Safelists
A pet peeve!
By Joe Myna
I am sure that you have followed all the sage advice of the
"experts" in setting up your Internet money machine.
You have skillfully crafted an information product or
purchased resell rights to a hot new ebook that you are
sure everyone will be clamoring for!
Also, you have designed a killer mini-website with sufficient
attention getting headlines and enough testimonials to choke
a horse!
However, there are still two things you find in short supply,
visitors and customers!
You realize that you need to build up your own list of
contacts from your customers from those few who trickle
through your website. But, your anxious, it's slow going,
and there has got to be a faster way!
You reminisce how offline prospecting, by direct mail, was
much simpler. Your only task then was locating a list of
targeted recipients.
Offline, whether they were unsolicited or not was somewhat
of a mute point.
However, you understand that in the paranoid world of
e-commerce it's a different matter. You are aware of
the dangers inherent with e-mailing your advertisement
to anyone who has not given their prior blessing.
Possible loss if ISP, etc.
In fact, a profit oriented e-mailing, without first acquiring
approval, would, no doubt, render you a "Spammer!
In the minds of many, "A low-down dirty scoundrel!"
Yet, when you think about it, it's odd that if you sent a
non-commercial email to the very same person, they might
consider you a little disrespectful, a kook, but certainly not a
sender of "Spam!"
At this point you're wondering about those enticing ads
for so-called 'Safelists." Could these lists be the
solution?
The inference of these ads being that the folks who join
such lists are a mixed array of buyers and sellers.
What could be better than eager buyers just waiting
for your offer?
Nevertheless, the apparent desirability, to join such a
List, should itself alert you to the fact that only sellers would
be attracted..
In fact, the websites promotional materials state that
the sole motivation to join the list would be to market
your products.
In perspective, each list member is attempting to feed
off of each other list member!.
(All of which begs the question: "Do piranha's dine
with or on each other?")
You may have guessed by now that I am not an enthusiastic
supporter of these programs. However, I must admit
that at one time I did take the bait!
While these lists are relatively 'safe' for emailing you'll soon
discover they are almost, if not entirely, useless when it
comes to marketing your wares.
The other individuals on the list are more interested
in sending you their proposals then acquiring yours.
In fact, the popularity of so-called "Dump email
address" can be directly traced to these programs.
A "Dump Email Address' is where the contents of
an inbox can be deleted quickly, if not robotically.
A more desirable type of list does exist, but they are
often cost prohibitive for the small merchant.
The point all of this is to highlight the value
and singular effectiveness of creating your own
contact lists. There is no shortcut to this task.
While, such a mission may be time consuming and
require ingenuity, building your own list of contacts
will provide you with a bountiful field of
prospects from which you can forever harvest.
Quality ezines, like the one your reading now,
Were built and continue to thrive on this reality.
And, that is why ezines are such an excellent
place to share part of your advertising budget.
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Joe Myna is webmaster at The Virtual Warehouse
of in-demand products -
http://www.anezbizz.com
Author of FREE eBook "Internet Profits The Quick Way"
Download now at
http://www.anezbizz.com/Quick.exe
Article Courtesy Virtual
Warehouse