Bly.com Newsletter Archives

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Bob Bly’s Direct Response Letter:

Resources, ideas, and tips for improving response to
business-to-business, high-tech, and direct marketing.

July, 2009

———————————————————————–

You are getting this e-mail because you subscribed to it on
www.bly.com or because you are one of Bob’s clients, prospects,
seminar attendees, or book buyers. If you would prefer not to
receive further e-mails of this type, go to the bottom of this
message and click on “SafeUnsubscribe.”

Your subscription brings you one regular monthly issue, usually
at the beginning of the month, plus one or two supplementary
messages each week. These are typically either free tips or
personal recommendations for information products on marketing
or related topics. I review products before recommending them
and in many cases know the authors.

We do not rent or share your name with anybody. Feel free to
forward this issue to any peers, friends and associates you
think would benefit from its contents. They will thank you. So
will I.

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My new book reveals 88 off-the-beaten-path ways to make money as
a freelance writer.
I’ve made millions with these writing projects – why not you?

http://tinyurl.com/cnd6tp

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Will you be my friend on Facebook?

www.facebook.com/people/Robert-Bly/535042603

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***Did you know this shocking fact about Google?***

Incredibly, sites can actually have different positions in
Google depending on who is searching for them!

“Several things can account for differences in search engine
position results,” says my SEO guru Ed Taylor. “One factor is
the Google server (data center) that is accessed. Google has
many data centers around the world and they often have slightly
different rankings.”

Another factor affecting the results you see in the Search
Engine Results Page (SERP) is the location of your PC. According
to Ed, this is especially evident on searches that Google deems
of a local nature (i.e. a dentist). In the case of local
searches, very often the Google Map setting will appear with a
group of listings specific to the local area.

Ranking differences can also result from the searcher’s computer
settings. Computers that are logged into a Google account often
display different ranking results that than those that are not.
These results are influenced by the Web sites the searcher has
visited in the past.

Recommendation: The best way to view core Google indexes — the
rankings uninfluenced by your browsing history and location –
is to log out of your Google account, clear out your browser’s
cookies and cache, and then perform a search on your keyword.

Source: Ed Taylor, www.edtaylor.com

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***Avoid this mistake in renewal series***

Marketers are tempted to cut price and add incentives with the
later efforts in a renewal series. Their reasoning is that if
the first offer didn’t renew the prospect, you need to step up
your incentives to move them to action.

Unfortunately, sweetening the offer as the series goes on is a
big mistake. As circulation consultant Paul Goldberg notes, in a
renewal series, you should always start with your very best
offer.

Why? “If the subscriber fails to renew with the first effort and
receives a better offer on the second, he’ll wait to see if an
even better off comes in the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth
efforts,” says copywriter Denny Hatch.

Goldberg’s tip: explicitly tell the reader in the first effort
that this is the best offer he will receive, and that the offer
will not get better.

Source: Target Marketing, 6/09, p. 50.

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***How long should SEO Web pages be?***

According to the white paper “Top 10 Considerations When
Planning a Web Site Redesign,” each page on a search engine
optimized web site should contain 200 to 500 words of text-based
content.

Make sure none of the elements you want search engines to be
able to crawl (headlines, body copy, navigation) is image or
flash-based.

Source: www.MoreVisibility.com

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***How your peers are handling the recession***

Of marketers surveyed on my Web site:

** Nearly half (46.4%) say their sales have fallen since the
recession began in December 2007.

** Approximately 87% say they are worried about the effect the
recession is having on their business and sales.

** Just 28% have lowered their prices since the recession
started.

** As for marketing, 76.7% are spending the same or more on
marketing than they did last year.

Source: www.bly.com.

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***SEO tip of the month***

The most important meta tag is the title tag – the words people
see at the top of the screen when using their browser to visit
your site. Ed Taylor says title tags should be short – no more
than 6 or 7 words.

More important, the title tag should begin with the words you
are optimizing the page for; e.g., on my site, which we are
optimizing for copywriter (and many other keywords), he changed
“Bob Bly, freelance copywriter” to “Freelance copywriter Bob
Bly.”

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***How to get more web traffic***

According to Internet marketing master Marlon Sanders, the 6
best ways to drive traffic to your Web sites are:

1—Getting affiliates to promote your products to their lists.

2—Article marketing – see www.getfamouswritingarticles.com for
more information.

3—Buying ads in other people’s e-zines.

4—Search engine optimization – to generate more organic traffic.

5—Google Ad Words – and other pay-per-click advertising.

6—Banner advertising – once counted out, now making a comeback.

To this list I’d add a few others you might try: co-registration
… PR … postcard marketing … social networking … blogging.

Source: Marlon Sanders e-mail, 5/30/09.

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***Keep those subject lines short***

Many e-mail in-boxes only display the first 40 characters or so
of the subject line. Now, here’s another reason to cut the
character count in subject lines: short subject lines work
better than long ones!

According to a report from E-consultancy, subject lines with 35
characters or less are 28% more likely to be opened than e-mails
with longer subject lines.

Speaking of open rates, a study published by Experian found the
average open rates for e-mail marketing messages to be 12% to
14%.

Here’s a free online tool that shows how your subject line will
be displayed by the different e-mail readers:

www.emaillabs.com/tools/from_subject_line_tool_popup.html

Source: “101 B2B Marketing Tips: Vol. 2, ReachForce,” 2009
Digital Marketer Benchmark and Trend Report, Experian, p. 26.

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***What you should know about increasing profits***

Marketing expert Charlie Cook is offering my subscribers a free
special report. It details the 7 low-cost and no-cost steps to
take to grow your business and maximize your profits in a soft
economy:

www.marketingforsuccess.com/bly

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***Which landing page converted best?***

MarketingSherpa founder Anne Holland has launched a new Web site
focused on A/B and multivariate testing. Each week, she posts a
new quiz on the home page challenging you to guess the winner in
a test:

www.whichtestwon.com

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***4 ways to strengthen customer loyalty ***

>> Offer free advice … such as a white paper that positions you
as an industry expert and accelerates the customer’s
decision-making process.

>> Once a quarter, send a handwritten note to your best
customers … and ask how you can serve them better.

>> Resolve complaints fast … a problem resolved with swiftness
and creativity can turn an unhappy customer into a highly loyal
one.

>> Offer your expertise as a value-added service … for instance,
make yourself available to answer questions customers and
prospects have about your product or service.

Source: The Pohly Circle, 5/29/09.

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***Save those PowerPoints and PDFs***

When a client, colleague, or boss sends you source material that
includes Word documents, PDF files, and PowerPoint files, print
them, but also save the electronic files.

Reason: when you have the computer files, you can easily lift
photos, charts, and graphs from the source material for use in
the document you are writing.

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***Are you ready to take your freelancing seriously?***

If so, you might want to attend How Magazine’s 2nd Annual
Creative Freelancer Conference (CFC), August 26-28, 2009, San
Diego CA.

Features speakers include Peleg Top, June Walker, Todd Henry,
and Ilise Benun. They’ll share tips on pricing … online
marketing … building client relationships … self promotion … and
more. Register by the July 15 early-bird deadline and get a free
bonus report by Ilise Benun, “The Freedom of Freelancing.” Click
below for more info or to enroll now:

www.creativefreelancerconference.com

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***Ever stumble in a speech?***

If you lose track of where you are during a presentation, don’t
let it throw you off. Just move on. The sooner you forget about
it, the faster everyone else will, too.

Tip: Take a deep breath and say, “I’m sorry. I’m getting off
track. Let me rephrase that.”

Source: Cosmopolitan, 7/09, p. 141.

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***Quotation of the month***

“Who among us does not move through life with the hidden sense,
maybe even quiet desperation, that we are destined for more?
That underneath our ordinary exterior lays an extraordinary
soul? That given the right opportunity, the right stage, the
right audience, we would shine as the stars we truly are?”
–Peter Bregman

Source: CNN.com, 4/22/09.

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***Reprint my articles – free!***

Media, bloggers, marketers, editors, publishers, Web masters –
need powerful content on your Web site or blog? You can
syndicate or republish any of the articles you’ve read in Bob
Bly Direct Response Letter — for free! To view complete
articles, visit our newsletter archives at www.bly.com/archive.
Republishing our articles is quick and easy. All you have to do
is include author attribution (byline/name of author) and
following statement, “This article appears courtesy of Bob Bly
Direct Response Letter,” and include a back-link to www.bly.com.
That’s it!

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***60-second commercial from Fern Dickey, Project Manager***

Bob is available on a limited basis for copywriting of direct
mail packages, sales letters, brochures, white papers, ads,
e-mail marketing campaigns, PR materials, and Web pages. We
recommend you call for a FREE copy of our updated Copywriting
Information Kit. Just let me know your industry and the type of
copy you’re interested in seeing (ads, mailings, etc.) and if
Bob is available to take your assignment, we’ll tailor a package
of recent samples to fit your requirements. Call Fern Dickey at
201-797-8105 or e-mail fern@bly.com.

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Bob Bly
Copywriter / Consultant
590 Delcina Drive
River Vale, NJ 07675
Phone 201-505-9451
Fax 201-573-4094
www.bly.com

Follow Bob:
Twitter, http://twitter.com/Robertbly
LinkedIn, http://www.linkedin.com/in/bobbly
Facebook, http://www.facebook.com/people/Robert-Bly/535042603

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Bob Bly’s Direct Response Letter:
Resources, ideas, and tips for improving response to
business-to-business, high-tech, and direct marketing.

June, 2009

———————————————————————

You are getting this e-mail because you subscribed to it on
www.bly.com or because you are one of Bob’s clients, prospects,
seminar attendees, or book buyers. If you would prefer not to
receive further e-mails of this type, go to the bottom of this
message and click on “SafeUnsubscribe.”

Your subscription brings you one regular monthly issue, usually
at the beginning of the month, plus one or two supplementary
messages each week. These are typically either free tips or
personal recommendations for information products on marketing
or related topics. I review products before recommending them
and in many cases know the authors.

We do not rent or share your name with anybody. Feel free to
forward this issue to any peers, friends and associates you
think would benefit from its contents. They will thank you. So
will I.

———————————————————————

The $5,000 Bob Bly Internet Marketing Conference you can
“attend” at home for a few hundred bucks:

www.earlytorise.com/bly/cracking_the_code.html

———————————————————————

***We’ve moved***

Our new address is: Bob Bly, 590 Delcina Drive, River Vale, NJ
07675; new office phone is 201-505-9451; new fax is
201-573-4094; e-mail remains rwbly@bly.com; web site remains
www.bly.com

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***4 great tips for selling info products online***

1—Choose a niche where customers have a very strong emotional
need.

2—Narrow your niche – don’t widen it.

3—Create a special report or online video with high perceived
value … and give it away for free.

4—Don’t save your best content for your paid products – put it
in your free report or video. Reason: Prospects will think, “If
this is the stuff they are giving away, the product they are
selling must be GREAT!”

Source: Allie Longoria, Expert Summaries, 5/5/09

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***Internet profits so obscene it’s almost unfair ***

When you hear about the money some otherwise ordinary people are
making on the Internet today, the profits are so obscene it
seems almost unfair. Example: a few years ago, my friend Mike
“Zappy” Zapolin bought the domain name beer.com – and sold it 3
months later for $7 million in cash.

Now if that strikes you as unfair, you have two choices. You can
continue to read about other people’s Internet success stories –
and turn green with envy every time you do. Or, you can join
them – and make your own six or seven-figure fortune online.

Now Zappy shows you in his new manual “The Internet Warrior” the
proven strategies that enable him to live the dream lifestyle of
an Internet millionaire — in a beautiful home on the ocean in
Miami Beach:

www.internetwarrior.com/cmd.php?af=988688

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***May I feature you in my next book?***

If you are a freelance copywriter, I’d like to get samples of
any materials you use to promote yourself: ads, direct mail,
brochures, copywriting information kits, press releases, sales
letters, e-mails. I’d also love a short note telling me the
results you got with the promo.

If I feature your material in my book, you will get full credit,
of course. So please send your materials via e-mail to
rwbly@bly.com. Or mail to Bob Bly, 590 Delcina Drive, River
Vale, NJ 07675.

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***How to avoid being called a spammer***

>> Put your entire physical address in the sig file at the
bottom of your marketing e-mails.

>> Make sure your e-mail contains a way for recipients to
unsubscribe from your mailing list.

>> Reduce the use of large fonts and characters,

>> Use simple HTML – no Javascript.

>> Keep the file size small — under 70K.

Source: “101 B2B Marketing Tips: Vol. 2,” p. 5, ReachForce.

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***Be a social networking pioneer!***

Infosocia is a brand-new software platform that lets you quickly
and easily build a social networking site for your customers,
subscribers, members, or niche market. It also lets you
integrate e-commerce and membership features into your social
networking site:

http://i360net.com/info.php?ref=291&plid=

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***Should you cut prices during a recession?***

According to a survey by the National Federation of Independent
Business, nearly 30% of small business owners have lowered their
prices.

When setting your own prices, consider these ideas:

>> Be flexible – offer a wide variety of pricing options to win
over and keep risk-averse customers.

>> Customize – ask your clients what they need, and then change
your mix of offerings to emphasize the most affordable.

>> Target customers when they have the most cash – the first
week of the month after shoppers have received their pay checks
is usually the best time.

Source: Evans, Teri, “Slash & Earn,” BusinessWeek SmallBiz,
5/09, pp. 59-61.

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***Protect your copyrighted e-books from piracy***

Do you deliver e-books and special reports to your customers via
e-mail, and worry that they’ll duplicate or pass them on to
others illegally?

Here’s a service that tracks people who forward your PDF files
to others, so you can catch any cheaters:

www.readnotify.com

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***3 techniques for writing strong headlines***

1–Ask a question … but make sure it’s a question to which the
reader wants to know the answer.

Example: “What Do Japanese Managers Have That American Managers
Sometimes Lack?”

2–Tie-in to current events … a news angle is especially
effective when promoting financial publications and other
products affected by current events on a daily basis.

Example: “Stay One Step Ahead of the Stock Market Just Like
Martha Stewart – But Without Her Legal Liability!”

3–Create a new terminology … you can literally create a brand
or product category by expressing an old idea in a fresh and
compelling way.

Example: “New ‘Polarized Oil’ Magnetically Adheres to Wear Parts
in Machine Tools, Making Them Last Up to 6 Times Longer.”

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***Find your calling by helping others find theirs***

Imagine if you could get paid to work from home, brainstorming
with people on the phone or run seminars about creative ways
they could turn their interests into income. Learn how,
step-by-step, you can start your own business as an “Outside the
Job Box Expert and Small Business Idea Consultant” and turn your
knack for helping others into an income stream.

You will see how this is more than just a training program on
how to help others discover their passion. You’ll also get a
proven framework and model to help you launch your own
successful business. Learn more about this amazing opportunity
here:

www.changingcourse.com/cmd.php?af=928102

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***Do B2B prospects prefer print or online?***

A recent survey of 741 small and mid-size businesses (SMBs)
revealed, surprisingly, that SMBs prefer print over the Internet
as a source of product information.

Of the B2B prospects surveyed, 43% said they rely most on
magazine articles and direct mail to learn about products.
Only 27.8% prefer social networking as a source of product
information, and just 19.2% like podcasts.

Source: DM news 4/6/09, p. 1.

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***3 secrets of entrepreneurial success from Yanik Silver***

>> Develop and build your business’s personality that stands
out. People want to buy from people.

>> Always have something else to sell whenever a transaction
takes place. The hottest buyer in the world is the one who just
gave you money.

>>Do the unexpected before and after anything goes wrong so
customers are compelled to share your story.

Source: Yanik Silver’s 34 Rules for Maverick Entrepreneurs.

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***Newspaper advertising dead? Not yet!***

In his new e-book “Ultimate Moneymaking Newspaper Ads,” David
Fowler reveals how to generate ROI as high as 15:1 in direct
response newspaper ads.

The e-book is packed with great examples that reveal
out-of-the-ordinary methods used by the world’s few elite
“direct response” newspaper ad pros. But don’t expect these
“un-pretty” ads to win awards—unless they give awards for ads
that earn piles of money:

www.davidfowlerads.com

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***How to determine your budget for online advertising***

To determine your online advertising budget, your first step is
to determine what you can afford to pay for each new name you
add to your list.

To determine the value of new names, divide annual online
revenues by the number of subscribers. Example: If your 20,000
online subscribers account for $300,000 in annual sales, your
subscriber value is $15 per name per year.

List-building campaigns should ideally pay back their cost
within 6 months or sooner. Therefore, if your names are worth
$15 per year each, you can afford to spend up to $7.50 per
subscriber to acquire new names.

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***How fast is the Internet growing?***

In 1992, there were only 50 Web sites in the world.

In 2002, there were 40 million Web sites online.

In 2008, there were 120 million Web sites.

Source: Snow, Patrick, “Creating Your Own Destiny” (Aviva,
2009), p. 203.

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***Quotation of the month***

“It is a known fact that every project has at least one
irredeemable imbecile.”
–Dilbert

Source: The Record, 3/18/09.

———————————————————————

***Reprint my articles – free!***

Media, bloggers, marketers, editors, publishers, Web masters –
need powerful content on your Web site or blog? You can
syndicate or republish any of the articles you’ve read in Bob
Bly Direct Response Letter — for free! To view complete
articles, visit our newsletter archives at www.bly.com/archive.
Republishing our articles is quick and easy. All you have to do is
include author attribution (byline/name of author) and following
statement, “This article appears courtesy of Bob Bly Direct
Response Letter,” and include a back-link to www.bly.com.
That’s it!

———————————————————————

***60-second commercial from Fern Dickey, Project Manager***

Bob is available on a limited basis for copywriting of direct
mail packages, sales letters, brochures, white papers, ads,
e-mail marketing campaigns, PR materials, and Web pages. We
recommend you call for a FREE copy of our updated Copywriting
Information Kit. Just let me know your industry and the type of
copy you’re interested in seeing (ads, mailings, etc.) and if
Bob is available to take your assignment, we’ll tailor a package
of recent samples to fit your requirements. Call Fern Dickey at
201-797-8105 or e-mail fern@bly.com.

———————————————————————

——————————————————————

Bob Bly’s Direct Response Letter:
Resources, ideas, and tips for improving response to
business-to-business, high-tech, and direct marketing.

May, 2009

——————————————————————

You are getting this e-mail because you subscribed to it on
www.bly.com or because you are one of Bob’s clients, prospects,
seminar attendees, or book buyers. If you would prefer not to
receive further e-mails of this type, go to the bottom of this
message and click on “SafeUnsubscribe.”

Your subscription brings you one regular monthly issue, usually
at the beginning of the month, plus one or two supplementary
messages each week. These are typically either free tips or
personal recommendations for information products on marketing
or related topics. I review products before recommending them
and in many cases know the authors.

We do not rent or share your name with anybody. Feel free to
forward this issue to any peers, friends and associates you
think would benefit from its contents. They will thank you. So
will I.

——————————————————————

Everything You Need to Know About Making Money as a Copywriter:
www.awaionline.com/bly/gettingclients/

——————————————————————

***What offers work best in direct and online marketing?***

According to catalog consultant Stephen Lett, the most effective
catalog and multi-channel offers are:

** Free shipping.

** A dollar amount off.

** A percentage off.

** A free gift with purchase.

Lett notes that free shipping can increase catalog sales by 20%
or more.

Dollar discounts work better than percentage discounts because,
says Lett: “Consumers can relate to actual dollar amounts easier
than they can calculate the percentage.”

Source: Catalog Success, 4/09, p. 24.

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***How I wrote 75 published books***

I’ll be giving a talk on “How I Wrote 75 Published Books for Fun
and Profit” at Fred Gleeck’s Book Publishing Seminar on 5/26 in
NYC. I’ll reveal:

>> 10 steps to writing a book and getting it published.
>> How to build an “author’s platform” that helps you land a
book contract.
>> My 8-step formula for writing winning book proposals.
>> How to find and work with a literary agent.
>> 7 ways to come up with a great idea for your first (or next)
book.

For more information or to register online, click below:

www.fredinfo.com/publishing/bly

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***How long should my e-book be?***

“How long should I make my e-books?” a new Internet info
marketer asked me.

Answer: for an e-book selling in the $19 to $39 range, the PDF
should be a minimum of 50 pages.

If it’s much shorter than 40 pages, your customers may think you
are not giving them enough “meat.”

A typeset PDF page is around 300 words. So when you are writing
your e-book, you know you have enough content when your Word
document is around 15,000 words.

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***3 steps to writing postcards that sell***

1—Clearly state the biggest benefit of the product or service
(e.g., “Get Rid of Annoying Pain & Fatigue!”).

2—Give the recipient a good reason to contact you NOW, such as a
special offer or deadline.

3—Provide a simple, easy way for the recipient to respond – an
800 number, Web site, e-mail address, or all three.

Source: Gendusa, Joy, “The Ultimate Postcard Success Manual”
(2007), pp. 33-34.

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***Let Zig Ziglar give you free sales training***

Attitude, skill, and activity lead to the results you want in
your personal and business life. Whether your interests lie in
sales, personal development, or leadership skills, the Ziglar
Newsletter gives you life-changing advice … ideas you can use on
your journey to success. For a free subscription, just click on
the link below:

www.ziglar.com/newsletter.php

——————————————————————

***The 10 commandments of copywriting***

Over half a century ago, G. Lynn Sumners, who created the
classic Harry & David Fortune magazine ad (”Imagine Harry & Me
Advertising Our Pears in Fortune!”), put forth these 10 rules
for writing winning advertisements – all of which are still
applicable today:

1–Learn all about your proposition before you write anything
about it.

2–Organize your material from the viewpoint of the buyer’s
interests, not yours.

3–Decide to whom you are writing.

4–Keep it simple.

5–Use meaningful words and phrases—words that stir the
emotions, make the mouth water, make the heart beat faster.

6–Don’t try to be funny. Remember, the most serious of all
operations is separating a man from his money.

7–Make your copy specific—names, places, what happens to whom.

8–Prove your points.

9–Make copy long enough to tell your story—and quit.

10–Give your reader something to do and make it easy for him to
do it.

Source: G. Lynn Sumners, “How I Learned the Secrets of Success
in Advertising.”

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How to Use Social Media Marketing to Grow Your Business:

Do you know how to use social media tools like Twitter, Facebook
and LinkedIn to gain exposure, drive traffic, build partnership
opportunities and generate quality leads? Discover precisely
how to use social media to grow your business during this
economic slump at Social Media Success Summit 2009
www.socialmediasummit09.com/bb - a professional
development conference for marketers and business owners.

Leading experts Gary Vaynerchuk (Wine Library TV), Darren Rowse
(Problogger), Mari Smith (Facebook guru), Jason Alba (wrote the
book on LinkedIn), Ann Handley (MarketingProfs), Brian Clark
(Copyblogger), Chris Garrett (Authority Blogger) and Denise
Wakeman (BlogSquad) have joined forces to share their closely
guarded secrets to social media success at this LIVE online
summit. Learn how to qualify for a $200 savings (expires May
14th) and lock in your key to success.

Visit www.socialmediasummit09.com/bb and get an immediate gift
valued at $39 entitled “Achieving Social Media Marketing Success
(Secrets From Three Successful Marketers).”

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***Optimize your Web sites for the major browsers***

According to a survey by Net Applications, the top 6 Web
browsers are:

1—Internet Explorer – preferred by 67.4% of Internet users.

2—Firefox—21.8%.

3—Safari—8.0%.

4—Chrome—1.2%.

5—Operate—0.7%.

6—Netscape—0.7%.

Recommendation: make sure your Web designer optimizes your sites
and landing pages for Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Safari.

Source: Internet Retailer (4/09, p. 57).

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***Write your own auto-responder e-mails***

An auto-responder is software that automatically delivers a
sequence of e-mail marketing messages according to a schedule
you specify. By sending such an e-mail sequence to prospects who
visit your landing page but do not buy, you can achieve
conversion rates of 10% to 30% or more.

One of the best auto-responder e-mail writers out there today is
copywriter Jay White. I recently shared the stage with Jay at a
high dollar marketing seminar. At the event, Jay gave us a sneak
peek at his easy yet ultra-powerful system for writing
auto-responder e-mails that sell. To see a free video of Jay’s
profit-pulling methods, go here now:

www.emailcopymadeeasy.com/members/go.php?r=2&i=l2

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***What you can’t say in nutritional supplement copy***

The one thing you absolutely can’t say when selling dietary
supplements is that they can treat or cure a disease.

Solution: substitute the euphemisms below for the disease, and
then say “promote” or “optimize” or “improve” instead of “cure”
or “treat” or “prevent.”

Unacceptable: “Prevents Alzheimer’s Disease.”

Better: “Improves memory.”

Other recommended disease euphemisms: “joint pain” instead of
arthritis … “blood sugar problems” instead of diabetes … “bone
loss” instead of osteoporosis … “abnormal cell growth” instead
of cancer … “low energy” instead of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Source: Carline Anglade-Cole’s Copy Star, Issue #20,
www.carlinecole.com

——————————————————————

***Another nail in book publishing’s coffin***

More bad news for the book publishing industry: reading may
actually be hazardous to your health (or at least your
children’s health)!

The Consumer Product Safety Commission is urging libraries to
remove from their shelves children’s books published before
1986, because the ink used to print them may contain unsafe
levels of lead.

Source: The Record, 3/18/09.

——————————————————————

***More recession-fighting business strategies***

>>Be proactive with your creditors. Talk to them before there’s
a problem, not after.

>> Scrutinize your spending. Spend only on those things that
have a positive justifiable effect on your business and profits.

>> Consult with your banker. Arrange a line of credit before you
need it.

>> Revisit your business plan monthly to adjust strategy in
response to changing market conditions.

>> Review your financial statement constantly. Assess your reports
weekly to improve decision making.

Source: Words from Woody, Spring 2009, p. 1.

——————————————————————

***Quotation of the month***

“The only people who seem to be capable of getting us to act on
our impulses are the direct response marketers, something that
Madison Avenue, awash in brand advertising, has never had to
concern itself with.”
–Remy Stern

Source: Stern, Remy, “But Wait…There’s More” (HarperCollins,
2009), p. 227.

——————————————————————

***Reprint my articles – free!***

Media, bloggers, marketers, editors, publishers, Web masters –
need powerful content on your Web site or blog? You can
syndicate or republish any of the articles you’ve read in Bob
Bly’s Direct Response Letter — for free! To view complete
articles, visit our newsletter archives at www.bly.com/archive.
Republishing our articles is quick and easy. All you have to do
is include author attribution (byline/name of author) and the
following statement, “This article appears courtesy of Bob Bly’s
Direct Response Letter,” and include a back-link to www.bly.com.
That’s it!

——————————————————————

***60-second commercial from Fern Dickey, Project Manager***

Bob is available on a limited basis for copywriting of direct
mail packages, sales letters, brochures, white papers, ads,
e-mail marketing campaigns, PR materials, and Web pages. We
recommend you call for a FREE copy of our updated Copywriting
Information Kit. Just let me know your industry and the type of
copy you’re interested in seeing (ads, mailings, etc.) and if
Bob is available to take your assignment, we’ll tailor a package
of recent samples to fit your requirements. Call Fern Dickey at
201-797-8105 or e-mail fern@bly.com.

——————————————————————

——————————————————————-

Bob Bly’s Direct Response Letter:
Resources, ideas, and tips for improving response to
business-to-business, high-tech, and direct marketing.

April, 2009

——————————————————————-

You are getting this e-mail because you subscribed to it on
www.bly.com or because you are one of Bob’s clients, prospects,
seminar attendees, or book buyers. If you would prefer not to
receive further e-mails of this type, go to the bottom of this
message and click on “SafeUnsubscribe.”

Your subscription brings you one regular monthly issue, usually
at the beginning of the month, plus one or two supplementary
messages each week. These are typically either free tips or
personal recommendations for information products on marketing
or related topics. I review products before recommending them
and in many cases know the authors.

We do not rent or share your name with anybody. Feel free to
forward this issue to any peers, friends and associates you
think would benefit from its contents. They will thank you. So
will I.
——————————————————————-

The Unvarnished Truth About Making Money on the Internet
http://www.fredinfo.com/truthprints/bly

——————————————————————-

***Are you prepared for a prolonged recession?***

My new online business evaluation can help you determine your
state of readiness for a protracted recession. Takes less than 2
minutes, and for participating you get a free copy of my
best-selling special report (featured in the LA Times) “15
Recession-Proof Business Strategies” (list price: $29).

To take the assessment and claim your free recession report,
click below now:

www.bly.com/recessionsurvey

——————————————————————-

***How much time does social networking take?***

As my readers know, I am not a huge fan of social media. Yes, it
can work. But it can also take up a lot of your time, and that’s
a problem when you’re already too busy.

According to a new social media survey by Michael Stelzner, “How
Marketers are Using Social Media to Grow Their Business,” nearly
9 out of 10 marketers use social media to increase exposure,
generate traffic, and forge new business relationships.

However, 64% are using social media for 5 hours or more each
week, 39% for 10 hours or more each week, and 9.6% devote more
than 2 hours a week to social media.

In my own informal survey, not included in Michael’s report,
I’ve found that marketers who devote less than 5 hours a week to
social media primarily focus on one networking channel.

Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and blogs are the ones most often
cited. Only those marketers who network online over an hour a
day can participate in multiple networks and forums.

For more information or to download Michael’s new social media
report and survey, visit:

http://www.whitepapersource.com/socialmediamarketing/report/

——————————————————————-

***Is a one-time Internet buyer a real direct response
customer?***

Not according to direct response consultant Stephen Lett, who
says you should never mail a print catalog to first-time
Internet buyers.

“Most first-time Internet buyers never make a second purchase,”
says Lett. “They were surfing the Web for a specific item they
wanted, so mailing them a catalog has little impact.”

Source: Lett, Stephen, “Cost Cutting Checklists,” Catalog
Success (3/09, p. 23).

——————————————————————-

***Make money on the Internet as easy as 1-2-3-4***

I just posted a new video online. It reveals how you can make a
six-figure income selling information products over the Internet
… in just 4 simple steps.

And if you are a writer — or just have a way with words – you
can complete these 4 steps quickly and easily.

Watch this short video and discover the 4 steps to building a
profitable online business. It’s free — and takes less than 2 ½
minutes:

www.internetmarketingforcopywriters.com

——————————————————————-

***Why compiled mailing lists suck***

According to Eric Webster, a VP of Marketing at State Farm
responsible for mailing half a billion direct mail pieces a
year, 9 – 12% of the names on compiled lists are undeliverable.

Solution: the first time you mail to compiled names, send your
mailing first class. Then track the returned pieces, and remove
those addresses from future mail streams.

Source: Jackson Consulting Group Advanced Insurance Direct
Marketing Workshop, 3/3/09.

——————————————————————-

**101 ways to double your response rates***

“101 Ways to Double Your Response Rates” is the title of a new
Special Report from my colleague Ivan Levison, a top copywriter
specializing in software and B2B marketing.

As the title implies, his report gives dozens of practical,
quick-reading tips for improving readership and response
generated by sales letters … brochures … lift notes … sales
literature … e-mail marketing … advertising … postcards … and
more.

To download a FREE copy of this valuable report, visit:

www.levison.com/subscribe

——————————————————————-

***Are you charging enough for your info products?***

The minimum price for physical information products can be
calculated using the “10:1 rule.”

This rule says the price of a physical product sold through
direct marketing must be at least 10 times your product cost.

Example: A set of DVDs that cost $8 per copy should sell for a
minimum of $80.

But that’s the minimum. If your information is worth more, and
buyers will pay more, then charge more.

Source: Speaker Fulfillment Services, News & Notes, Vol. 15, p. 1.

——————————————————————-

***Why people open or trash your e-mail***

A study from Pitney Bowes reveals why some direct mail goes
straight into the trash, while other DM is enthusiastically
opened and read by the recipients.

Watch a free video on designing direct mail that people open
here:

http://news.pb.com:80/section_display.cfm?section_id=269

——————————————————————-

***Does personalization pay off?***

A study from GI Direct, reported in the Talon Newsletter (3/09,
p. 2), found that over 70% of adults surveyed said they are 5X
more likely to respond to properly personalized direct marketing
offers vs. non-personalized mailings.

My own experience is that personalization almost always
increases response rates, but not always sufficiently to pay
back the added cost of the personalization.

In b-to-b DM, the larger the company and the higher up on the
corporate ladder your prospect, the more likely personalization
is to pay off.

Conversely, middle managers, professionals, support staff,
salespeople, and small business owners respond well to
non-personalized mail.

For business-to-consumer direct mail, personalization often pays
off in mortgage mailings, insurance, banking, and other
financial services promotions … and also in mailings to existing
customers.

——————————————————————-

***6 reasons why consumers don’t buy online***

In order, here are the 6 most common reasons consumers cite for
their reluctance to shop online:

1—They prefer to see an item before buying it – 58% picked this
reason.

2—Concern about the security of paying online – 52%.

3—Shipping charges on e-commerce sites are too high – 30%.

4—Returning items to Internet merchants is a hassle – 27%.

5—They are worried that products may not get delivered in good
condition – 21%.

6—They do not want to wait for delivery – 14%.

Source: Internet Retailer, 3/09, p. 64.

——————————————————————-

**Words that work in headlines***

Here are some words and phrases that, according to advertising
great Ted Nicholas, work especially well in headlines:

Announcing … Secrets of … Facts you … Advice to … Protect … Do
you … Yes … Love … Hate … How much … How would you … Only …
Free … You … How to … New … Now … Amazing … Breakthroughs … At
last … Life … Discover … Bargains … Sale … Free.

Source: “Success in the Sun,” Ted Nicholas seminar, Tampa, FL,
February 2009.

——————————————————————-

***My secret formula for writing 75 published books***

My secret formula for writing 75 published books …

… will be revealed in a talk I give on writing and selling
nonfiction books at Fred Gleeck’s big publishing seminar in NYC
in May. Click here for dates, location, and other details:

www.fredinfo.com/publishing/bly

——————————————————————-

***Quotation of the month***

“Retiring is just practicing to be dead.”
–Paul Harvey

Source: Time, 3/16/09, p. 22.

——————————————————————-

***Reprint my articles – free!***

Media, bloggers, marketers, editors, publishers, Web masters –
need powerful content on your Web site or blog? You can
syndicate or republish any of the articles you’ve read in Bob
Bly Direct Response Letter — for free! To view complete
articles, visit our newsletter archives at http://www.bly.com/archive.
Republishing our articles is quick and easy. All you have to do is
include author attribution (byline/name of author) and following
statement, “This article appears courtesy of Bob Bly Direct
Response Letter,” and include a back-link to www.bly.com. That’s
it!

——————————————————————-

***60-second commercial from Fern Dickey, Project Manager***

Bob is available on a limited basis for copywriting of direct
mail packages, sales letters, brochures, white papers, ads,
e-mail marketing campaigns, PR materials, and Web pages. We
recommend you call for a FREE copy of our updated Copywriting
Information Kit. Just let me know your industry and the type of
copy you’re interested in seeing (ads, mailings, etc.) and if
Bob is available to take your assignment, we’ll tailor a package
of recent samples to fit your requirements. Call Fern Dickey at
201-797-8105 or e-mail fern@bly.com.

——————————————————————-

——————————————————————-

Bob Bly’s Direct Response Letter:
Resources, ideas, and tips for improving response to
business-to-business, high-tech, and direct marketing.

March, 2009

——————————————————————-

You are getting this e-mail because you subscribed to it on
www.bly.com or because you are one of Bob’s clients, prospects,
seminar attendees, or book buyers. If you would prefer not to
receive further e-mails of this type, go to the bottom of this
message and click on “SafeUnsubscribe.”

Your subscription brings you one regular monthly issue, usually
at the beginning of the month, plus one or two supplementary
messages each week. These are typically either free tips or
personal recommendations for information products on marketing
or related topics. I review products before recommending them
and in many cases know the authors.

We do not rent or share your name with anybody. Feel free to
forward this issue to any peers, friends and associates you
think would benefit from its contents. They will thank you. So
will I.

——————————————————————-

Retire This Year With a Six-Figure Passive Income from
Writing and Selling Simple Information over the Internet:

www.theinternetmarketingretirementplan.com

——————————————————————-

***My last weekend seminar: Secrets to Selling on the
Internet***

I will be presenting, for Early to Rise, a weekend workshop,
“Secrets to Selling on the Internet,” in New York City from 3/20
to 3/22.

I am the only speaker. If you have ever wanted to attend an
intensive training session in Internet marketing with me, this
is your last chance — because after this, I will do no more.

In this workshop, I’ll show you step-by-step how to create
everything - and I mean everything - you need to start and run a
successful Internet marketing business, including: landing pages
… Web sites … search engine optimization … PPC ad campaigns …
e-mail marketing messages … e-books … e-newsletters … bonus
reports … articles … PR … and so much more.

Click here for more information or to register; this is the only
notice you will receive from me:

www.earlytorise.com/bly/bobbly

——————————————————————-

***5 ways to thrive in a recession***

BusinessWeek recently gave these 5 suggestions for navigating
your business through the current economic storm:

1–Don’t panic. Cycles happen. Sometimes they happen hard, but
we’ll come back around eventually.

2–Keep marketing. Slowdowns are an ideal time to snatch up
market share.

3–Stick to your focus. Don’t water down your message in a
misguided attempt to widen your market appeal.

4–Don’t go “discount crazy.” If you keep offering “special
deals,” eventually the deals are no longer special… and
customers learn to wait for the next deal instead of buying
right now.

5–Have a plan. You can’t wish the crisis away by ignoring it.

Source: The Copywriter’s Roundtable, #398.

——————————————————————-

***Clever networking idea***

I met a fellow last month at the Ted Nicholas seminar in Tampa
who used a rather clever networking idea. He was tall and had a
head full of curly hair in a semi-Afro.

He had special business cards printed up just for the event.
Above his contact information, the cards said: “I’m the curly
haired guy that you met at the Ted Nicholas Seminar in Tampa.”

A really clever way, I think, to make yourself memorable -
although for me, I’d have to change “curly haired” to “short and
dumpy.”

——————————————————————-

***Free tips on increasing landing page conversion rates***

A “landing page” is a long-copy sales letter posted on the Web.
Its purpose: to sell a single product.

Landing page performance is measured by the conversion rate: the
percentage of unique visitors who purchase the product.

Any incremental increase in conversion rate produces a
proportional increase in orders and revenues.

For free tips on maximizing landing page conversion rates and
sales, click below:

www.thelandingpageguru.com

——————————————————————-

***Health care copywriting tactics for a tough economy***

Discover the best ways to position your dietary supplements or
other health products … overcome your prospect’s skepticism …
and keep your sales up. Free special report “17 Health
Copywriting Tactics for a Tough Economy” tells you how. Click
here to download now:

www.healthwriterclachar.com/Report.html

——————————————————————-

***What we know about Hispanic shoppers***

John Fogli, a specialist in Hispanic marketing, says that Latino
consumers:

>> Shop more often.

>> Live for today.

>> Spend on average a half hour more in stores than other
shoppers.

>> Shop with friends and family.

>> Rely on word-of-mouth.

>> Prefer bilingual communication.

Source: Jackson Consulting Group Advanced Insurance Direct
Marketing Workshop, 3/3/09.

——————————————————————-

***Book of the month***

My colleague Bernie Malonson has started a fascinating venture:
finding and republishing rare marketing books.

The second volume in his series is “How I Learned the Secrets of
Success in Advertising” by G. Lynn Sumners, originally published
in 1957 - the year I was born.

And it’s well worth reading. Sumners helped create classic ad
campaigns for DuBarry Success Course … Fruit of the Month Club …
Singer Sewing Machine … and others. And virtually everything he
says about writing winning ads is still true half a century
later.

http://tinyurl.com/ab6wat

——————————————————————-

***3 vendor management tactics to avoid***

Here are 3 things customers often do to vendors to save money
and gain control. Unfortunately, they have the opposite effect,
causing the vendor to resent the customer and not care about
doing their work:

>> Paying vendors late - this may improve your cash flow. But
vendors give priority treatment to customers who pay their bills
on time.

>> Haggling over price - yes, you may be able to drive the price
down if the vendor needs the work. But too much negotiating can
have an effect on the relationship.

>> Showing the vendor who’s the boss - yes, you are the boss.
You are the customer. You are in charge. But don’t treat vendors
like children, morons, or slaves.

The common perception is that employees require motivation but
vendors do not. Unfortunately, it’s not true. Vendors are people
too. And their treatment of you reflects your treatment of them.

Source: Gene Marks, Home Business Magazine, 4/09, p. 68.

——————————————————————-

***Best pages for running mail order ads***

According to Ted Nicholas, full-page mail order ads pull best
when run on right-hand pages in the front third of the magazine.

Ted says your insertion order should read “pages 3, 5, 7, 9, 11,
or omit.” That means the magazine either gives you page 3, 5, 7,
9, or 11 (odd pages are right-hand pages) — or you do not want
to run the ad.

Ted says that if the magazine goofs and runs the ad on another
page, they are contractually obligated to run it again for free
- known as a “make good.”

Source: Success in the Sun, Ted Nicholas Seminar, 2/20-2/22/09,
Tampa, FL.

——————————————————————-

***Quotation of the month***

“I never use a long word when a short one will do or an involved
construction when a simple one will do or literary trickery when
plain-speaking will do.”
–Isaac Asimov

Source: Yours, Isaac Asimov (Doubleday, 1995), p. 11.

——————————————————————-

***60-second commercial from Fern Dickey, Project Manager***

Bob is available on a limited basis for copywriting of direct
mail packages, sales letters, brochures, white papers, ads,
e-mail marketing campaigns, PR materials, and Web pages. We
recommend you call for a FREE copy of our updated Copywriting
Information Kit. Just let me know your industry and the type of
copy you’re interested in seeing (ads, mailings, etc.) and if
Bob is available to take your assignment, we’ll tailor a package
of recent samples to fit your requirements. Call Fern Dickey at
201-797-8105 or e-mail fern@bly.com.

——————————————————————-

Bob Bly
Copywriter / Consultant
22 East Quackenbush Avenue
Dumont, NJ 07628
Phone 201-385-1220
Fax 201-385-1138
www.bly.com

———————————————————————-

Bob Bly’s Direct Response Letter: Special Mid-Month Issue
Resources, ideas, and tips for improving response to
business-to-business, high-tech, and direct marketing.

Mid-February, 2009

———————————————————————-

You are getting this e-mail because you subscribed to it on
www.bly.com or because you are one of Bob’s clients, prospects,
seminar attendees, or book buyers. If you would prefer not to
receive further e-mails of this type, go to the bottom of this
message and click on “SafeUnsubscribe.”

Your subscription brings you one regular monthly issue, usually
at the beginning of the month, plus one or two supplementary
messages each week. These are typically either free tips or
personal recommendations for information products on marketing
or related topics. I review products before recommending them
and in many cases know the authors.

This is a special mid-month supplemental issue bring you news of
books, seminars, audios, and other resources I have reviewed and
want to share and recommend to my readers. In the interest of
full disclosure, I am an affiliate for some of these products,
which means if you buy it through this newsletter, I get a
commission on the sale. But the commission comes out of the
seller’s pocket; you do not pay extra.

We do not rent or share your name with anybody. Feel free to
forward this issue to any peers, friends and associates you
think would benefit from its contents. They will thank you. So
will I.

———————————————————————-

Valuable New Edition of Claude Hopkins’ Must-Read Classic
Advertising Book, “Scientific Advertising: Illustrated and
Annotated,” Available Online Only at:

http://www.scientificadvertisingillustrated.com

———————————————————————-

***88 ways to make money writing***

Looking for your niche as a freelance writer – one in which you
can earn a six-figure income? Then read my new book, “88
Money-Making Writing Jobs.”

It shows you how to make money with copywriting, articles, books
and other traditional writing opportunities – as well as some
lesser-known writing jobs including crossword puzzles, greeting
cards, and comic books. For more information … or to order and
save 25% off the cover price … click here now:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/140221507X?ie=UTF8&tag=bobblycop-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=140221507X
http://tinyurl.com/cnd6tp

———————————————————————-

***Freelance editor for hire***

“Can you recommend a freelance editor to rewrite my clunky
prose?” a client asked me the other day. So I sent him to Tom
Laga.

If you write your own copy, content, books, or info products,
you might feel more comfortable having a professional editor
take a look at it. With over 30 years of experience, freelance
editor Tom Laga can turn your drafts into clear, correct copy in
conversational English. E-mail him at: drlaga@comcast.net.

———————————————————————-

***Get Target stores to carry your products***

Selling your products in large retail outlets may seem like an
impossible dream. But it’s not as hard as you might think.

In her Special Report, “Skyrocket Your Sales by Getting Your
Product in Target,” Margie Zable Fisher shows you, step-by-step,
how to sell your products to Target. That can give your sales a
real boost, considering that the initial order for Target stores
is often 9,000 products or more. For more information or to
order, click here:

http://www.profcs.com/app/?Clk=2835996
www.bly.com/target

———————————————————————-

***Make your shopping cart make more sales for you***

Dave Hamilton, known as the “Web Marketing Magician,” advises
Internet marketers to use free offers – but not in the way you
may be doing it now.

“You may be giving away a product right now, as a carrot to
encourage people to opt in to your email list, or to promote the
services you offer,” says Dave, “but is this the most effective
use of free? You may be surprised!” Get the full story here:

http://tinyurl.com/bdylt9

———————————————————————-

***Get featured in my next book***

For a new book I am writing, I am looking for samples of
successful lead-generating sales letters (print only). If you
have one you’d like to share, please e-mail it to me at
rwbly@bly.com – and thanks!

———————————————————————-

***The skinny on selling***

In selling, the big money makers take matters into their own
hands. They don’t sit around waiting for the next sale to walk
through the door. And they know a major mistake salespeople make
is delaying or neglecting their own ongoing sales education.

That’s why I am recommending an excellent sales advice book
written by 50 leading experts, including yours truly. It costs a
whopping 25 bucks, so the publisher has thrown in $3,000 in
complimentary sales tools. Details here:

http://www.salesdog.com/Gifts.asp?Affiliate_ID=1119
www.bly.com/tdss

———————————————————————-

***Learn PR from a master***

Paul Hartunian became famous in the PR world as “the man who
sold the Brooklyn Bridge.” He sold slivers of wood from
discarded scrap lumber taken from the Brooklyn Bridge walkway
solely through PR, including being featured on the Tonight Show.
For a free trial subscription to his excellent PR newsletter,
click here now:

http://www.7dollartrial.com

———————————————————————-

***Increase organic search traffic with title tags***

The way you write the “title tag” (html code for the page title
in your meta tags) can have a big impact on search engine
rakings for that page.

A few tips on writing title tags for your web pages:

>>Use key words at the beginning of the title tag.

>>Minimize the number of non-key-words in the title tag.

>>The text used in internal links from other pages in your site
should match the title tag (e.g., if the title tag is “vacuum
pumps,” the hyperlink should read something like “we also carry
a full line of vacuum pumps”).

Source: Strategic Profits Internet marketing conference, 2/7/07,
Boca Raton, FL.

———————————————————————-

***How to double your freelance writing fees***

In his latest how-to guide, “Pricing Your Writing Services,”
Steve Slaunwhite reveals a simple 5-step system for quoting the
top rates for your writing services and persuading clients to
say yes.

In it, you’ll discover: what to charge for more than 100
different writing projects … exactly what to say when a client
says, “Your price is too high” … a 3-step follow-up technique
that doubles your chances of winning the work … ready-made
quotation forms … follow-up scripts … and more:

http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/?Clk=2391752
www.bly.com/pricingmanual

———————————————————————-

***Make money writing resumes in your spare time***

Whether you’re just looking for some extra spare-time cash, or
are looking for a new career, writing resumes for pay may be
just the ticket for you.

AWAI’s Pro Resume Writer Program gives you everything you need
to start and run a successful spare-time resume service. And for
the next 48 hours, they are practically giving the program away
for only $48:

http://www.myresumebiz.com/bly/learnmore

———————————————————————-

***Real-world Internet marketing taught by seasoned pros***

The oldest Internet marketing seminar and one of the best!
System Seminar founder Ken McCarthy celebrates 15 years of
teaching online marketing including executives from Google,
Google certified instructors, and top experts in SEO,
pay-per-click, copywriting, info marketing. In short, everything
you need to start and grow an Internet marketing business –
from people who are doing it.

http://www.thesystemseminar.com/265-1.html

———————————————————————-

***Free writing success tips from Gordon Burgett***

My long-time colleague Gordon Burgett has developed a proven
process for turning your writing and speaking into an
“information empire.” His information-empire-building methods
can help you reach thousands more readers and make a lot more
money. And now you can learn his techniques in Gordon’s free
online newsletter. Click here to learn more or get a free
subscription:

www.gordonburgett.com/portal2nl.htm

———————————————————————-

***Sick and tired of your job or your life? Then change it!***

In his 40s, professional stand-up comic Peter Fogel reinvented
himself to become a successful copywriter and information
marketer.

If you are thinking of making a major mid-life change, I highly
recommend Peter’s new book, “If Not Now… Then When? Stories
and Strategies of People Over 40 Who Have Successfully
Reinvented Themselves.” Check out the video book trailer (an
interesting marketing technique) here:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=1Hhs6dNtvGo

———————————————————————-

***Why you should join the new AABPE today***

Jim Straw, an entrepreneur for over 50 yrs, came up with an
ingenious idea. The idea for the American Association of
Business People & Entrepreneurs came to Jim late one night in
the first week of November, 2008, when he saw a TV commercial
for the AARP. He asked himself, “Why isn’t there an
organization like that for Business People?” After thinking
about it for a couple days, the idea for, and concept of, such
an organization began forming and Jim began writing notes to
himself regarding the formation of such an organization.

The basis of this organization, which is patterned after the
AARP, which acts much like an American purchasing cartel … the
AABPE will offer the same kinds of products/services only
directed toward Business People & Entrepreneurs. For more
information or to join, visit:

https://paydotcom.com/r/78947/BobBly/22320040/
www.bly.com/aabpe

———————————————————————-

***Dr. Gary North can save you $180 an hour***

My colleague Gary North is a true renaissance man: an author,
economist, investment guru, direct marketing expert, and
political analyst blessed with more brains and common sense than
any man should have a right to possess.

Let Gary help you save money on stuff you really will buy (or
should), plus increase your productivity with free or dirt-cheap
digital tools, and find ways to make extra walking-around money.
Subscribe to Gary North’s free “Tip of the Week” e-letter:

www.garynorth.com

———————————————————————-

***Give a great talk***

My new book, “Persuasive Presentations for Business,” went to #1
in the business nonfiction category on Amazon. Mark Amtower
recently interviewed me about the topic of becoming a better
speaker, and you can hear our discussion – and my presentation
tips – here:

http://www.federaldirect.net/blyinterview.html

———————————————————————-

***Quotation of the month***

“Writing is my business. I am in the profession of producing
verbal objects that I place on sale to the highest bidder. I
chose from the outset to make writing my sole means of support,
so I have always worked hard, produced my verbal objects at a
steady pace, and taken care to be paid, and well, for my labor.”
–Robert Silverberg

Source: “The Collected Stories of Robert Silverberg: Volume I”
(Bantam, 1992), p. xiii.

———————————————————————-

***60-second commercial from Fern Dickey, Project Manager***

Bob is available on a limited basis for copywriting of direct
mail packages, sales letters, brochures, white papers, ads,
e-mail marketing campaigns, PR materials, and Web pages. We
recommend you call for a FREE copy of our updated Copywriting
Information Kit. Just let me know your industry and the type of
copy you’re interested in seeing (ads, mailings, etc.) and if
Bob is available to take your assignment, we’ll tailor a package
of recent samples to fit your requirements. Call Fern Dickey at
201-797-8105 or e-mail fern@bly.com.

———————————————————————-

———————————————————————-

Bob Bly’s Direct Response Letter:
Resources, ideas, and tips for improving response to
business-to-business, high-tech, and direct
marketing.

February, 2009

———————————————————————-

You are getting this e-mail because you subscribed to it on
www.bly.com or because you are one of Bob’s clients, prospects,
seminar attendees, or book buyers. If you would prefer not to
receive further e-mails of this type, go to the bottom of this
message and click on “SafeUnsubscribe.”

Your subscription brings you one regular monthly issue, usually
at the beginning of the month, plus one or two supplementary
messages each week. These are typically either free tips or
personal recommendations for information products on marketing
or related topics. I review products before recommending them
and in many cases know the authors.

We do not rent or share your name with anybody. Feel free to
forward this issue to any peers, friends and associates you
think would benefit from its contents. They will thank you. So
will I.

———————————————————————-

Sig Rosenblum Was My First Copywriting Mentor. Now He Can Be
Yours Too:
www.sigsmarketingsecrets.com

———————————————————————-

***Which products are easiest to sell online?***

According to Internet entrepreneurs Brock Felt and Buck Rizvi,
products sold online can be divided into four categories:

1 – Products that alleviate the prospect’s pain.

2 – Products that solve a problem.

3 – Products that give or enable pleasure.

4 – Products that prevent a problem or condition.

Of these, #1 and #2 are the easiest to sell, because people feel
an urgent need to solve the problem or get rid of the pain.

Pleasure is desirable but its attainment is less urgent, making
products in category #3 more difficult to sell.

Products in category #4 are the most difficult to sell –
because, as health marketers have long known, people will buy
cure but not prevention.

Source: ETR Internet Marketing Conference 2008.

———————————————————————-

***Sales secrets of the mail order masters***

If you’ve ever wondered where thousands of small and midsize
direct marketers connect to find new opportunities to build
their business, it’s at the National Mail Order Association
(NMOA).

After 36 years, their member network has grown worldwide,
including new networking groups starting in each state. If you
would like to be part of this professional network, and you
should if you’re tied into direct marketing somehow, you can
register to receive their e-news at no charge.

Each week they cover new products to sell, expert advice
articles, headline news in direct marketing, and new
opportunities for businesses. Click here now for a free
subscription:

http://www.nmoa.org/freestuff.aspx

———————————————————————-

***7 simple steps to reducing your stress***

1—Get up 15 minutes earlier.

2—Prepare for your day the night before.

3—Write things down – don’t rely on memory alone.

4—Say “no” more often.

5—Always make copies of important papers.

6—Break large jobs into bite-size tasks.

7—Ask for help with jobs you dislike doing.

Source: Words from Woody, Winter 2009, p. 6

———————————————————————-

***Free training video on how to craft your “elevator pitch”

An “elevator pitch” is a 60-second introduction to who you are,
what you do, and why others might be interested that you give to
strangers in networking and social situations – like riding up
in an elevator together.

Taught to me by my friend, sales trainer Paul Karasik, the
3-step elevator pitch formula is a unique, no-pressure way of
actually getting the other person interested in learning more
about what you do – while eliminating the discomfort of talking
to strangers.

To see a short video in which I explain and demonstrate the
technique to you, click on the link below, scroll down a bit to
see my image, and click on my picture to play the video.

It’s free. And you can watch as many times as you need to get
the technique down:

www.zeropressureselling.com

———————————————————————-

***How to get high-paying speaking gigs***

To make money as a professional speaker, you have to convince
meeting planners to hire you.

According to top speaker Jeff Davidson, today’s meeting planners
are looking for speakers who:

1–Make the meeting planner’s job easier and more enjoyable.

2–Research the audience in advance through interviews.

3–Offer subject matter that directly coincides with audience
needs.

4–Are lively and compelling presenters who engage the audience
the whole way through.

5–Offer value-added services such as posting handouts on a blog
or website, making follow-up calls, or other bonus items or
information.

Source: www.openingkeynote.com

———————————————————————-

***Stock photos for your ads and web sites at no cost***

Most stock photo houses charge $100 to $500 and up for one-time
usage of images.

At sxc.hu, you can get quality photography to use however you
wish – in web sites, to illustrate publications, in ads and
brochures – 100% royalty-free.

Click below to view their vast selection:

www.sxc.hu

———————————————————————-

***Why clients leave you***

According to RainToday.com’s new report and survey “How Clients
Buy,” the most commonly experienced problems clients have with
their service providers is that the vendor:

>> Did not listen to them – 38%.
>> Did not understand their needs – 30%.
>> Did not respond to requests and correspondence in a timely
manner – 30%.

The report found that if you simply listen more closely to what
your clients are asking, 96% of them will be “much more likely”
or “somewhat more likely” to consider continuing to work with
you.

Source: www.raintoday.com

———————————————————————-

***Michael Masterson’s secret to powerful writing***

In a recent AWAI tele-seminar I conducted with Michael
Masterson, he revealed how you can improve your writing by using
the “power of one.”

That means you can make your article or promotion stronger by
focusing it on:

>> One big idea.
>> One appropriate emotion.
>> One purpose.
>>One audience.

The more ideas, emotions, objectives, and different types of
readers you try to cover and reach out to in your copy, the more
watered down and weaker it becomes.

Source: Tele-seminar presented 1/8/08.

———————————————————————-

***Harness the power of one good idea***

Krista Jones and Monica Day over at The Copy Protégé sent me a
review copy of their terrific new e-book on handling information
overload, “Finding the World’s Best Ideas: How to Access More
Than $100,000 Worth of Intelligence for as Little as 55 Cents a
Day.”

In just 75 tightly written, easy-reading pages, the book tells
you how to manage all the messages competing for your attention,
make sense of the massive data flow assaulting you daily, and
sort through all the noise to find the few great ideas hidden in
all that information for products, copy, marketing, and other
areas of your business.

Speaking of information overload, my readers send me way too
many e-books to review, but this one is well worth reading. For
more information, click here:

http://www.copyprotege.com/cart/cmd.php?Clk=2674788

———————————————————————-

***Quotation of the month***

“Great writing is good thinking expressed as cleanly as
possible.”
–Michael Masterson

Source: AWAI 2008 Bootcamp.

———————————————————————-

***60-second commercial from Fern Dickey, Project Manager***

Bob is available on a limited basis for copywriting of direct
mail packages, sales letters, brochures, white papers, ads,
e-mail marketing campaigns, PR materials, and Web pages. We
recommend you call for a FREE copy of our updated Copywriting
Information Kit. Just let me know your industry and the type of
copy you’re interested in seeing (ads, mailings, etc.) and if
Bob is available to take your assignment, we’ll tailor a package
of recent samples to fit your requirements. Call Fern Dickey at
201-797-8105 or e-mail fern@bly.com.

———————————————————————-

——————————————————————-

Bob Bly’s Direct Response Letter:
Resources, ideas, and tips for improving response to
business-to-business, high-tech, and direct
marketing.

January 2009

——————————————————————-

You are getting this e-mail because you subscribed to it on
www.bly.com or because you are one of Bob’s clients, prospects,
seminar attendees, or book buyers. If you would prefer not to
receive further e-mails of this type, go to the bottom of this
message and click on “SafeUnsubscribe.”

Your subscription brings you one regular monthly issue, usually
at the beginning of the month, plus one or two supplementary
messages each week. These are typically either free tips or
personal recommendations for information products on marketing
or related topics. I review products before recommending them
and in many cases know the authors.

We do not rent or share your name with anybody. Feel free to
forward this issue to any peers, friends and associates you
think would benefit from its contents. They will thank you. So
will I.

——————————————————————-

Discover my “Uncle Milt’s” Lost Marketing Secrets:
www.miltsmarketingsecrets.com

——————————————————————-

***3 ways to flourish in a recession***

Consultant Dr. David Weiman offers these 3 suggestions for
keeping your business booming during the current financial
crisis:

** Reduce your daily news intake … if the headlines make you
anxious or depressed, spend less time reading or watching the
news.

** Focus on what you can control … these are things you can
actually do something about.

** Take action … your own efforts, correctly focused, can lead
to success even in the worst circumstances.

Source: The Weiman Consulting Letter, www.weimanconsulting.com

——————————————————————-

***Your 2009 marketing plan is ready***

No 2009 marketing plan for your business? No problem. That
doesn’t have to hold you back in 2009. Ilise Benun at Marketing
Mentor has already created your complete step-by-step marketing
plan to guide you through the entire year!

You’ll be amazed by what can happen in just 12 months when you
put the “new, improved” “2009 Grow Your Business Marketing Plan
+ Calendar” to work. You’ll know exactly what to do every day.

As a result, your pipeline will be full … you’ll get new clients
… make more money … gain control of your business … and master
valuable marketing strategies that can benefit your business for
years to come. For more information or to order, click here now:

http://www.profcs.com/app/?Clk=2778468

——————————————————————-

***Where to find my information products***

I am often asked, “Bob, where can I find a listing of all the
information products you publish?”

We’ve created a new site and home page for my little online
publishing company, CTC Publishing, so you can find all of our
information products at one location online.

Take a look at:

www.ctcpublishing.net

——————————————————————-

***Make money writing white papers***

I love writing white papers. There’s no hard sell. No
over-the-top marketing hype. Just solid, useful content written
in a clear and engaging style. And the pay ain’t bad: up to
$5,000 or more per assignment.

Now you too can make money writing white papers for your
copywriting clients. At the White Paper Success Summit 2009,
Michael Stelzner … Roger C. Parker … yours truly … and others
show you everything you need to know to make money writing white
papers!

No travel required. This online summit allows you to attend
sessions, meet the experts and network with peers, all from the
comfort of your home or office.

For more information … or to qualify for a $200 “early bird”
savings … and get a free bonus report (value: $39), “Making Your
White Paper Stand Out From the Crowd: Best Practices for
Creating White Papers” … just click below now:

http://www.whitepapersummit.com/bb/

——————————————————————-

***Best length for search-optimized Web pages***

The figure of 300 words is often cited as the optimum length
for Web pages.

SEO guru John Phelps says while there is no “magic number,” Web
pages can be anywhere from 500 to as long as 1,500 words.

Web pages longer than 1,500 words should be divided – to best
serve the reader and the search engines – into two or more
shorter pages by topic.

Source: ETR Internet Marketing Conference 2008.

——————————————————————-

***Free monthly marketing tip from Jay Siff***

Jay Siff is a master direct marketer who is outrageously
successful but keeps a low profile.

Once a month, Jay sends out a very short, but powerful,
marketing tip designed for retail and service businesses – and I
always profit from them.

To get Jay’s free monthly marketing tips, click on the link
below:

http://www.loyalrewards.com/jaysmarketingtip.php

——————————————————————-

***3 problems with your copy you absolutely must fix***

Copywriter Mike Palmer developed the CUB (confusing,
unbelievable, boring) formula for reviewing and rewriting copy.

The CUB formula says when reviewing copy, circle with a pencil
any text that is:

>> Confusing … and then rewrite to make it clearer.

>> Unbelievable … here the solution is to add more facts that
prove your claim.

>> Boring … sharpen, shorten, or reposition any sections that
cause you to lose interest while reading.

Source: AWAI 2008 Bootcamp.

——————————————————————-

***A great online newsletter and special report for copywriters
– yours free***

Monica Day and Krista Jones showed up on the copywriting scene
just 6 years ago – eager and determined beginners. Today, I
consider them colleagues and admire the fast climb they each
made — in their own ways – to success in this field.

Since then, they can count some of the top direct marketers in
the industry as clients — names like Nightingale-Conant and Agora
Publishing – and they each cracked the six-figure income mark
after just two years on the scene.

Of course, other beginners wanted to know how they did it. Heck,
even veterans like me were curious. So they started their
e-letter, The Copy Protégé – and they really tell all, starting
with the free report they give out immediately when you
subscribe – “From Day One to Six Figures: Frequently Asked
Questions about Becoming a Professional Copywriter.”

To subscribe and download your free special report, click below
now:

www.copyprotege.com

——————————————————————-

***The Silver Rules of business success***

From Internet marketing pioneer Yanik Silver come these 3
“Silver Rules” of business success:

>> Focus most of your time on your core strengths and less time
working in areas in which you are weak.

>> Get paid before you deliver your product or service – and when
possible figure how to create recurring revenue from
transactions.

>> Bootstrap – start your business on a shoestring. Reason:
having too much capital leads to incredible waste and doing
things using conventional means.

www.yaniksilver.com

——————————————————————-

***Know the FDA’s rules for dietary supplement advertising***

If you’re a marketer or copywriter, it’s easy to get lost in the
confusing maze of federal regulations controlling the selling of
natural health products.

And now, advertising and marketing agency copywriters are
legally responsible for “illegal” marketing language used to
promote natural products.

Finally, a training manual is available that explains the
complicated, convoluted laws regulating natural products
marketing. This book may save your company — and your future.

“What Can You Say, When You Can’t Say Anything? How to Avoid FDA
Red Flag Claims and Sell Your Natural Products Legally” can help
you understand what the FDA says you can (and cannot) say in
your copy – showing you how to successfully and legally market
natural products.

Learn about this landmark reference manual at:

http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/?af=864529

——————————————————————-

***Make Web page headlines really pop***

Copywriter Joe Robson gives these tips, all of which I agree
with, for making the headlines on your landing pages stand out:

>> Put the headline in larger type – at least 2X the type size
of the body copy.

>> To emphasize words or phrases within the headline, put them
in red (the other letters in black).

>> Use initial caps in the words within your headline.

>> Put the headline in quotations marks, which draws the
reader’s eyes to it.

Source: Joe Robson, Copywriter Digest Newsletter, 12/12/08.

——————————————————————-

***My favorite online list-building strategy***

In traditional marketing, a “loss leader” is a product you sell
at cost or at a loss to get new customers.

I’ve adapted this strategy to the Internet, and the first time I
used it, I added 946 new customers to my e-list, at zero
marketing cost, within one week.

What’s really great about the Loss Leader Strategy is that very
few people know about it and almost no one is using it online,
so it’s still relatively fresh and new.

To get my new Special Report on “The Internet Loss Leader
Strategy,” just click below now; you won’t be required to give
me your e-mail address or any other information about yourself:

http://theinternetlossleaderstrategy.com/LossLeaders_Final.pdf

——————————————————————-

***Quotation of the month***

“Consistently and constantly force yourself to focus on the
critically few proactive activities that produce exponential
results. Don’t get caught up in minutia and B.S.”
–Yanik Silver

——————————————————————-

***60-second commercial from Fern Dickey, Project Manager***

Bob is available on a limited basis for copywriting of direct
mail packages, sales letters, brochures, white papers, ads,
e-mail marketing campaigns, PR materials, and Web pages. We
recommend you call for a FREE copy of our updated Copywriting
Information Kit. Just let me know your industry and the type of
copy you’re interested in seeing (ads, mailings, etc.) and if
Bob is available to take your assignment, we’ll tailor a package
of recent samples to fit your requirements. Call Fern Dickey at
201-797-8105 or e-mail fern@bly.com.

——————————————————————-

——————————————————————

Bob Bly’s Direct Response Letter:
Resources, ideas, and tips for improving response to
business-to-business, high-tech, and direct
marketing.

December, 2008

——————————————————————

You are getting this e-mail because you subscribed to it on
www.bly.com or because you are one of Bob’s clients, prospects,
seminar attendees, or book buyers. If you would prefer not to
receive further e-mails of this type, go to the bottom of this
message and click on “SafeUnsubscribe.”

Your subscription brings you one regular monthly issue, usually
at the beginning of the month, plus one or two supplementary
messages each week. These are typically either free tips or
personal recommendations for information products on marketing
or related topics. I review products before recommending them
and in many cases know the authors.

We do not rent or share your name with anybody. Feel free to
forward this issue to any peers, friends and associates you
think would benefit from its contents. They will thank you. So
will I.

——————————————————————

“21 Rules for Freelance Copywriting Success” - Read Them At No Cost on My Blog Now:

http://bly.com/blog/

——————————————————————

***The optimum running time for online videos***

In my October issue, I quoted Marc Harty of StrategicTraffic.com
who said online videos should run 2 minutes or less.

But in an interview with DM News, Alan Feldenkris of Brand New
World gives a contrary view.

“The length of your online video doesn’t matter, as long as it
is interesting,” says Feldenkris. “You should not limit a
compelling story because of length.”

To find out more about how you can increases web site
performance by posting videos online, click below now:

www.addvideo2yoursite.com

Source: DM News, 10/20/08, p. 27.

——————————————————————

***Don Hauptman’s freelance writing wisdom***

When I got started in freelance copywriting in the early 1980s,
I met and became friends with Don Hauptman, who was already one
of the most in-demand and highest paid direct response
copywriters in the country.

Now in his new e-book “The Versatile Freelancer,” Don shares
with you the tips and techniques he learned in 40 years of
freelancing on how to make more money as an independent writer.

This is a terrific, risk-free, proven resource to boost your
income and reap many other benefits.

For more information or to order, click here now:

www.awaionline.com/bly/versatilefreelancer

——————————————————————

***Online marketing with Craig’s List***

Here’s an online marketing method I haven’t tried yet. But it
sounds promising: generating traffic using Craig’s List. The
report, at $7, is inexpensive and the instructions in it are
very simple and clearly illustrated:

www.craigslisttraffic.com

——————————————————————

***The continuing saga of whacky spacky***

I keep recommending the free keyword research tool spacky.com,
and when my readers use the tool, it glitches on them.

Current status: try www.spacky.com for your keyword research,
but don’t be surprised if results for certain terms don’t come
up.

www.spacky.com

——————————————————————

***Cell phone tip for speakers***

You’d think it would go without saying, but just last month, I
was at an Internet marketing conference where, in the middle of
his talk, a speaker’s cell phone rang.

Amazingly, he reached into his pocket and answered it.

This is incredibly rude and disrespectful to the audience.

When you speak, turn off cell phones, Blackberries, and all
other electronic communications devices.

Better yet, leave them in your hotel room or briefcase. Don’t
take them onstage.

For more ways to improve your talks and speeches, see my book
“Persuasive Presentations for Business.”

Published by Entrepreneur Press, it was an Amazon #2 nonfiction
best-seller in October.

For more information or to order, click here:

http://tinyurl.com/64vexx

——————————————————————

***New SEO copywriting guide***

“Content Rich: Writing Your Way to Wealth on the Web” is a
useful and easy-to-understand guide to search engine
optimization (SEO) copywriting. I especially recommend it if SEO
copywriting is new to you.

The book also gives you new ways of looking at online content
and shows how to leverage the combined power of all types of web
copy — including site, landing page, blog, article, e-mail,
newsletter, PPC ads, and press releases — to give your business
a clear competitive advantage. For more information or to order,
click here:

www.customcopywriting.com/products.htm

——————————————————————

***Tips for tele-seminar presenters***

If you are a moderator or guest on a tele-seminar:

>> Make sure you are in a quiet place where background noise is
at a minimum.

>> Use a regular landline telephone handset. They normally have
god quality microphones — unlike headsets, which have poor
quality mikes.

>> Don’t multi-task during your presentation. Focus 100% on the
tele-seminar. Don’t read your e-mail or correspondence at the
same time you are on a tele-seminar discussion.

>> Turn air conditioners and heaters to their lowest setting so
the background noise does not interfere. Unplug fax machines and
turn off phone ringers.

>> If it’s a webcast, log in early to make sure you don’t have
last-minute problems logging on as a speaker or moderator. Test
the system the day before.

>> Hang a sign on your office door that says: “Teleconference in
progress – do not disturb.”

Source: N24, www.on24.com

——————————————————————

***Help, My Business Sucks!***

Andrew Lock has a terrifically entertaining Internet TV show
created to help entrepreneurs get more done and have more fun.

The weekly show “Help My Business Sucks!” provides lots of
practical marketing tips, lessons from well-known brands, and a
humorous take on what marketers are doing right and wrong.

It’s fast-paced and entertaining — unlike so many of the
business videos I see posted online today. Andrew really knows
marketing. And, best of all, you can watch “Help My Business
Sucks!” online for free. For more information visit:

www.HelpMyBusiness.com

——————————————————————

***Marketing Secrets from the “Six Billion Dollar Man”***

There are lots of self-proclaimed “marketing gurus out” there –
but only a handful with the track record to back up their claim.

Ted Nicholas is one of that handful, having generated – in a
career spanning more than five decades – nearly $6 billion in
sales.

It’s for that reason … and the fact that Ted is also a terrific
writer and teacher of marketing … that I give his new book
“Billion Dollar Marketing Secrets” my highest recommendation.

Packed with in-depth wisdom and up-to-the-minute winning
strategies and tactics for online and offline, “Billion Dollar
Marketing Secrets” is simply a must-read for every practitioner
and student of marketing.

For more information or to order, click here now:

www.tednicholas.com/bdms2.html

——————————————————————

***Graphic design on a shoestring***

Need great graphic design for online or offline marketing but
can’t afford to pay top dollar. On 99designs.com, you can post
your job online and get graphic designers to do it for you for
free!

That’s right. These graphic artists, for whatever reason, will
literally do the entire job for free and submit it for your
review. You pay a small fee only to the designer whose work you
want to use. You don’t owe the others a dime. If none suits you,
you owe nothing.

Take a look at this incredibly low-cost online resource for
graphic design here:

http://99designs.com

——————————————————————

***Break into writing for the movies***

Whether you are new or a seasoned writer or filmmaker, learn
hands-on how to write, direct, produce, and distribute your own
film.

YouScreenWriter.com is the World’s first fully integrated writer
and filmmaker self-service applications that cover: story idea,
script, film shoot, and self-promotion all online. All you need
is YouScreenWriter, a Web browser, a video cam, a few friends,
and a place to shoot. Click here to get started:

www.YouScreenWriter.com

——————————————————————

***Quotation of the month***

“Disappointments and discouragement await us authors at every
turn. Someone is always ready and willing to tell us how our
books could have been done better. Someone is always close at
hand to point out how we failed. Our self-esteem is closely tied
to our writing, and someone is always ready to step on it.”
–Terry Brooks

Source: Brooks, Terry, “Sometimes the Magic Works” (Ballantine
Books, 2005), p. 37.

——————————————————————

***60-second commercial from Fern Dickey, Project Manager***

Bob is available on a limited basis for copywriting of direct
mail packages, sales letters, brochures, white papers, ads,
e-mail marketing campaigns, PR materials, and Web pages. We
recommend you call for a FREE copy of our updated Copywriting
Information Kit. Just let me know your industry and the type of
copy you’re interested in seeing (ads, mailings, etc.) and if
Bob is available to take your assignment, we’ll tailor a package
of recent samples to fit your requirements. Call Fern Dickey at
201-797-8105 or e-mail fern@bly.com.

——————————————————————

——————————————————————

Bob Bly’s Direct Response Letter:
Resources, ideas, and tips for improving response to
business-to-business, high-tech, and direct
marketing.

November, 2008

——————————————————————-

You are getting this e-mail because you subscribed to it on
www.bly.com or because you are one of Bob’s clients, prospects,
seminar attendees, or book buyers. If you would prefer not to
receive further e-mails of this type, go to the bottom of this
message and click on “SafeUnsubscribe.”

Your subscription brings you one regular monthly issue, usually
at the beginning of the month, plus one or two supplementary
messages each week. These are typically either free tips or
personal recommendations for information products on marketing
or related topics. I review products before recommending them
and in many cases know the authors.

We do not rent or share your name with anybody. Feel free to
forward this issue to any peers, friends and associates you
think would benefit from its contents. They will thank you. So
will I.

——————————————————————-

Almost everything I know about writing sales letters
I learned from Sig Rosenblum – and now, you can too:
http://www.sigsmarketingsecrets.com/

——————————————————————-

***Dan Kennedy’s recession-fighting business strategies***

Here are 3 great ideas for keeping your business healthy during
a recession:

1—Redirect your efforts at better, more likely buyers – those
least and last affected by the recession.

2—Quickly modify, repackage, retitle, and rearticulate what you
are offering to harmonize with the dominant desires, fears, and
beliefs of the times.

3—Work harder – certainly more diligently – to optimize the
value of every lead and every customer you get your hands on.

Source: Dan Kennedy e-mail, 10/14/08.

——————————————————————-

***Creating irresistible offers***

On November 5, I’ll be giving a Webinar on “7 Secrets to
Creating Irresistible Offers” with Ethan Boldt, Editor of Inside
Direct Mail. Among the topics we’ll cover:

>> Offers that can increase response rates as much as tenfold.
>> How to double your response rates with premiums.
>> Does “FREE” still work? The answer may surprise you.
>> Where to place your offer copy within your promotion.
>> Graphic design techniques that make your offer stand out.
>> And more….

For more information or to register, click below now:

http://w.on24.com/r.htm?e=103891&s=1&k=D655CDA50D3724B9545823F6DB51BAFA&partnerref=BB
http://tinyurl.com/567oyz

——————————————————————-

***What’s Ray Romano reading now?***

It’s my friend and fellow copywriter Peter Fogel’s book, “If
Not Now… Then When? Stories and Strategies of People Over 40
Who Have Successfully Reinvented Themselves”

Peter was a successful night club comedian who left show
business and reinvented himself into an in-demand
freelance copywriter.

His book tells his story as well as 14 other people who took a
leap of faith and transformed themselves into new careers.

A timely book for anyone going through challenging economic
times… this “self indulgent” help book will not only inspire,
but delivers you loads of common sense wisdom PLUS lots of
humor. (I also contributed a chapter to it)

Order Peter’s book today and receive over $1,800 worth of FREE
bonuses that can make you healthier, wealthier and wiser. For
more info and to learn why Ray Romano loves this book go to:

http://www.reinventyourselfnow.com/oct-bonuses.htm

——————————————————————-

***Meet me this month at AWAI’s 2008 Bootcamp***

I’ll be speaking on “Why Internet Information Marketing Should
be Every Copywriter’s Second Business” … and doing some
additional presentations and small group coaching … at the AWAI
Annual Bootcamp in Delray Beach, FL on November 12-14.

For details or to register, click below now:

http://www.awaionline.com/bly/awaibootcamp/

——————————————————————-

***How I distribute this e-newsletter to you***

I use Constant Contact. They offer e-mail marketing and online
survey services for small business and organizations. But, you
don’t have to be a customer to benefit from their expertise;
anyone can subscribe to their free “Hints & Tips” e-newsletter
on e-mail marketing.

“Hints & Tips” gives you practical, how-to advice on how to
build your e-list, write a compelling subject line, create a
well-designed HTML e-mail, and more. Plus, you’ll get invites to
free online seminars and compelling success stories of companies
who are getting great results. To subscribe, click below now:

http://www.constantcontact.com/learning-center/hints-tips/index.jsp

——————————————————————-

***Which price pulled best?***

Do customers always want the lowest price? Not always, it seems.

A software company selling to both consumers and professionals
priced their software at $79 per seat, which they thought would
appeal to both segments.

But it appealed to neither: consumers found it too high, and it
communicated “not a serious tool” to professionals.

Solution: Focus on the professional market and raise the price
to $129. When the company did so, sales soared.

Lesson: despite your intuition to the contrary, the best price
is often not the lowest price.

Source: Brown, Dennis, “10 Common Pricing Mistakes,” Atenga, p.
3.

——————————————————————-

***Be my guest at the Biz Owner Virtual Super Conference***

I’ll be speaking this month at Wendy Weiss’s Business Owner
Super Conference. It’s virtual. So there’s no travel involved.

You are invited to attend this virtual conference at no cost as
my guest. It runs through November 20th. When you register
you’ll receive an e-mail with the details about when to call in
for each presentation from wherever you are.

To see a list of all the speakers and the topics they’ll be
covering or to register, click here now:

http://www.profcs.com/app/?af=846967

——————————————————————-

***10 words to close any sale***

Next time you are dealing with a sale that seems stalled for a
reason you can’t figure out, ask the prospect this simple
10-word question:

“What can I do to make this work for you?”

Why it works: This simple question eliminates the futile
exercise of you trying to figure out what you need to do or say
to get the order.

Instead, it gets the prospects to tell you exactly what he needs
to hear or get to be convinced to buy.

Source: Charles, Marc, “10 Words to Close Any Sale,” Early to
Rise, 10/1/08.

——————————————————————-

***4 steps to converting more Web site visitors into
customers***

In his new e-book, “CLIC Website Sales Leads System,” copywriter
Gerry Black outlines a sensible 4-step process for writing web
site copy that increases sales, revenues, and profits.

I especially like the bonus sections on SEO copywriting and
using article marketing to generate more site traffic. For more
information, click here now:

www.gerryblackcopywriter.com

——————————————————————-

***Spacky went whacky!***

In last month’s issue, when I wrote about the new free tool for
researching key words and phrases – Spacky – a number of you
complained that it didn’t work.

We wrote the folks at Spacky. They assured me it was a glitch
that was quickly resolved. So I urge you to try Spacky now.

Just type in your key word. In seconds, Spacky tells you the
number of searches performed on that key word – Google,
Yahoo/Overture, and Microsoft Network.

It’s a great way to tell which of several key words you want to
bid on or optimize your site for is actually the one getting the
most activity. And, it’s free:

www.spacky.com

——————————————————————-

***The best of marketing and time management guru Jeff Davidson
– on sale now!***

My long-time friend, professional speaker and
mega-prolific-author Jeff Davidson, is offering an unprecedented
learning resources package for my subscribers.

Only $157 gets you $314 of Jeff’s best resources — including his
books Breathing Space, Getting New Clients, Complete Idiot’s
Guide to Managing Your Time, and The 60-Second Organizer.

You also get 10 terrific audio programs including Surviving
Information Overload, Relaxing at High Speed, Blow Your Own
Horn, and Giving Better Presentations. Click here for details or
to order:

www.communicationoverload.com/index.html

——————————————————————-

***Quotation of the month***

“We all learn expository writing, and if we’re ever to become
anything except scholars, we have to forget it almost
completely. There is no formula to real writing that hits home
at the heart of your audience. The best is almost free-form …
it comes in moments of inspiration that we have to capture. A
marketing piece that brings in tens of millions of dollars can
come from an idea jotted down on a napkin, because the idea
captures the core emotional appeal of the product.”
–Don Mahoney

Source: Personal e-mail, 8/10/08.

——————————————————————-

***60-second commercial from Fern Dickey, Project Manager***

Bob is available on a limited basis for copywriting of direct
mail packages, sales letters, brochures, white papers, ads,
e-mail marketing campaigns, PR materials, and Web pages. We
recommend you call for a FREE copy of our updated Copywriting
Information Kit. Just let me know your industry and the type of
copy you’re interested in seeing (ads, mailings, etc.) and if
Bob is available to take your assignment, we’ll tailor a package
of recent samples to fit your requirements. Call Fern Dickey at
201-797-8105 or e-mail fern@bly.com.

——————————————————————-

——————————————————————-

Bob Bly’s Direct Response Letter:
Resources, ideas, and tips for improving response to
business-to-business, high-tech, and direct
marketing.

October, 2008

——————————————————————-

You are getting this e-mail because you subscribed to it on
www.bly.com or because you are one of Bob’s clients, prospects,
seminar attendees, or book buyers. If you would prefer not to
receive further e-mails of this type, go to www.bly.com, enter
your e-mail address, and hit unsubscribe.

Your subscription brings you one regular monthly issue, usually
at the beginning of the month, plus one or two supplementary
messages each week. These are typically either free tips or
personal recommendations for information products on marketing
or related topics. I review products before recommending them
and in many cases know the authors.

We do not rent or share your name with anybody. Feel free to
forward this issue to any peers, friends and associates you
think would benefit from its contents. They will thank you. So
will I.

——————————————————————-

“Lost” Copywriting Secrets of a 20th Century Direct Marketing
Living Legend (Who Taught Me Copywriting at New York University
in 1982):
www.miltsmarketingsecrets.com

——————————————————————-

***How long must your copy be?***

The client asks for a 4-page sales letter … or a 16-page
magalog. But your PC tracks document length by words, not by
pages.

So how many words must you write to fill those pages? Here’s a
rough guideline showing the average word count in a page of a
typical promotion:

** Sales letter – 300 words per page.

** Magalog – 500 words per page plus one or two visuals.

** Digest – 200 words per page.

These are the number of words you can fit per page when the
promotion is laid out by a graphic designer. So if the job is a
16-page magalog, figure about 8,000 words.

——————————————————————-

***Online summit: freelance copywriting success***

Do you want to effortlessly attract more clients, become the
envy of your competitors and earn an executive income as a
no-hype copywriter? The first of its kind, Copywriting Success
Summit 2008 brings Steve Slaunwhite, Michael Stelzner,
Copyblogger’s Brian Clark, yours truly, and other pros together
to share our closely guarded secrets to copywriting success.

No travel required. This online summit allows you to attend
sessions, meet the experts and network with peers, all from the
comfort of your home or office. This event is sure to sell out
quickly. To register or for more information, just click below now:

http://www.copywritingsummit.com/bb

——————————————————————-

***New free keyword discovery tool***

Are people searching the Internet for your key words and
phrases? A new free tool, Spacky, let’s you find out fast.

Just type in your key word. In seconds, Spacky tells you the
number of searches performed on that key word – Google,
Yahoo/Overture, and Microsoft Network.

It’s a great way to tell which of several key words you want to
bid on or optimize your site for is actually the one getting the
most activity.

To use the Spacky keyword research tool free, click here now:

www.spacky.com

——————————————————————-

***Quick and cheap way to distribute press releases***

Can press releases be sent to the media via e-mail instead of
postal mail?

Yes, says Eric Yaverbaum, a NYC-based PR consultant who sends
90% of his press releases directly to editors via e-mail.

Best way to do it: cut and paste the press release into the body
of your e-mail.

Warning: do not send press releases as an attached file unless
the editor gives you permission to do so. Editors won’t open an
attached file from a stranger because of computer virus
concerns.

——————————————————————-

***Bob Bly and Fred Gleeck Live this Month!***

My online marketing partner Fred Gleeck talked me into doing a
2-day live weekend seminar with him in NJ on October 25-26.

With Fred and a few special guests, we’ll be talking about all
of the things I believe you are interested in: copywriting,
freelancing, book writing, Internet marketing, direct response.

By the way, a lot of my subscribers ask for advice or to meet me
or for phone consultation. Since I don’t coach or consult with
people personally, this is a rare opportunity to speak with me
one-on-one – if that’s something that interests you.

For more information … or to register … just click below now:

http://www.InfoProductsSeminar.com

——————————————————————-

***Quick tips for online video***

Can putting a video on your landing page increase conversion?
Yes, but not always. Split-test your landing page with and
without the video to make sure it’s boosting orders.

How long should your online video be? Short, says Marc Harty of
StrategicTraffic.com.

“Make your video 2 minutes or less,” Harty advises. “People
don’t have time to sit longer than that.”

Source: SIPA Hotline, 8/25/08, p. 5.

——————————————————————-

***Billionaire University opens for Fall Semester!***

I had a nice e-mail chat with self-made billionaire entrepreneur
Bill Bartmann a few weeks ago, and I have some exciting news to
report.

Bill has opened his new “Billionaire University” online,
offering dozens of videos and tele-seminars in which he reveals
his entrepreneurial success secrets – secrets that have made him
rich beyond the dreams of avarice.

“The business failure rate in America is 90%,” says Bill. “That
is horrendous! Most fail because they simply did not have the
time or money to learn the basics of running a business. By
making my 40 years of experience available on video/audio – and
offering ALL of it at $100 – no one can say ‘I can’t afford
it.’”

For more information on Billionaire University or to enroll,
click here now:

www.billionaireu.com

——————————————————————-

***Show me the money***

Financial copywriting pro Ben West once told me: “No one pays
attention to a number in copy unless there’s a dollar sign in
front of it.”

A company tested two e-mail subject lines: (a) $50-off coupon
vs. (b) 15%-off coupon (equivalent to a $50 discount).

Results: “$50- off” generated nearly 3X more revenue than
“15%-off” – proving Ben’s point that money talks … and people
pay more attention to numbers when there’s a dollar sign in
front of them.

Source: The Marketing Report, 9/8/08.

——————————————————————-

***AWAI Boot Camp in November***

I’ll be speaking on “Why Internet Information Marketing Should
be Every Copywriter’s Second Business” … and doing some
additional presentations and small group coaching … at the AWAI
Annual Bootcamp in Delray Beach, FL on November 12-14. Click
below for details or to register:

http://www.awaionline.com/bly/awaibootcamp/

——————————————————————-

***Should you offer free shipping?***

Opinions vary, but if you do ship free, here are 3 ways you can
tip the odds of its increasing sales in your favor:

1—Restrict the free shipping & handling offer to higher margin
products or items with low shipping weight and dimensions.

2—Offer free shipping as an affinity program extended to your
best customers.

3—Making shipping free only above a certain minimum threshold
purchase.

Source: eM+C, 10/08, p. 23.

——————————————————————-

***How to write a winning business plan***

Need to write a business plan? Check out the new e-book
“Practical Business Planning” by Behram Dalal. A 40-year veteran
in business consulting, Dalal shows you how to create a dynamic
business plan that blasts past corporate filters, gets funded,
and leads you to greater success. For details or to order, click
here:

http://www.practicalbusinessplanning.com?a_aid=59c78ec5

——————————————————————-

***Recession tips for information marketers***

Buying most information products is a discretionary purchase. So
when the economy is bad, consumers are more resistant to
high-priced info product offers.

Recommendation: right now, while the economy is lousy, devote
more of your marketing to your lower-priced information
products. E-books in the $19 to $59 price range are ideal.

——————————————————————-

***Quotation of the month***

“Today the sight that discourages book people most is to walk
into a public library and see computers where books used to be.
In many cases not even the librarians want the books to be
there. What consumers want now is information, and information
increasingly comes from computers. That is a preference I can’t
grasp, much less share.”
–Larry McMurtry

Source: McMurtry, Larry, “Books: A Memoir” (Simon & Schuster,
2008), p. 221.

——————————————————————-

***60-second commercial from Fern Dickey, Project Manager***

Bob is available on a limited basis for copywriting of direct
mail packages, sales letters, brochures, white papers, ads,
e-mail marketing campaigns, PR materials, and Web pages. We
recommend you call for a FREE copy of our updated Copywriting
Information Kit. Just let me know your industry and the type of
copy you’re interested in seeing (ads, mailings, etc.) and if
Bob is available to take your assignment, we’ll tailor a package
of recent samples to fit your requirements. Call Fern Dickey at
201-797-8105 or e-mail fern@bly.com.

——————————————————————-

——————————————————————-

Bob Bly’s Direct Response Letter:
Resources, ideas, and tips for improving response to
business-to-business, high-tech, and direct
marketing.

September, 2008

——————————————————————-

You are getting this e-mail because you subscribed to it on
www.bly.com or because you are one of Bob’s clients, prospects,
seminar attendees, or book buyers. If you would prefer not to
receive further e-mails of this type, go to the bottom of this
message and click on “SafeUnsubscribe.”

Your subscription brings you one regular monthly issue, usually
at the beginning of the month, plus one or two supplementary
messages each week. These are typically either free tips or
personal recommendations for information products on marketing
or related topics. I review products before recommending them
and in many cases know the authors.

We do not rent or share your name with anybody. Feel free to
forward this issue to any peers, friends and associates you
think would benefit from its contents. They will thank you. So
will I.

——————————————————————-

Get Paid to Read:
www.bookreviewprofits.com

——————————————————————-

*** Meet the world’s greatest living copywriter***

Ross Manly … aka “The Copy God” … is the world’s greatest living
freelance copywriter– earning more than me, Clayton Makepeace,
Gary Bencivenga, David Deutsch, and Harlan Kilstein combined!

www.thecopygod.com

I urge every marketer and copywriter to read Ross’s site
carefully … study his technique … learn from the master – and
download all the freebies he offers:

www.thecopygod.com

And will you do your friends, clients, and colleagues an
enormous favor?

Please forward this e-newsletter with Ross’s web site address
(www.thecopygod.com) to them now — while it is still open in
front of you. They will treasure what they learn from him
forever.

——————————————————————-

***Online summit: freelance copywriting success***

Do you want to effortlessly attract more clients, become the
envy of your competitors and earn an executive income as a
no-hype copywriter? The first its kind, Copywriting Success
Summit 2008 brings Steve Slaunwhite, Michael Stelzner,
Copyblogger’s Brian Clark, yours truly, and other pros together
to share their closely guarded secrets to copywriting success.

No travel required. This online summit allows you to attend
sessions, meet the experts and network with peers, all from the
comfort of your home or office. This event is sure to sell out
quickly.

Learn how to qualify for a $200 savings and free bonus gift.
Just click below now:

www.copywritingsummit.com/bb

——————————————————————-

***A simple rule of thumb for copy length***

When deciding whether you need long copy or short – whether in a
landing page, e-mail, or sales letter – follow this simple rule:
short copy for generating leads, longer copy for generating
orders.

“As a general proposition, an ad in which you are seeking only
inquiries should be short, merely leading the reader down to the
free booklet and the coupon,” writes copywriter Robert Collier,
“whereas an ad in which you are attempting to make the actual
sale should be long enough to tell all about your offer.

“Some authorities will tell you to write only short, crisp ads,
with plenty of white space – others to crowd in every word you
can get. Both are wrong. There is no hard and fast rule as to
how long an ad should be, except that it should be long enough
to tell your story, but short enough to hold your reader’s
interest.”

Source: Collier, Robert, “How to Make Money at Home in Spare
Time by Mail,” p. 154.

——————————————————————-

***New Bob Bly tele-seminar on writing kick-butt landing
pages***

I’ll be the featured expert guest for Progressive Business Audio
Conferences 9/4 tele-seminar, “Skyrocket Conversion Rates with
Landing Pages That Sell.”

Join us and you will learn how I write and design landing pages
that generate conversion rates (for paid product orders, not
leads or free offers), ranging from 4% to 32%.

Including:

>> A “paint by the numbers” template for writing landing pages
that increase your online sales.

>> How to increase your click-through rates (CTR) with “online
freemiums” and “content sidebars.”

>> Find the right balance between content and sales pitch in
your online marketing campaigns.

>> How to instantly establish credibility in your landing page
copy and design.

>> The 7 most important factors affecting conversion rates in
your landing pages.

>> And so much more….

For more information or to register, click here now:

www.pbconferences.com/landpg

——————————————————————-

***Viral marketing on overdrive***

According to David Meerman Scott, author of the “New Rules of
Marketing and PR,” the number of people who download free
content is 50X greater when you ask nothing in exchange for it.

He cites as an example an e-book he offered free, with no
registration required, that has been downloaded 250,000 times.

Therefore, Scott advises you to drive traffic to an “ungated”
landing page (no form to complete and submit before you can
download the content) instead of a “gated” landing page where
they must fill out a form first and submit their e-mail address
before gaining access to your content.

“So many companies create great content and then put a gate on
it and restrict the number of people who read it,” he says.
“It’s sad, really. Yeah, they build 500 people in a list, but
they could have had 10,000 people exposed to their ideas.”

An even better idea: include a strong “bounce back” offer (e.g.,
another valuable free report) in your free viral content and put
it on a gated landing page.

If 10% of the 250,000 people who downloaded Scott’s offer had
registered for such a bounce-back, he would have added 25,000
names to his e-list at zero cost.

——————————————————————-

***Bob Bly and Fred Gleeck Live!***

My online marketing partner Fred Gleeck talked me into doing a
2-day live weekend seminar with him in NJ on October 25-26.

With Fred and a few special guests, we’ll be talking about all
of the things I believe you are interested in: copywriting,
freelancing, book writing, Internet marketing, direct response.

By the way, a lot of my subscribers ask for advice or to meet me
or for phone consultation. Since I don’t coach or consult with
people personally, this is a rare opportunity to speak with me
one-on-one – if that’s something that interests you.

For more information … or to register … just click below now

www.InfoProductsSeminar.com

——————————————————————-

***3 ways to optimize HTML e-mail for image blocking***

If you send HTML e-mail marketing messages, your recipient’s
e-mail reader may be blocking the images. So take these 3 simple
steps to make sure your HTML e-mail message still makes
sense even if the images are stripped away:

1—Add alt tags (descriptors) to images in the e-mail, so when
images are blocked, the recipient can read a description of the
image.

2—Add a “click to view” link on the pre-header text.

3—Minimize images above the fold (in the first screen of the
e-mail).

Source: SIPA Hotline, 7/28/08, p. 3.

——————————————————————-

***Special offer from a “living legend” of mail order
marketing***

One of the living legends in direct marketing is J.F. (Jim)
Straw — Dan Kennedy called Jim “… one of the ‘quiet giants,’
a fellow I’ve watched and learned from since I was in short
pants …”

After making a fortune in mail order, about 10 years ago, Jim
wandered onto the Internet and began making another fortune …
using much the same methods he used in amassing his mail order
fortune.

Based upon his over 30 years of successful experience as a mail
order marketer, Jim wrote … “Own Your Own MAILORDER BUSINESS”
which he sells for $49.95. Then, when he was making a new
fortune on the Internet, Jim wrote … “How You Really Can …
Make Your Internet Fortune As an Affiliate Marketer!” which he
sells for $99.95

Over 15,000 copies of these reports have been sold at those
prices. But, I have just made a deal with Jim that will allow
you to get BOTH of those reports for 50% of their combined
price. I do not think you will be disappointed. But don’t wait
too long. Jim has reserved the right to withdraw or limit this
offer at any time:

https://paydotcom.com/r/44966/BobBly/19478447/

——————————————————————-

***Does your web site URL trigger spam filters?***

“I recently ordered a product online and the merchant’s URL
triggered a spam alert,” a reader writes. “Is there a way to
check if a given domain name or URL link has been blacklisted as
spam?”

Answer: yes. You can use the SpamAssassin software that is built
into Web Marketing Magic — or use the link below:

http://www.rulesemporium.com/cgi-bin/uribl.cgi

——————————————————————-

***”Cold Calling College” is now in session***

For all of you who were interested in “Cold Calling College,”
our apologies, we made a mistake. We sent out the wrong link.

Cold Calling College is a step-by-step program that will help
you master the art of cold calling, overcome fear and develop
tons of new business. “My new sales were up 23% this past year,
and you have made me feel more confident about myself and my
ability to sell,” says Kathleen Henry, a graduate of the
program.

This is the correct link. Order today:

www.profcs.com/app/?Clk=2544377

——————————————————————-

***Quotation of the month***

“I used to be so convinced that happiness was the goal, yet all
those years I was chasing it, I was unhappy in the pursuit.
Maybe the goal really should be a life that values honor, duty,
good work, friends, and family.”
–Vince Vaughn

Source: Parade, 4/20/08, p. 7.

——————————————————————-

***60-second commercial from Fern Dickey, Project Manager***

Bob is available on a limited basis for copywriting of direct
mail packages, sales letters, brochures, white papers, ads,
e-mail marketing campaigns, PR materials, and Web pages. We
recommend you call for a FREE copy of our updated Copywriting
Information Kit. Just let me know your industry and the type of
copy you’re interested in seeing (ads, mailings, etc.) and if
Bob is available to take your assignment, we’ll tailor a package
of recent samples to fit your requirements. Call Fern Dickey at
201-797-8105 or e-mail fern@bly.com.

——————————————————————-

——————————————————————-

Bob Bly’s Direct Response Letter:
Resources, ideas, and tips for improving response to
business-to-business, high-tech, and direct
marketing.

August, 2008

——————————————————————-

You are getting this e-mail because you subscribed to it on
www.bly.com or because you are one of Bob’s clients, prospects,
seminar attendees, or book buyers. If you would prefer not to
receive further e-mails of this type, go to the bottom of this
message and click on “SafeUnsubscribe.”

Your subscription brings you one regular monthly issue, usually
at the beginning of the month, plus one or two supplementary
messages each week. These are typically either free tips or
personal recommendations for information products on marketing
or related topics. I review products before recommending them
and in many cases know the authors.

We do not rent or share your name with anybody. Feel free to
forward this issue to any peers, friends and associates you
think would benefit from its contents. They will thank you. So
will I.

——————————————————————-

Get Yourself Listed in “Who’s Who” This Year:

www.getlistedinwhoswho.com

——————————————————————-

***My only live event of 2008***

My partner Fred Gleeck talked me into doing a 2-day live weekend
seminar with him in NJ on October 25-26. And now that I’m
committed, I’ve become extremely enthusiastic about the idea.

Why? Well, for one thing, I LIKE giving talks – I just don’t
like travel. But this one’s practically in my back yard. So I
don’t have to get on a plane.

Second, I’ve developed and given a bunch of new presentations
recently. And now I get to give them all in one place. They
cover the things I know best: copywriting, freelancing, book
writing, Internet marketing, direct response.

Third, a lot of my subscribers ask for advice or to meet me or
for phone consultation. Since I don’t coach or consult with
people personally, this is a rare opportunity to speak with me
one-on-one – if that’s something that interests you.

For more information … or to register as an Early Bird and save
at least $500 … click below. But I urge you to hurry. The Early
Bird discount offer expires this week:

http://www.InfoProductsSeminar.com

——————————————————————-

***Do you measure this important e-mail metric?***

Measuring open and click-through rates can show you just how
successful your e-mail marketing campaigns are.

But on the flip side, there’s another metric you should measure:
the “complaint rate.” And if it’s too high, you could be in
trouble.

Complaint rate is the percentage of recipients receiving your
e-mail who complain to their ISP that you are spamming them.

According to e-mail deliverability expert Kevin Senne, the
complaint rate should not exceed 0.2% — meaning a maximum of 2
spam complaints per 1,000 e-mails broadcast.

Warning: a number of e-mail services will refuse to distribute
e-mails to your list if your complaint rate exceeds 0.2% or even
0.1%.

To lower your complaint rate to acceptable levels:

>> Make your e-mail copy more content-heavy … and less
sales-oriented.

>> Ask subscribers what they want to read in your e-mails – and
give it to them.

>> E-mail your list less frequently.

Source: The Marketing Report, 7/7/08, p. 1.

——————————————————————-

***Are you over or under-staffed?***

According to consultant Don Libey, multi-channel merchants
(catalogers, e-commerce businesses, retailers, direct marketers)
should generate at least $375,000 in annual sales per employee
(that includes the business owner).

If you’re a small SOHO or mom-and-pop with low overhead and a
lean operation, I think even $200,000 per employee is
acceptable.

That means if you are a solopreneur earning $75,000 a year, you
haven’t reached the level of revenues where you can justify
hiring an employee.

A SOHO with sales of $300,000 a year, by contrast, can afford to
hire a part-time worker (say 20 hours a week).

I’m all for delegating and outsourcing, which can increase your
own productivity and earning potential.

But based on Libey’s ratio, don’t overhire – like a local
company I read about with half a million in gross annual sales
and 17 employees.

If the worker-to-sales ratio is too high, all your profits will
go to others – in the form of paychecks – and not enough to you,
the business owner.

You’ll essentially be working, operating a business, and taking
risk just to give your employees a job.

Source: Libey Economic Outlook, 7/08, p. 4.

——————————————————————-

***Best-selling author reveals publishing secrets***

Writing a nonfiction book can help you attract more business
than you can handle — and turn you into an information machine
generating multiple streams of income.

“How to Become Both Published and Profitable” is a program that
consists of a 172-page book supported by an on-going series of
one-hour teleconferences. You get a step-by-step framework for
planning, writing, promoting, and marketing your book and
follow-up information products.

Best-selling author Roger Parker strips away the mystery of the
writer’s craft and gives inexperienced writers the lessons
professional writers have learned only after long
apprenticeship. For more information or to order, click below
now:

http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/?Clk=2480587

——————————————————————-

***Writing is good for the soul – and your immune system***

Improving your writing skills can make you money. Now a study at
Tufts-New England Medical Center says it may also improve your
health.

Of 234 cancer patients monitored in the study, those who did
narrative writing about how the cancer affected them showed less
pain and greater well-being than those who did not.

Source: Daily News, 7/19/08, p.17.

——————————————————————-

***The “Bible” of writing for the Web***

Too many copywriting courses are focused on writing hard-sell,
hype-filled long-copy landing pages to sell e-books and other
information products, as if that’s the only thing being
advertised on the Web today. But the vast majority of Web copy
being written today is for conventional multi-page corporate
websites.

Few copywriters are as experienced in Web copy as my friend Nick
Usborne, and certainly no one teaches how to write for business
Web sites better. If you want to write Web copy for conventional
companies like IBM and Verizon, and not people selling ‘get rich
quick’ and business success courses, you should study Nick’s
AWAI Web copywriting program as if it were the ‘Bible’ of Web
site copywriting … which it is. For more information, click
below:

http://www.awaionline.com/bly/webcopy/

——————————————————————-

***Quotation of the month***

“There’s too much information in today’s world, and our defense
mechanism to sort through it all is to vote with our gut, to
vote what we feel. We look for shortcuts, and those shortcuts
are called brands. The reason you buy Tide detergent at the
grocery store is that you don’t want to read fifty labels. You
trust Tide because you already know it works.”
–Tim Sanders

Source: “The Likeability Factor” (Crown Publishers, 2005, p.
40).

——————————————————————-

***60-second commercial from Fern Dickey, Project Manager***

Bob is available on a limited basis for copywriting of direct
mail packages, sales letters, brochures, white papers, ads,
e-mail marketing campaigns, PR materials, and Web pages. We
recommend you call for a FREE copy of our updated Copywriting
Information Kit. Just let me know your industry and the type of
copy you’re interested in seeing (ads, mailings, etc.) and if
Bob is available to take your assignment, we’ll tailor a package
of recent samples to fit your requirements. Call Fern Dickey at
201-797-8105 or e-mail fern@bly.com.

——————————————————————-

——————————————————————

Bob Bly’s Direct Response Letter:
Resources, ideas, and tips for improving response to
business-to-business, high-tech, and direct marketing.

July, 2008

——————————————————————

You are getting this e-mail because you subscribed to it on
www.bly.com or because you are one of Bob’s clients, prospects,
seminar attendees, or book buyers. If you would prefer not to
receive further e-mails of this type, go to the bottom of this
message and click on “SafeUnsubscribe.”

Your subscription brings you one regular monthly issue, usually
at the beginning of the month, plus one or two supplementary
messages each week. These are typically either free tips or
personal recommendations for information products on marketing
or related topics. I review products before recommending them
and in many cases know the authors.

We do not rent or share your name with anybody. Feel free to
forward this issue to any peers, friends and associates you
think would benefit from its contents. They will thank you. So
will I.

——————————————————————

The Easiest and Most Profitable Product to Sell Online:

www.myveryfirstebook.com

——————————————————————

***Best season for online marketing***

Do you sell clothing, records, jewelry, collectibles, crafts,
toys, pet items, books, or other merchandise that can be given
as a gift?

Then you can increase your marketing ROI by doing more of your
paid traffic generation campaigns – co-registration,
pay-per-click advertising, e-mail marketing – during the peak
holiday season.

Reason: according to a survey of 100 e-commerce sites,
conversion rates from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Eve average
6.44% vs. only 3.89% during the previous 2 months – an increase
of 65%.

Source: Internet Retailer, 6/08.

——————————————————————

***Market your freelance creative services***

The Creative Freelancer Conference, slated for August 27-29,
2008 in Chicago, is the first and only business conference for
self-employed creative professionals, serving graphic, web and
interactive designers, photographers, copywriters, illustrators
and anyone else who fits the bill of “creative solopreneur.”

A panel of creative-business experts, led by Ilise Benun and
Peleg Top, will share best practices for pricing, marketing,
building client relationships, crafting proposals and contracts,
maintaining a work/life balance and other skills critical to
freelance success.

For more information and to register at the Early Bird Discount
rate (deadline: 7/15/08), click below:

http://www.CreativeFreelancerConference.com

——————————————————————

***Bill Jayme’s 7 copywriting secrets***

Bill Jayme was one of the greatest direct mail copywriters of
the 20th century, specializing in writing DM packages to sell
magazine subscriptions.

You can read his 7 tips for writing winning DM copy here:

http://tinyurl.com/3r9yqx

You’ll also learn about how you can preview a massive “swipe
file” containing hundreds of Jayme’s most successful DM packages
– the most valuable and educational collection of winning sales
letters I’ve ever read:

http://tinyurl.com/3r9yqx

——————————————————————

***5 best practices for e-newsletter publishers***

I use Constant Contact to broadcast my e-zine and e-mail
marketing magazines to my opt-in e-list of over 50,000 names.

Annette Iafrate, an executive with Constant Contact, gives the
following smart and sensible tips for improving e-mail marketing
results:

1—Use your own permission-based list.

2–When people sign up, let them know what kind of e-mails they
will receive from you and when they will get them.

3—Keep your list up-to-date by removing inactive subscribers or
sending them a one-time e-mail asking them to confirm their
interest.

4—Determine the optimal frequency by asking yourself how
frequently your customers think about or use your product.

5—Keep your content fresh, useful, and relevant.

Source: Target Marketing, 6/08, p. 40.

——————————————————————

***Give a great talk every time you speak in public***

My new book (#73), “Persuasive Presentation for Business,” is
being published this month by Entrepreneur Press.

The publisher’s copywriter wrote for the jacket copy that the
book “reveals presentation tricks, successful secrets, and
surefire techniques for organizing and delivering a superior
presentation” – based on giving hundreds of talks to thousands
of listeners since 1982.

For more information or to order, click here now:

http://tinyurl.com/3p23je

——————————————————————

***Maximum length for subject lines***

Many e-mail readers cut off subject lines at 45 or 50
characters. But yours should be even shorter.

Reason: a study by MailerMailer shows that e-mails with subject
lines of 35 characters or less have an average click-through
rate (CRT) of 3.8%.

By comparison, e-mails with subject lines over 35 characters
have an average CRT of only 2.1%.

Source: Catalog Success, 6/08, p. 37.

——————————————————————

***Free marketing secrets of a candy genius***

Ted Nicholas, an enormously successful entrepreneur, got his
start selling fudge.

He became rich and famous by successfully selling hundreds of
other products — for his own businesses and his copywriting
clients.

I asked Ted if he’d share his marketing wisdom with my
subscribers for free.

I thought he might let me reprint an excerpt from one of his
newsletter articles.

But to my amazement, he gave me permission to offer you –
absolutely FREE – 4 of his most valuable marketing reports:

>> Free Special Report #1: Magic Transitions: 97 Magic Phrases
That Almost Compel Readership - The writer’s perfect tool, Value
$54

>> Free Special Report #2: How to Write Killer Copy - A
word-for-word transcript of an interview done in Switzerland
where Ted reveals secrets never before disclosed, Value $50

>> Free Special Report #3: Lucky 13 Secrets of a Successful
Order Form - Whether online or offline, invaluable tips on
creating an order form that sells, Value $35

>> Free Special Report #4: The World’s Best and Most Ideal Job
– Discover the secrets to a perfect career, Value $35

The total value of the reports above is $174. But for this week
only, you can get all 4 reports FREE when you click on the link
below now:

http://www.tednicholas.com/specialreports.html

——————————————————————

***Networking with name tags***

To get the crowd networking at your event, give out name tags.

Usually name tags state the person’s name, company, and city and
state.

Here’s a way to help attendees start conversations: add a line
on each name tag with a piece of information the person must
complete – e.g., favorite food, sports team, season, or pet.

Why it works: you can use this favorite item as a way to break
the ice, commenting on it to the tag wearer – e.g., “Your
favorite drink is vodka? Me too. What’s your brand?”

Source: SIPA Marketing Conference, Washington DC, 6/1/08.

——————————————————————

***Make your web site fun and useful***

According to Dianna Pohly, a custom engagement expert, you can
create buzz and traffic at your site by offering functionality
that is fun or useful.

For example, Oxygen magazine added a feature to their site that
visitors could use to send e-mail to a friend’s cell phone.
Result: a 30% increase in site traffic lasting for 3 days.

Useful content works offline, too. Hannaford Supermarkets
published and gave away a food magazine – with original recipes
– in its stores every other month.

They reported that 65% of shoppers read the magazine – and of
those, 40% purchased new products they had not previously
bought.

——————————————————————

***Quotation of the month***

“Work is a privilege. It’s a privilege to be able to do what you
love to do and be good at it. My hobby is my work, and my work
is my hobby. That’s the secret. There’s no distinction.”
–Les Paul, guitar legend

Source: AARP, 4/08, p. 77.

——————————————————————

***Recent copywriting projects (just a sampling)***

Direct mail promotion for U.S. Charts … magalogs for TradeWins …
DM package for NutriPlus … e-mail for ExecuNet … PR for ePost
Direct … online copy for Acom … e-mail for Wellness Research …
DM and online copy for Dalbey Education … e-mail for Forbes …
radio spots for Advanced Financial Services … DM for Capital
Financial Media … sales letter for Jason Henry Insurance Agency
… Web copy for Savvysoft … landing page for University
Publishers … Web copy for Sussel Builders … e-mail marketing for
Early to Rise … landing page for Dremu … DM for Elite Stock
Report … brochure for R Tape … landing page for Casey Research …
and many others.

——————————————————————

***60-second commercial from Fern Dickey, Project Manager***

Bob is available on a limited basis for copywriting of direct
mail packages, sales letters, brochures, white papers, ads,
e-mail marketing campaigns, PR materials, and Web pages. We
recommend you call for a FREE copy of our updated Copywriting
Information Kit. Just let me know your industry and the type of
copy you’re interested in seeing (ads, mailings, etc.) and if
Bob is available to take your assignment, we’ll tailor a package
of recent samples to fit your requirements. Call Fern Dickey at
201-797-8105 or e-mail fern@bly.com.

——————————————————————

——————————————————————–

Bob Bly’s Direct Response Letter:
Resources, ideas, and tips for improving response to
business-to-business, high-tech, and direct marketing.

May, 2008

——————————————————————–

You are getting this e-mail because you subscribed to it on
www.bly.com or because you are one of Bob’s clients, prospects,
seminar attendees, or book buyers. If you would prefer not to
receive further e-mails of this type, go to the bottom of this
message and click on “SafeUnsubscribe”.

from us, please click on the unsubscribe
link at the bottom of this message.

Your subscription brings you one regular monthly issue, usually
at the beginning of the month, plus one or two supplementary
messages each week. These are typically either free tips or
personal recommendations for information products on marketing
or related topics. I review products before recommending them
and in many cases know the authors.

We do not rent or share your name with anybody. Feel free to
forward this issue to any peers, friends and associates you
think would benefit from its contents. They will thank you. So
will I.

——————————————————————–

Write and Sell Books and Articles for the Christian Market:

http://www.4christianwritersonly.com/

——————————————————————–

***Take an e-list-building tip from The Motley Fool***

Each month, The Motley Fool adds 100,000 new names to its e-list
by offering free online reports to the 4 million unique visitors
that come to its web site.

Importantly, the only information they collect on the landing
pages offering these free reports is the prospect’s e-mail
address. They don’t even ask for the name.

Reason: the fewer data fields you require the prospect to
complete, the higher your conversion rates on name-squeeze pages
… and the faster you can build your e-list.

Source: SIPA Hotline, 4/21/08, pp. 2-3.

——————————————————————–

***My best tips on marketing with white papers***

If you need more quality leads, nothing beats the marketing
white paper. In fact, my friend and fellow white paper guru
Michael Stelzner is producing an impressive series of online
videos on marketing white papers. As part of the series, Michael
and I will be recording a special session about the future of
white papers. Watch for an e-mail from me next week about how
you can immediately view the videos online.

——————————————————————–

***5 keys to a happy and successful life***

Here are 5 qualities to cultivate that can significantly enhance
the quality of your life:

1—A sense of humor … the ability to find laughter in any
situation can help you gain new perspective and make others
smile.

2—Meaning and purpose … find out what you are doing to satisfy
yourself and others.

3—Resiliency … learn to bounce back from life’s experiences,
take what you’re handed, and deal with it.

4—Learning … always be open to new ideas and gaining knowledge
of the world around you. It will contribute to your happiness.

5—Good physical health … get plenty of rest, eat a well-balanced
diet with ample fluids, exercise daily.

Source: “A Self-Help Guide to Mental Health,” Sound Mind.

——————————————————————–

***Optimize your Web site with content***

One of the most effective methods of optimizing your Web site
for search engines is by posting content-rich articles
incorporating the key words and phrases your visitors search to
find you.

If you don’t have time to write your own articles, you can find
hundreds of writers selling full rights to thousands of original
articles on hundreds of popular topics here:

www.DailyArticle.com

——————————————————————–

***3 quick design tips for HTML e-mails***

Janine Popick, CEO of Vertical Response, offers the following
tips for HTML e-mail design:

1—Keep images under 25 KB … otherwise, the e-mail may load too
slowly, causing recipients to click away.

2—Do not exceed a 30/70 image-to-text ratio … image-heavy
e-mails risk winding up in junk folders.

3—Do not design e-mails that are image-only … if your
recipient’s e-mail reader has images turned off, they’ll see
only your unsubscribe link.

Source: DM News, 4/27/08, p. 27.

——————————————————————–

***Recommended book of the month***

In “Powerful Wisdom for Powerful Writing” (Author House, 2008),
Richard Kelsey teaches the fundamentals of clear, persuasive
writing including: the Star Chain Hook formula … flaws that
plague letters … antiquated phrases to avoid … the Gunning Fog
index … other classic writing tools and concepts. A fun little
book – and useful, too!

You can order your copy now on amazon.com:

http://tinyurl.com/6pjblu
http://www.amazon.com/Powerful-Wisdom-Writing-Teachings-Contemporary/dp/1434359883/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1209651618&sr=8-1

——————————————————————–

***Don’t avoid telemarketers***

To stop telemarketing calls, you can register your phone number
with the FTC’s National Do Not Call Registry. Just call
toll-free 888-382-1222 or visit www.donotcall.gov.

However, I advise you NOT to do this if you are in marketing.
Reason: staying on telemarketing lists enables you to listen to
– and learn from – both good and bad telemarketing calls. If you
don’t have time for a particular call, just hang up.

——————————————————————–

***Recommended vendor of the month***

Talon Mailing & Marketing is a full-service “letter shop” – a
company that provides data processing, printing, and mailing
services for direct marketers.

Talon can help mailers clean their lists and reduce postage
costs with services such as NCOA (National Change of Address)
and merge/purge. Other services include personalized letters,
full 4-color variable digital printing, database analysis, and
e-mail blasts.

To learn more about Talon or subscribe to their free direct
marketing newsletter – always packed with useful articles –
visit: www.talon-mailing.com. Or call Michael Borkan at (631)
667-5500, or e-mail him at: mb@talon-mailing.com. And tell him I
sent you.

——————————————————————–

***Bob’s speaking schedule***

>> On May 13, I’ll be giving a seminar on “Edu-Marketing:
Selling with White Papers and Other Free Content Offers” for the
NJ chapter of the Business Marketing Association. For more
information and to register, call 973-607-1601 or go online:

http://web.memberclicks.com/mc/community/eventdetails.do?eventId=163243&orgId=bmanj
http://tinyurl.com/6jfzca

>> I’ll also be leading several roundtable discussions and
presentations – including “How to Write E-Mail and Landing Pages
that Generate More Clicks and Conversion” — at the Specialized
Information Publishers Association (SIPA) meeting from June 1-3
in Washington DC. To register, call toll-free 800-356-9302. Or
go to:

http://www.newsletters.org/Events/Annual/2008/index.htm

——————————————————————–

***Discover the world’s highest paid profession – for free***

Our good friend, J.F. (Jim) Straw has sold over 3,000 copies of
his special report, “The Highest Paid Profession” — and he has
given away another 4,000 copies as a bonus with other of his
reports.

But I twisted Jim’s arm and made a deal with him for you to give
you your personal copy of “The Highest Paid Profession” for FREE
– with nothing to buy. To claim your free report, click here
now:

http://www.businesslyceum.com/Bly.html

——————————————————————–

***Quotation of the month***

“Intention without action is only a dream. In the end it isn’t
what we want to do or plan to do but what we actually do that
makes any difference.”
–Mark Sanborn, “The Fred Factor” (Doubleday, 2004), p. 111.

——————————————————————–

***Learn Internet marketing from the guy who taught ME***

Over the past two years I’ve created a nice second income
stream, with an information marketing business, using the system
I learned from Fred Gleeck.

Just last week I used it to generate $10,763 in online sales …
and I worked less than 2 hours to earn that money.

The good news is: now Fred is doing an event that will train YOU
how to do the EXACT SAME SYSTEM:

http://www.FredInfoBootcamp.com

If you’re interested, I’ve set up a special “deal” with Fred.

Just PayPal a deposit of $750 to Fred at fredgleeck@gmail.com –
and mention my name when you do it.

You’ll get a PREFERENTIAL rate for the “Bob Bly” group. The
balance is due 30 days before the event.

Mentioning my name when you sign up will give you some
additional benefits others won’t get, including free copies of
two of our how-to guides that can jump-start your information
marketing business. Those bonuses alone are worth $58.

At the end of this 6 1/2 day event, you will have everything
done that took me MONTHS to do.

Fred is the real deal. Check out the website and if you’re
interested, and reserve your slot NOW.

——————————————————————–

***60-second commercial from Fern Dickey, Project Manager***

Bob is available on a limited basis for copywriting of direct
mail packages, sales letters, brochures, white papers, ads,
e-mail marketing campaigns, PR materials, and Web pages. We
recommend you call for a FREE copy of our updated Copywriting
Information Kit. Just let me know your industry and the type of
copy you’re interested in seeing (ads, mailings, etc.) and if
Bob is available to take your assignment, we’ll tailor a package
of recent samples to fit your requirements. Call Fern Dickey at
201-797-8105 or e-mail fern@bly.com.

——————————————————————–

—————————————————————

Bob Bly’s Direct Response Letter:
Resources, ideas, and tips for improving response to
business-to-business, high-tech, and direct marketing.

April, 2008

—————————————————————

You are getting this e-mail because you subscribed to it on
www.bly.com or because you are one of Bob’s clients, prospects,
seminar attendees, or book buyers. If you would prefer not to
receive further e-mails of this type, go to
the bottom of this message and click on “SafeUnsubscribe”.

Your subscription brings you one regular monthly issue, usually
at the beginning of the month, plus one or two supplementary
messages each week. These are typically either free tips or
personal recommendations for information products on marketing
or related topics. I review products before recommending them
and in many cases know the authors.

We do not rent or share your name with anybody. Feel free to
forward this issue to any peers, friends and associates you
think would benefit from its contents. They will thank you. So
will I.

—————————————————————

Imagine Getting Paid to Read Books You Would Want to Read for Free Anyway:

www.bookreviewprofits.com

—————————————————————

***Make online buyers push your buttons***

A common mistake in designing landing pages is to use an
underlined word or phrase as the hyperlink to the order page.

Much more effective is to design the hyperlink as an order
button. To increase response, says online marketing guru Amy
Africa, use big buttons. She recommends telling your designer to
triple whatever they think is big.

Color makes a difference. The Mequoda group reports a split test
where the only variable on the landing page was the order button
color. Red was the control, which was tested against green,
yellow, and ochre. The winner? Ochre, generating 27% higher
conversion rates than red.

Source: Thinking Inside the Box, 2/8/08; Mequoda Group.

—————————————————————

***Get your e-mails past spam filters***

In your HTML e-mails, don’t use “http://” in your linked text if
the underlying URL is different, because it trigger a scam alert
from the recipient’s spam filter.

Example: If the text is “http://www.cheapovens.com” and the link
under the text is also “http://www.cheapovens.com,” everything
is fine.

But if the text “http://www.cheapovens.com” links to the URL
“http://www.ovensonline.com,” your e- mail will be delivered
with a scam alert notice.

Source: Steffen Schneider, www.flatrate-newsletter.de

—————————————————————

***Free report: 8 ways to improve radio advertising***

Radio Lounge, a radio marketing and production company out of
Houston, offers free information to help take the mystery out of
using radio as a powerful marketing tool. You can sign up for
free radio advertising tips sent weekly via e-mail. Also, check
out the audio samples and download the free report “8 Steps to
Effective Radio Advertising.” Call 281-494-4680. Or click here
now:

www.radioloungeusa.com

—————————————————————

***Optimize your Web site with hyperlinked PR***

To optimize your Web site for search engines, post your press
releases on your site, preferably in a media or press release
section. Insert up to five hyperlinks per release that link your
press release to other web pages relating to topics mentioned in
the release.

Source: SIPA Marketing Conference, Miami, FL, 12/13/07.

—————————————————————

***Outsource article marketing for your online business***

Most Internet marketing gurus recommend writing and distributing
articles on the Web to generate traffic. But most of the
Internet marketers I talk to don’t do it because (a) they don’t
know where or how to get their articles posted and (b) they
don’t have time.

Dan Janal’s PR Leads Article Marketing Service solves this
problem. For a fee, Dan – a PR expert and an old friend of mine
from way back when – can help you get new clients by
broadcasting your expert articles to highly targeted web sites
that are read by tens of thousands of your prospects. Click here
for details:

www.IWantMoreProspects.com

—————————————————————

***Increasing trade show ROI***

In her e-book “The Secret to Achieving Brilliant Returns at Your
Next Event,” Joyce McKee offers these proven tips for designing
trade show booths that appeal to multiple senses:

>> Be sure your products are displayed in the booth and can be
touched by visitors. You’d be surprised by how many exhibitors
have brochures only and no products in site. The visitor didn’t
come to look at brochures.

>> Spray your booth area with a subtle classic perfume or place
potpourri in and around your space. The scent will attract more
booth traffic.

>> Offer hard candies or, if the sponsor permits, give out food;
e.g., have a popcorn machine in the booth.

—————————————————————

***5 ways to get more copy written in less time***

Whether you are a copywriter, a white paper writer, a web site
content writer, a blog writer…or any other kind of commercial
writer… not every day is as productive as it should be. As
writers we have both good days and bad days. The trouble is,
those bad days lose us a lot of money.

Nick Usborne’s quick-reading – and entertaining — “Writing
Rituals” guide walks you through 5 separate rituals which will
help you turn every day into a super-productive writing day. For
more information or to order, click below now:

www.writingrituals.com

—————————————————————

***Recommended vendor of the month: American Slide Chart***

American Slide Chart is the premiere producer of promotional
slide charts. These are hand-held cardboard wheels and slide
guides that perform simple calculations and are used as
promotional items; e.g., a bank might give away a slide chart
that calculates monthly mortgage payments based on interest
rates.

In an age where marketing takes place increasingly online, slide
guide usage has faded, and creating a slide guide gives you a
chance to stand out and get noticed. For more information, call
800-323-4433 or visit:

www.AmericanSlideChart.com

—————————————————————

***Turn your words into massive wealth***

“A”-list copywriter David Deutsch has put together an amazing
series of free tele-seminars featuring an all-star collection of
17 of the world’s top copywriters and marketers as well as yours
truly.

I know there are too many tele-seminar offers in your e-mail
these days. But I promise you, you’ll never hear one as packed
with people who can multiply your income as this one. Because
nothing makes money like great sales copy. Signing up is easy,
and every call is free. To find out more, click below now:

http://copyquickstart.com/go/bly

—————————————————————

***Quotation of the month***

“You might as well like yourself. Just think of all the time
you’re going to have to spend with you. And if you don’t like
yourself, how do you expect others to?”
–Jerry Lewis in “The Nutty Professor”

—————————————————————

***60-second commercial from Fern Dickey, Project Manager***

Bob is available on a limited basis for copywriting of direct
mail packages, sales letters, brochures, white papers, ads,
e-mail marketing campaigns, PR materials, and Web pages. We
recommend you call for a FREE copy of our updated Copywriting
Information Kit. Just let me know your industry and the type of
copy you’re interested in seeing (ads, mailings, etc.) and if
Bob is available to take your assignment, we’ll tailor a package
of recent samples to fit your requirements. Call Fern Dickey at
201-797-8105 or e-mail fern@bly.com.

—————————————————————

——————————————————————-

Bob Bly’s Direct Response Letter:
Resources, ideas, and tips for improving response to
business-to-business, high-tech, and direct marketing.

March, 2008

——————————————————————-

You are getting this e-mail because you subscribed to it on
www.bly.com or because you are one of Bob’s clients, prospects,
seminar attendees, or book buyers. If you would prefer not to
receive further e-mails of this type, go to the bottom of this
message and click on “Safe Unsubscribe” for immediate removal
from this list.

Your subscription brings you one regular monthly issue, usually
at the beginning of the month, plus one or two supplementary
messages each week. These are typically either free tips or
personal recommendations for information products on marketing
or related topics. I review products before recommending them
and in many cases know the authors.

We do not rent or share your name with anybody. Feel free to
forward this issue to any peers, friends and associates you
think would benefit from its contents. They will thank you. So
will I.

——————————————————————-

***Avoid hard-sell tactics that turn potential clients off***

“When you call someone, never start out with a mini-presentation
about yourself, your company, and what you have to offer,”
advises sales expert Ari Galper.

Instead, says Galper, start with a conversation on a specific
problem that your service solves, e.g., “I’m just calling to see
if you are open to some new ideas relating to driving traffic to
your Web site.”

You are not pitching your services or approach with this opening
phrase. You are addressing a problem that you believe they might
have an intense desire to solve. For this to work in your favor,
of course, you must identify desired results and benefits that
your services can deliver.

Source: Galper, Ari, “7 Ways to Cut Loose,” SFS News & Notes, p.
4. Visit Ari online at:

www.unlockthegame.com

——————————————————————-

***Double or triple your online conversion rates, orders, and
revenues***

Internet marketers: imagine how much of a difference it would
make in your annual income if you could double or triple your
online revenues.

One way to achieve that goal is to increase landing page
conversion rates – that is, the percentage of unique visitors to
the page who order the product.

My brand new free Web site, www.thelandingpageguru.com, shows
you many ways to do just that. It includes free tips on improving
landing page copy … boosting conversion with an auto-responder
e-mail series … improving e-mail address capture rates … Taguchi
testing … and much more.

Take a look right now, bookmark for future reference, and tell
your friends. They will be glad you did:

www.thelandingpageguru.com

——————————————————————-

***Free Taguchi test elements for your new landing page***

One of the things we teach you about on
www.thelandingpageguru.com is Taguchi testing.

Taguchi testing enables you to test multiple elements –
including headlines, subheads, banners, salutations, offers,
guarantees, and more – in your landing pages simultaneously.

As a result, you can quickly optimize landing page performance,
often doubling or tripling conversion rates within a few weeks.

Normally, when I write landing pages for my clients, I charge
thousands of dollars extra for a complete set of Taguchi test
elements.

This month, I am offering to any new or current client a
complete set of Taguchi test elements for free when you hire me
to write a new long-copy landing page or rewrite an existing
page.

The only catch is that, to qualify for the free offer, you must
agree to share the test results with me and allow me to publish
them. And it must be a page to generate direct sales of a
product, not a squeeze page giving away a white paper, e-zine,
or other free content.

To find out more about having me write a Taguchi-optimized
landing page for one of your products, e-mail fern@bly.com. Or
call Fern Dickey at 201-797-8105 today.

But I urge you to hurry. This offer ends 5/15/08. And once it
expires, it may never be repeated again.

——————————————————————-

***A clever new idea for keyword discovery***

Check your internal search box on your Web site. The words most
frequently searched using the internal search function are
usually the same keywords people search on when trying to find
information on your topic.

Recommendation: optimize your site and bid on pay-per-click ads
for these keywords. Because these are the keywords people use to
find out about your product or company.

Source: SIPA Marketing Conference, Miami, FL, 12/13/07.

——————————————————————-

***How to design content and marketing documents for older folks
like me***

Since vision impairments increase with age, time spent
organizing your layout and using legible design and typography
will more than pay for themselves in increased audience response
when marketing or publishing to the over-50 market.

One tip: maximize contrast between the typography and the
background. Reason: a greater amount of contrast makes it easier
to distinguish an image. This is especially true for the
contrast in color between text and paper.

As for type size: yes, older readers prefer large type. But type
style also matters. Avoid ornate typefaces and overuse of
italics. Choose a serif type.

A bit more spacing between lines also enhances readability.
Avoid extensive use of ALL CAPS and type reversing out of a
solid or screen.

Indenting paragraphs and use of standard capitalization improve
reading, as do smaller blocks of copy, shorter lines of type,
and more paragraphs.

Source: Writing That Works, 1/9/08

——————————————————————-

***Free report on how to become a six-figure grants
consultant***

Would you like to build a home-based writing business, earning
$120,000+ annually, that is always needed and NOT saturated like
other writing niches?

There will always be non-profits needing funding and wealthy
foundations and government grant programs to fund them. You can
make them your clients at $100 - $200 per hour.

Learn how in One Stop Grant Shop’s Free Report: “How to Become a
Six-Figure Grants Consultant,” including: price setting … how to
write winning proposals … tools … and more.

Written by two consultants with over 20 combined years of
experience winning more than $20 million in grants, this report
regularly sells for $29.99. But it’s yours free for a limited
time only when you click on the link below:

www.onestopgrantshop.com/FreeReports.php

——————————————————————-

***Pricing audio information products online***

For years I have been selling audio information products on tape
and CD.

Now, my customers are beginning to ask if they are available for
immediate download as MP3 files. And maybe yours are, too.

Internet marketing guru Fred Gleeck, who has produced somewhere
north of 2,000 audio info products, recommends that you offer
your customers a choice: MP3 or CD.

He suggests that, for multi-CD programs, the physical product
cost $50 more than the downloadable version, e.g., $77 for the
MP3 download and $127 for the CDs.

I would suggest that the buyer of the physical product also get
the downloadable MP3 as a bonus.

Visit Fred online at www.fredgleeck.com/ebooks to claim 5 free
books worth over $75.

——————————————————————-

***Avoid this cover design mistake when producing e-books***

When designing e-books, do not use black as the background color
for the covers or even the headers.

Reason: printing a page that’s mostly black uses up a lot of
ink, especially on small printers for home PCs. And the pages
can come out wet and wrinkly.

Fancy covers attract buyers, but too much color and design can
waste the customer’s ink, creating a cost concern that stops
them from ordering more e-books from you.

Source: Thanks to subscriber Ann Hasselquist for this tip.

——————————————————————-

***Tax savings every freelancer should take***

As an independent contractor, you’re your own boss. You call
your own shots.

But with that freedom come responsibilities — quarterly taxes
among them.

Find out where you can save … what the IRS really needs to
know … how to make the most of those deductions for travel,
meals, entertainment, home office, and more …

To get answers to hundreds of tax questions along with practical
worksheets you can use to make sure you’re paying as little as
possible to Uncle Sam, click here:

www.thetravelwriterslife.com/tax/bb

——————————————————————-

***Quotation of the month***

“The only demon that really counts is the lazy demon. And we’re
all lazy. But every human on earth has to figure out a way to
get your ass to do something.”
–Jerry Seinfeld

Source: Parade Magazine, 10/21/07, p. 5.

——————————————————————-

***60-second commercial from Fern Dickey, Project Manager***

Bob is available on a limited basis for copywriting of direct
mail packages, sales letters, brochures, white papers, ads,
e-mail marketing campaigns, PR materials, and Web pages. We
recommend you call for a FREE copy of our updated Copywriting
Information Kit. Just let me know your industry and the type of
copy you’re interested in seeing (ads, mailings, etc.) and if
Bob is available to take your assignment, we’ll tailor a package
of recent samples to fit your requirements. Call Fern Dickey at
201-797-8105 or e-mail fern@bly.com.

——————————————————————-

——————————————————————-

Bob Bly’s Direct Response Letter:
Resources, ideas, and tips for improving response to
business-to-business, high-tech, and direct marketing.

March, 2008

——————————————————————-

You are getting this e-mail because you subscribed to it on
www.bly.com or because you are one of Bob’s clients, prospects,
seminar attendees, or book buyers. If you would prefer not to
receive further e-mails of this type, go to the bottom of this
message and click on “Safe Unsubscribe” for immediate removal
from this list.

Your subscription brings you one regular monthly issue, usually
at the beginning of the month, plus one or two supplementary
messages each week. These are typically either free tips or
personal recommendations for information products on marketing
or related topics. I review products before recommending them
and in many cases know the authors.

We do not rent or share your name with anybody. Feel free to
forward this issue to any peers, friends and associates you
think would benefit from its contents. They will thank you. So
will I.

——————————————————————-

***Avoid hard-sell tactics that turn potential clients off***

“When you call someone, never start out with a mini-presentation
about yourself, your company, and what you have to offer,”
advises sales expert Ari Galper.

Instead, says Galper, start with a conversation on a specific
problem that your service solves, e.g., “I’m just calling to see
if you are open to some new ideas relating to driving traffic to
your Web site.”

You are not pitching your services or approach with this opening
phrase. You are addressing a problem that you believe they might
have an intense desire to solve. For this to work in your favor,
of course, you must identify desired results and benefits that
your services can deliver.

Source: Galper, Ari, “7 Ways to Cut Loose,” SFS News & Notes, p.
4. Visit Ari online at:

www.unlockthegame.com

——————————————————————-

***Double or triple your online conversion rates, orders, and
revenues***

Internet marketers: imagine how much of a difference it would
make in your annual income if you could double or triple your
online revenues.

One way to achieve that goal is to increase landing page
conversion rates – that is, the percentage of unique visitors to
the page who order the product.

My brand new free Web site, www.thelandingpageguru.com, shows
you many ways to do just that. It includes free tips on improving
landing page copy … boosting conversion with an auto-responder
e-mail series … improving e-mail address capture rates … Taguchi
testing … and much more.

Take a look right now, bookmark for future reference, and tell
your friends. They will be glad you did:

www.thelandingpageguru.com

——————————————————————-

***Free Taguchi test elements for your new landing page***

One of the things we teach you about on
www.thelandingpageguru.com is Taguchi testing.

Taguchi testing enables you to test multiple elements –
including headlines, subheads, banners, salutations, offers,
guarantees, and more – in your landing pages simultaneously.

As a result, you can quickly optimize landing page performance,
often doubling or tripling conversion rates within a few weeks.

Normally, when I write landing pages for my clients, I charge
thousands of dollars extra for a complete set of Taguchi test
elements.

This month, I am offering to any new or current client a
complete set of Taguchi test elements for free when you hire me
to write a new long-copy landing page or rewrite an existing
page.

The only catch is that, to qualify for the free offer, you must
agree to share the test results with me and allow me to publish
them. And it must be a page to generate direct sales of a
product, not a squeeze page giving away a white paper, e-zine,
or other free content.

To find out more about having me write a Taguchi-optimized
landing page for one of your products, e-mail fern@bly.com. Or
call Fern Dickey at 201-797-8105 today.

But I urge you to hurry. This offer ends 5/15/08. And once it
expires, it may never be repeated again.

——————————————————————-

***A clever new idea for keyword discovery***

Check your internal search box on your Web site. The words most
frequently searched using the internal search function are
usually the same keywords people search on when trying to find
information on your topic.

Recommendation: optimize your site and bid on pay-per-click ads
for these keywords. Because these are the keywords people use to
find out about your product or company.

Source: SIPA Marketing Conference, Miami, FL, 12/13/07.

——————————————————————-

***How to design content and marketing documents for older folks
like me***

Since vision impairments increase with age, time spent
organizing your layout and using legible design and typography
will more than pay for themselves in increased audience response
when marketing or publishing to the over-50 market.

One tip: maximize contrast between the typography and the
background. Reason: a greater amount of contrast makes it easier
to distinguish an image. This is especially true for the
contrast in color between text and paper.

As for type size: yes, older readers prefer large type. But type
style also matters. Avoid ornate typefaces and overuse of
italics. Choose a serif type.

A bit more spacing between lines also enhances readability.
Avoid extensive use of ALL CAPS and type reversing out of a
solid or screen.

Indenting paragraphs and use of standard capitalization improve
reading, as do smaller blocks of copy, shorter lines of type,
and more paragraphs.

Source: Writing That Works, 1/9/08

——————————————————————-

***Free report on how to become a six-figure grants
consultant***

Would you like to build a home-based writing business, earning
$120,000+ annually, that is always needed and NOT saturated like
other writing niches?

There will always be non-profits needing funding and wealthy
foundations and government grant programs to fund them. You can
make them your clients at $100 - $200 per hour.

Learn how in One Stop Grant Shop’s Free Report: “How to Become a
Six-Figure Grants Consultant,” including: price setting … how to
write winning proposals … tools … and more.

Written by two consultants with over 20 combined years of
experience winning more than $20 million in grants, this report
regularly sells for $29.99. But it’s yours free for a limited
time only when you click on the link below:

www.onestopgrantshop.com/FreeReports.php

——————————————————————-

***Pricing audio information products online***

For years I have been selling audio information products on tape
and CD.

Now, my customers are beginning to ask if they are available for
immediate download as MP3 files. And maybe yours are, too.

Internet marketing guru Fred Gleeck, who has produced somewhere
north of 2,000 audio info products, recommends that you offer
your customers a choice: MP3 or CD.

He suggests that, for multi-CD programs, the physical product
cost $50 more than the downloadable version, e.g., $77 for the
MP3 download and $127 for the CDs.

I would suggest that the buyer of the physical product also get
the downloadable MP3 as a bonus.

Visit Fred online at www.fredgleeck.com/ebooks to claim 5 free
books worth over $75.

——————————————————————-

***Avoid this cover design mistake when producing e-books***

When designing e-books, do not use black as the background color
for the covers or even the headers.

Reason: printing a page that’s mostly black uses up a lot of
ink, especially on small printers for home PCs. And the pages
can come out wet and wrinkly.

Fancy covers attract buyers, but too much color and design can
waste the customer’s ink, creating a cost concern that stops
them from ordering more e-books from you.

Source: Thanks to subscriber Ann Hasselquist for this tip.

——————————————————————-

***Tax savings every freelancer should take***

As an independent contractor, you’re your own boss. You call
your own shots.

But with that freedom come responsibilities — quarterly taxes
among them.

Find out where you can save … what the IRS really needs to
know … how to make the most of those deductions for travel,
meals, entertainment, home office, and more …

To get answers to hundreds of tax questions along with practical
worksheets you can use to make sure you’re paying as little as
possible to Uncle Sam, click here:

www.thetravelwriterslife.com/tax/bb

——————————————————————-

***Quotation of the month***

“The only demon that really counts is the lazy demon. And we’re
all lazy. But every human on earth has to figure out a way to
get your ass to do something.”
–Jerry Seinfeld

Source: Parade Magazine, 10/21/07, p. 5.

——————————————————————-

***60-second commercial from Fern Dickey, Project Manager***

Bob is available on a limited basis for copywriting of direct
mail packages, sales letters, brochures, white papers, ads,
e-mail marketing campaigns, PR materials, and Web pages. We
recommend you call for a FREE copy of our updated Copywriting
Information Kit. Just let me know your industry and the type of
copy you’re interested in seeing (ads, mailings, etc.) and if
Bob is available to take your assignment, we’ll tailor a package
of recent samples to fit your requirements. Call Fern Dickey at
201-797-8105 or e-mail fern@bly.com.

——————————————————————-

——————————————————————-

Bob Bly’s Direct Response Letter:
Resources, ideas, and tips for improving response to
business-to-business, high-tech, and direct
marketing.

February, 2008

——————————————————————-

You are getting this e-mail because you subscribed to it on
www.bly.com or because you are one of Bob’ clients, prospects,
seminar attendees, or book buyers. If you would prefer not to
receive further e-mails of this type, go to www.bly.com, enter
your e-mail address, and hit unsubscribe.

Your subscription brings you one regular monthly issue, usually
at the beginning of the month, plus one or two supplementary
messages each week. These are typically either free tips or
personal recommendations for information products on marketing
or related topics. I review products before recommending them
and in many cases know the authors.

We do not rent or share your name with anybody. Feel free to
forward this issue to any peers, friends, and associates you
think would benefit from its contents. They will thank you. So
will I.

——————————————————————-

***Want prospects to pick your product? Pile on the info***

One argument against marketing with free content offers is that
prospects already have too much to read, so they won’t look at
your white paper. But a new study from Columbia Business School
suggests that, even in an age of information overload,
educational marketing works.

The study focused on politics, not business, and found that
getting a lot of information to the public, especially in the
early stages of a campaign when many voters are ambivalent, is
an effective campaign strategy.

Quantity is more important than quality, the study found,
because ambivalent individuals are open to persuasion from a
variety of sources, and accept messages regardless of the
source’s perceived reliability.

Source: Columbia Ideas at Work, 10/24/07.

——————————————————————-

***The best F-r-e-e marketing info on the Internet***

If you’ve never participated in an Online Giveaway Event,
don’t miss out on a fantastic opportunity to grab a
bunch of great free information and software
products.

Here are a few giveaways running this month;

http://viralmarketinggiveaway9.com/vmg9/?aff=4599
Viral Marketing Giveaway 9 brings you over 500 hot, fresh
Internet marketing ebooks, software packages, guides, and
memberships you can grab instantly for absolutely no cost
and supercharge your business!

http://greatipodgiveaway.com/x/?aff=1648
Download over $16,888 worth of hot online marketing tools,
PLUS they’re giving away new Ipods every 2 days, free!
All you need to do is visit the site, and you can choose
which products you want to download.

http://jvmonthlygiveaway.com/go/145/jv
Over 71 Marketers Are Giving Away Close To $3763.00 Worth
Of Ebooks, Software, Audios, Videos And Scripts for FREE..

Giveaway Dates: Friday, February 1st - February 29th 2008.

——————————————————————-

***How many renewal notices should you send?***

It’s very common for a renewal series to have 8 to 10 efforts,
according to Mary Lou Probka of Inside Mortgage Finance
Publications.

“The rule of thumb is to add notices until one stops paying for
itself,” she notes. Probka recommends starting renewal notices
for weekly and monthly publications 8 months prior to
expiration. This is followed by a break of 2 ½ to 3 ½ months
before the next effort.

Source: Best Customer Retention Strategies, SIPA Marketing
Conference, 12/13/07.

——————————————————————-

***Zzzzzzzzzzzz***

I thought I was a rare bird with my insomnia, but according to
an article in the New York Post (10/25/07, p. 3), 48% of
Americans surveyed say they can’t sleep at night because of
stress.

That’s why I recommend Kim Stacey’s informative guide,
“Overcoming Insomnia,” which is packed with advice to help you
get a good night’s sleep – without taking sleeping pills.

For more information, click here now:

http://www.overcominginsomnia.com/

——————————————————————-

***5 ways to make your sales letters easier to read***

1—Indent all your paragraphs 5 or 7 spaces.

2—Use short paragraphs. Maximum paragraph length: 7 lines of
copy.

3—Write your copy in the tone and rhythm of a personal
one-on-one conversation.

4—Underline key phrases and put a few well-chosen words in ALL
CAPS for those who will skim your letter.

5—Use lists of features or benefits with bullets or asterisks.

Source: Jutkins, Ray, “Magic Marketing Minutes,” p. 27.

——————————————————————-

***New copywriting e-zine: yours free***

Whether you are working on a finely crafted sales letter or
brainstorming some knockout headlines, copywriting for your
business is critical to your bottom line. Haven’t you ever
found yourself wishing you knew just a few more tricks to get
the customer’s attention, one more technique that could close
the sale?

Sign up for the FREE monthly ezine, “COPYWRITING TNT!” It’s
packed with real-world tips for blast-off copy. Sign up now and
get 3 free bonus reports (a $59 value). Just click below now:

www.thewriteline.biz/ezine.html

——————————————————————-

***4 reasons people buy anything online***

According to business columnist and Internet entrepreneur Jim
Edwards, people buy 99% of everything sold online because the
product:

1—Makes or saves them money.

2—Saves them time and effort.

3—Helps them escape either physical or mental pain.

4—Increases their popularity and social success.

Source: www.thenetreporter.com

——————————————————————-

***The voice of authority***

It may be politically incorrect to say this, but according to
copywriter Dean Rieck, male voices frequently work better than
female voices in radio commercials.

“I’m working on some ad tests now and a script using a male
voice is outperforming the same script with a female voice by a
factor of two or three,” he notes.

——————————————————————-

***Where to get your video produced***

Do you need a video producer to create a promotional video or an
information product on DVD?

I priced this out recently, and even local companies wanted
$5,000 to $10,000 or more to shoot a video. That price makes
sense for big corporations, but not for information marketers
and small businesses.

One solution: get a quote from the media department of a local
college, offering to let students shoot your video as a class
project. You pay costs plus a modest donation to the school.

Or, try Turn Here, an affordable video production company that
does great work and shoots for clients nationwide. Call
510-658-9292 ext. 130. Or click below for details and to watch
sample videos online:

http://www.turnhere.com

——————————————————————-

***How many words in a 60-second TV commercial***

CK, a copywriter for a big Madison Avenue ad agency, says that
“the time constraints of a 60-second commercial demand” that you
never use more than 150 words.

Best way to write radio and TV spots: write a first draft
without regard to word count. Then in the editing process, cut
and prune until you have 150 or fewer tightly written words.

——————————————————————-

***Take stock in this SEO tip***

Want to increase the search engine rankings of Web pages
containing financial and business news?

Whenever you mention a company in an online document or on a Web
page, include its stock symbol. Then, hyperlink the symbol to
the Google and Yahoo financial pages about the stock.

Source: SIPA Marketing Conference, Miami, FL, 12/13/07.

——————————————————————-

***Master Microsoft Excel – now!***

Bill Jelen, known as “Mr. Excel,” is perhaps the top Excel
trainer, speaker, and author in the world.

If you want to learn Microsoft Excel or take your Excel skills
to the next level, I urge you to visit his Web site:

http://www.mrexcel.com

——————————————————————-

***Quotation of the month***

“Life is too short to wake up with regrets. So love the people
who treat you right. Forget about the ones who don’t. Believe
everything happens for a reason. If you get a chance, take it.
If it changes your life, let it. Nobody said life would be easy,
they just promised it would most likely be worth it.”
–Michael Gartner

——————————————————————-

***60-second commercial from Fern Dickey, Project Manager***

Bob is available on a limited basis for copywriting of direct
mail packages, sales letters, brochures, white papers, ads,
e-mail marketing campaigns, PR materials, and Web pages. We
recommend you call for a FREE copy of our updated Copywriting
Information Kit. Just let me know your industry and the type of
copy you’re interested in seeing (ads, mailings, etc.) and if
Bob is available to take your assignment, we’ll tailor a package
of recent samples to fit your requirements. Call Fern Dickey at
201-797-8105 or e-mail fern@bly.com.

——————————————————————-

Bob Bly’s Direct Response Letter:
Resources, ideas, and tips for improving response to
business-to-business, high-tech, and direct
marketing.

January, 2008

You are getting this e-mail because you subscribed to it on
www.bly.com or because you are one of Bob’s clients, prospects,
seminar attendees, or book buyers. If you would prefer not to
receive further e-mails of this type, go to www.bly.com, enter
your e-mail address, and hit unsubscribe.

Your subscription brings you one regular monthly issue, usually
at the beginning of the month, plus one or two supplementary
messages each week. These are typically either free tips or
personal recommendations for information products on marketing
or related topics. I review products before recommending them
and in many cases know the authors.

We do not rent or share your name with anybody. Feel free to
forward this issue to any peers, friends, and associates you
think would benefit from its contents. They will thank you. So
will I.

——————————————————————-

***A formula for writing stronger subject lines***

To improve your chances of getting your e-mails read by your
customers, get the meat of the message in the subject line.

The formula: subject + verb + object.

Too vague: Shipment coming.

Better: Blender parts shipped today.

Source: Customer Service Advantage, 10/19/07, p. 3.

——————————————————————-

***Jump-start your copywriting business for 2008***

For a limited time only, I am selling unlimited rights to all of
the forms and other documents I use in my copywriting business.

You get over five dozen of my sales letters … contracts …
agreements … phone scripts … forms … checklists …
copywriter’s roughs … ads … and other materials I’ve developed
and tested — at a cost of more than $25,000.

These materials have helped me earn millions of dollars as a
freelance copywriter. And at a price of less than $1.30 a
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***Is “click here now” old hat for Web pages?***

Adam Lasnik from Google says you can raise your site’s ranking
in Google by using descriptive key words in links.

Example: Instead of “click here now,” hyperlink the call to
action to a key word or phrase, e.g., “red widget.”

Lasnik also advises marketers to avoid using keywords
repetitively. Instead, he recommends focusing on just one or two
keyword concepts per page.

Source: DMA SEM Certification Program.

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***Free report on how to write magalogs***

Have you ever found writing 16 and 24-page magalogs a bit scary?
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***5 most important marketing metrics***

According to a Direct Marketing Association (DMA) study, the
most important metrics to measure – online and offline – are
sales, leads, revenues, response rates, and profits.

Among the least important: brand awareness and perception.

The study found that email and web sites had highest ROI. The
lowest ROI was mobile marketing.

Source: Levey, Richard, “Money Talks,” Direct, 10/07, pp. 27-28.

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***Know where prospects are in their buying cycles***

According to Gary Elley of KeywordMarketer.com, you can tell
where your prospects are in the buying cycle by looking at the
key words they search.

“Those at the beginning of the buying cycle tend to search with
keywords and phrases that are one to three words long and
describe the niche in generic terms,” says Gary. These prospects
should be sent to pages giving them detailed product
information.

On the other hand, prospects nearer to making a purchase
decision search with more specific terms and phrases including
brand names, models, or product numbers. These prospects should
be sent to a page where they can order the product.

Source: The Marketing Minute, 11/14/07,
http://www.yudkin.com/markmin.htm

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***Create your first information product in just 60 minutes***

Want to get into information marketing, but are intimidated by
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How to do it: interview a subject matter expert for an hour over
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Cost? An hour of your time, and none of your money – since you
can record it at no cost using this free conference line
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http://www.freeConferenceCall.com

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***What a Nathan’s hot dog can teach you about marketing***

When Nathan Handwerker opened his first hot dog stand in Coney
Island, sales were slow, despite the price of a hot dog being
just a nickel.

Reason: the public believed rumors that hot dogs were made from
tainted beef, and stayed away.

Solution: Nathan hired good-looking young college men to stand
around his cart eating hot dogs. He had each student wear a
white lab coat and a stethoscope.

The public “ate it up.” They believed that these “customers”
were doctors, and if doctors were eating Nathan’s hot dogs, it
must be healthy. Sales skyrocketed.

To learn the full story on Nathan and the selling of hot dogs in
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For more information or to order online, click here now:

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***Super-size me***

Why do so many fast-food chains push their super-size meals?
Because larger sizes command higher prices. Yet the increase in
cost of goods is minimal, resulting in fatter profit margins.

Example: when Starbucks eliminated the 8-ounce size, the new
“small” — a 10-ounce cup — increased profits by 25% per cup.
Added cost of product? Only 2 cents per cup.

Source: Fast Company, 11/07, p. 40.

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***Quotation of the month***

“Ignorance is no crime. To call somebody ignorant is no insult.
All of us are ignorant of most of what there is to know. If I
tell somebody who believes the world is 6,000 years old that is
he ignorant, I am paying him the compliment of assuming that he
is not stupid or insane.”
–Richard Dawkins

Source: Scientific American, 7/07, p. 89.

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***A constant stream of fresh news and content for your Web
sites***

My former Web master, Peter DeCaro, has created an exciting new
technology designed to automatically and continually display
fresh relevant content on any of your Web sites.

Pete’s system gives you a continuous news feed to a window on
your site, so you are always giving visitors the latest news and
developments in your field. Not only does all that new content
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Best of all, there are no syndication “fees.” All the content is
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***60-second commercial from Fern Dickey, Project Manager***

Bob is available on a limited basis for copywriting of landing
pages, white papers, direct mail packages, sales letters, e-mail
marketing campaigns, PR materials, feature articles, and Web
sites. We recommend you call for a FREE copy of our updated
Copywriting Information Kit. Just let me know your industry and
the type of copy you’re interested in seeing (ads, mailings,
etc.) and if Bob is available to take your assignment, we’ll
tailor a package of recent samples to fit your requirements.
Call Fern Dickey at 201-797-8105 or e-mail fern@bly.com.

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