planning your next workshop with flyer development, etc.

3. Contact 2-5 other professionals that you trust and ask them their perception of your business and ask them for ideas or feedback on what you could do to update it, freshen it up, revise it, change it or add to it

I know this seems like more work, but actually if you do these things you'll be much more focused with your daily and weekly tasks and will get more done or delegated which means more freedom for you!

For more information on how to JumpStart your small business with creative ideas and a clear plan to reach your unique target market find out how to talk with me in a complimentary Strategy Session, go fill out the questionnaire at www.AskKat.biz. Let's plot out YOUR Big Picture Strategy now before it's too late!



© Copyright 2010 K. Sawa Marketing International Inc.

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? To publish this article in your ezine or website please include the following blurb: Katrina Sawa is an Award-Winning Author, Speaker and International JumpStart Your Biz Coach who's helped hundreds of small business owners take dramatic steps in their businesses to get them to the next level in business, revenues and their personal life. She offers one-on-one coaching, group coaching and do-it-yourself business-building products. She's been featured on various news talk shows and radio shows including Oprah and Friends XM Radio. Go online now to get started with her Free Entrepreneur's Success Kit at http://www.JumpStartYourMarketing.com!

2 Easy Ways to Increase Your Revenues NOW

Are You Ready to Find out the Easiest 2 Ways to Increase Your Revenue?


Ok, I've done this myself, I've seen it done by my friends and peers and I've recommended this to clients many times with HUGE SUCCESS!

It's actually very simple.

1. RAISE YOUR RATES

2. OFFER PAYMENT PLANS FOR YOUR PRODUCTS OR SERVICES

I had a client come to me a few months ago who was charging way under market value for her services and I basically told her to suck it up and increase her rates by 400%!! Yes, I told her to raise her rates by 5 times what she was charging clients now. She almost fell off her chair (I think, as we were on the phone).

This new rate was actually the going rate for what she was doing. In fact I am paying someone to do it in my business right now every month!

And this week, a new potential client was doing a Strategy Session with me and this was the main thing I mentioned to her as well to do now to increase her income. She couldn't believe it since it was hard for her to get clients in the first place.

You know what it comes down to though is our own self-worth, right? We don't either believe we are worth 'that much' or we don't believe others will pay 'that rate'. Well, that's not YOUR problem to worry about, it's theirs and the world is a big place and there are PLENTY of the right people who will pay what you are worth IF you buck up and charge what you're really worth!

So, this client of mine; if she takes my advice, she could literally increase her income by FIVE TIMES with no more work!

It could be that simple if you are not charging enough OR if your perceived product or service value is a lot higher than what you are charging. If you don't know what your value is or what the going rate is - ASK ME PLEASE. I see a lot of different businesses every month and I know how to get you these answers.

As for payment plans; myself and many peers of mine in the info-product industry (selling online products and services) find that we get a lot more orders and purchases if we offer payment plans - especially OUTRAGEOUS PAYMENT PLANS such as 18 payments of $19.95 or something like that. I do this for some of my products and services even if delivery of those products or services is well before their last payment due date and all of the payments are made online of course too by automatic payment which is the key. You don't want to go trying to collect checks after the fact, that's for sure.

Typically you could offer 1-5 payments spread 30 days apart if you're selling something over $1000 or even for something sold at $500 ($100 monthly payments makes it sound a whole lot easier right?). Now don't forget to pad the payments again for admin processing fees, etc. and to give them incentive to pay up front too you definitely want to charge more for the opportunity to make payments.

If you should need some advice on how to make this adjustment in your business either mentally, physically or technologically - ASK ME PLEASE. I love to support small business owners with this kind of expansion and going to the next level. Plus, there are many things that can go along with doing these things in your business that you want to incorporate as well, especially in a responsible and respectful way.

The thing is, most small business owners and entrepreneurs say that they take their business seriously or work 16 hours a day to try to prove it, yet they don't take the NECESSARY STEPS needed, only the ones that feel 'comfortable' to take at the moment.

So, how are you different?


Will you be one of the 6% of the US population that works smarter, not harder, and makes over $100,000 this year?

Or will you remain one of the 94% of entrepreneurs who don't reach for more and revert back to what's comfortable, reachable or seeable?

Furthermore, if you want help, I would suggest signing up for one of my Private Coaching Programs (find out more at http://www.JumpStartYourMarketing.com/coaching), however you can always start out with a complimentary Getting Acquainted Session too if you want to 'see' what's possible first but I do take these very seriously so please only serious entrepreneurs apply. To apply for a complimentary Getting Acquainted Session, please fill out my online Free Biz Quiz at www.JumpStartYourMarketing.com/quiz. If you're more of a do-it-yourselfer, check out my JumpStart Your Marketing(TM) System or other products online at http://www.JumpStartYourMarketing.com/products.






© Copyright 2010 K. Sawa Marketing International Inc.

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? To publish this article in your ezine or website please include the following blurb: Katrina Sawa is an Award-Winning Author, Speaker and International JumpStart Your Biz Coach who's helped hundreds of small business owners take dramatic steps in their businesses to get them to the next level in business, revenues and their personal life. She offers one-on-one coaching, group coaching and do-it-yourself business-building products. She's been featured on various news talk shows and radio shows including Oprah and Friends XM Radio. Go online now to get started with her Free Entrepreneur's Success Kit at http://www.JumpStartYourMarketing.com!