In this issue:

1) Tip of the Week

2) FEATURE ARTICLE: Ezine Marketing: Cost-Effective and Targeted by Archie R. Lawhorne

3) CLASSIFIEDS

4) FREE Resources

5) POWERQUOTE

6) MOTIVATIONAL MESSAGE: Good Grief, I Learned a Lot, Charlie Brown! By Jim Allen

If you'd like to read previously ran tips and features, go to http://netcheckspayroll.com/newsletter.html

Q. I'm being deluged with email and it seems to take all my time to answer it every day. Help! (Judy V.)

A. The most important thing you can do for your online business is communicate with customers, potential customers and colleagues. Yet, it's easy to get bogged down in email. Many people strongly support the use of autoresponders but I find that they defeat the purpose of true communication. They ARE great for sending requested articles or other material, however.

Using a filter in your email program is another frequently used technique. This is to filter out spam and reduce the number of incoming messages. The only problem with this is that you may unknowingly filter out legitimate email.

I find that templates work well for reducing the time I spend answering email. A template containing the basic answers to the most-asked questions you receive can save you hours of time every day. All that is required is to bring up the template - address it - and type in a few lines of personalization or detail. Then, the template is saved.

One of the biggest mistakes people make is in believing that a full-blown "letter" type answer is required for every email. Not true. People are busy online and want to get straight to the point. It's fast and can be almost like a conversation. The trick is to change your perception about how to communicate via the written word.

* To submit questions to "Pro-motion" mailto:Questions@IAPOnline.org

jl scott, ph.d., Author Copyright © 2000, All Rights Reserved

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dr. jl scott is the Director of the International Association for Professionalism Online (IAPO) http://www.IAPOnline.org - and also the publisher of MONDAY MEMO! - the ezine dedicated to upgrading Professionalism on the Web. For your FREE subscription: http://www.MondayMemo.org/ezine.htm

Ezine Marketing: Cost-Effective and Targeted

by Archie R. Lawhorne

Ezines have become an increasingly popular and cost-effective means to distribute information. Today there are close to 400,000 online newsletters covering just about any subject you can think of. For Web marketers, ezines offer one of the best promotional avenues available.

Ezine advertising, for example, has proven to be an extremely cost-effective way to reach a large audience. And since most ezines have a narrow subject focus, they also provide a highly targeted audience. One of the challenges of ezine advertising is finding the right ezine in which to advertise. While it's not difficult to find plenty of ezines, it can be a tedious task contacting publishers to get demographic and subscriber base information, as well as ad rates and submission procedures. I've found a number of different directories (listed at the end of this article) that will help greatly in simplifying this process.

Another effective marketing opportunity ezines offer is in writing short articles and "how-to" tips, as many ezine publishers are constantly looking for high quality content. And the best part is, the only cost involved is the time it takes to write the article!

Here's some tips that might be helpful if you'd like to pursue this strategy:

Start by reviewing ezine categories and narrowing down your area of interest. Then decide what your topic will be for the article. You may find it is useful to tap into a few search engines and find 4 or 5 related articles to your topic. This will help you to begin organizing your thoughts. With so much information on the Internet, you will find this to be easier than you think.

Next, it's time to put your thoughts on paper. It helps to write a rough draft about what you want to say and start to polish and flesh out the article. A helpful hint: stay on topic. Don't be talking about fishing and then switch over to your mother-in-law, unless it may be a humorous story about your mother-in-law and fishing.

Some of the ezine articles that you read are really low-grade sales letters. To maximize your credibility and increase your chances of being published, do yourself a favor and avoid writing those types of articles.

In most cases, you are allowed a short "resource box" at the end of the article that can include a web site or product reference. This is essentially a free classified ad. Unlike an ad, however, it has far more credibility because you (and your product) have been virtually "endorsed" by the publisher of the ezine.

Spend some quality time looking for "good" ezines to submit your articles (and advertise in). Most have a web page where you'll find archives of past issues, subscriber demographics, advertising rates, lead times, etc. Jot down important information in a notebook for easy reference -- it will come in handy later.

Writing articles for ezines can be one of the best promotional decisions you'll ever make. Not only can it provide you with highly targeted exposure, but if your articles are good, you'll become a trusted professional in your area of expertise.

Here are a few ezine directory links that I've used to find ezines that are appropriate for my subjects.

http://www.liszt.com

http://marketingwise.com/ezines.htm

http://www.bestezines.com

http://www.e-zinez.com

http://www.infojump.com

http://www.webcom.com/impulse/list.html#Search

http://www.ezineworld.com

In addition, here are some additional promotional resources to help you get published:

http://www.web-source.net/links/Articles_For_Publication

http://www.mediapeak.com

http://www.ezinearticles.com/

http://www.writebusiness.com

Archie R. Lawhorne, APR, is an accredited public relations professional, marketing writer and president of Crosspoint Publishing. For information on his current business venture, visit: http://www.sixfigureincome.com/free/?73917.23. For a FREE copy of his new E-Book, "Web Marketing Basics," send a blank e-mail to: archiel@getresponse.com, or visit: http://www.profitleader.com

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"As I grow older I pay less attention to what men say. I just watch what they do."

- Andrew Carnegie, American Industrialist

Questions to Ponder

Which do I pay more attention to?

If people are watching what I say, will they get the same message as if they listen to what I do?

Copyright the Discian Group from the Powerquotes ezine. See http://discian.com/powerquote.htm for more information.

Good Grief, I Learned a Lot, Charlie Brown!

By Jim Allen

For 50 years the daily comic strip 'Peanuts' entertained millions of readers. Every day, the adventures of Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Linus and the whole gang provided many laugh-out-loud moments while at the same time offering a daily inspiration and lessons on life.

With the recent death of 'Peanuts' creator Charles Schulz, I reflect on how much I enjoyed sharing the adventures of the 'Peanuts' gang and I remember the many lessons they taught me...

1. It's okay to be afraid... just don't let your fears control you.

Charlie Brown often sat in bed and spoke of his fears, but no matter how scared he was, he always did the things he wanted to do.

2. Persistence wins out.

Charlie Brown often lost, failed at much, but he never gave up. Even though he knew Lucy was going to pull the football away before he could kick it.... Even though he knew the tree was going to eat his kite... Even though he knew his team would lose the ball game, he kept on trying.

3. It's what you think of yourself that counts.

Linus carried a security blanket for years and his friends laughed at him. They also laughed at him because he believed in the "Great Pumpkin." Pigpen was a walking cloud of dust and dirt and was often regarded unkindly. Both characters, however, were always proud of themselves and believed they were as good as anybody else -- and they were right.

4. Sometimes you need to talk.

One thing the 'Peanuts' gang understood was the importance of talking things out. Whether leaning up against Schroeder's piano or atop the brick wall, they always had someplace to discuss what was of concern to them.

5. Sometimes you need to listen.

Even crabby, self-indulged Lucy knew the importance of listening. She started the famous 'Psychiatry Booth' where any and all could come and be heard.

6. Do what you love to do.

Through all their adventures, Schroeder remained constant in his appreciation of Beethoven and his love of playing the piano. He loved to play piano and that's what he did, regardless of the circumstances. Charlie Brown flew his kite, played baseball and football, not just to win (he knew he wouldn't), but because he loved to do those things.

7. It's important to have friends that care.

The 'Peanuts' gang was made up of individual characters, each with their own foibles and talents, but through it all they were always there for each other.

8. Big dreams lead to big things.

Snoopy was the biggest dreamer of them all, but his wild imagination often led to even wilder, more fantastic adventures in real life. Snoopy knew that you must have a big dream if you are going to lead a big life.

9. Action creates reality.

As Charlie Brown was reminded time and again after prodding from Linus: it takes action to bring about change. Though he often failed, Chuck took action quite regularly... and every now and again things would go his way.

10. Laugh every day!

While the kids themselves may not have seen the humor in the things they did, Schulz made sure that we did. Life is only as serious or as humorous as YOU make it.

Lighten up. Go play softball. Fly a kite. Dance with your dog. Smile... it makes people wonder what you're up to. ____

Jim Allen is personal & business success coach. For more ideas and inspiration, visit Jim's website: http://www.CoachJim.com . Or subscribe to his bi-weekly newsletter, re:ACT! by emailing: mailto:Subscribe@CoachJim.com.

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