My Internet TV show on Your Business Channel is up and running. We had taped 12 shows in one day and worked with our producers in London to make it happen…

Now, every week, there will be another 2 minute show on topics ranging from social media to marketing to public relations…. Stay tuned and let me know if you have any ideas for future shows….

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Most business professionals would agree that email is the weapon du jour in their marketing arsenal. Can you think of a better way to reach millions of people for a reasonable price?

But here is the problem. The more emails people receive, the less attention they pay to each individual message. It means that marketers are facing the challenge of setting themselves apart in a highly-competitive marketplace.

From experience, I know that promotional emails usually generate a response rate between 1 and 20 percent. Some emails do better than others. The way you present information in your copy can determine whether your message ends up at the top or the bottom of that range. That’s why it is essential to maximize the number of email recipients who open your message and click-though to your website.

I hope a few simple strategies below will guide you in the right direction and help you connect with your readers on a deeper level.

1. First and foremost, never send any emails without including an opt-out option. Your recipients should have the option of unsubscribing from your messages. All you have to do is say: “If you no longer wish to receive our monthly correspondence, just click on the link below. Your name will be removed from our database.”

2. I recommend that you maintain a friendly, helpful and educational tone throughout your message. Avoid using promotional rhetoric or hard-sell techniques. Imagine you are having a friendly conversation with a friend. There is no need to use fancy expressions or complicated words. That’s not a place to impress people with your vocabulary or a strong command of the English language.

3. Come up with a short but powerful subject line that grabs attention and resonates with your target audience. For example: “Ten Proven Strategies to Land a Job in a Down Economy.” If you have a strong offer you can put in the subject line or the headline. You don’t have to bury it midway in the text. The headline should state the biggest benefit upfront.

4. In the first paragraph, deliver a mini-version of your complete message. State the offer and provide an immediate response mechanism, such as clicking on a link connected to your Web page. This appeals to Internet prospects with short attention spans.

5. Don’t forget about the value of viral marketing. Encourage your readers to forward your message to their friends, colleagues or loved ones who might benefit from your information, products or services.

6. Your emails should be well-written. Let me assure you that poor writing skills might preclude you from capturing and holding people’s attention. Therefore, you need strong copy in your emails. Make sure your writers have the training and aptitude to do a great job. Believe it or not, the way they write can determine the outcome of your marketing efforts.

7. I suggest you keep your sentence length to 60 characters. Make sure the whole line gets displayed on the screen without odd text breaks. Regardless of length, get the most important points across quickly.

8. As with printed direct mail, offers that contain some sort of a “bribe” are extremely effective (i.e. a discount, free gift, free shipping and handling, etc.). Despite the fact that “FREE” is a proven, powerful response-booster in traditional direct marketing, some e-marketers avoid using the word “FREE” in the subject line. Here is why. An overwhelming number of Internet users have the “spam filter” software set up on their computers. These filters carefully screen all incoming e-mails. Any messages with “FREE” in the subject line are categorized as promotional and get eliminated.

Concluding thoughts:
There is a raging battle going on for the attention of anyone who has an email box. If you target your emails more carefully, keep them focused, and clearly articulate your offer, your prospects will reward you by paying more attention to your messages and maybe even purchasing your products and services. Just make sure that your writing is of high-quality.

Good luck with your endeavors!

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Angela Kambarian is a President of Essential Communications in Long Beach NY. She provides marketing consulting and writes results-driven marketing materials for companies, organizations and entrepreneurs across the country.
Website address: www.kambarian.com

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What a stressful day! It’s actually been a stressful couple of weeks. My baby, ok, she’s not actually a baby, is at college. To be honest, I used to laugh inside myself when people I knew said that they were crying as they dropped their child off. I didn’t laugh at them, I just couldn’t understand why they would be so upset.

Now I understand. On my way upstate New York with my daughter sleeping in the back seat, I watched the faces of people passing our car. It seemed that everyone had the same expression – utter and complete sadness. Why the sadness? Well, it’s actually a good thing that our children have made it this far and that they are going to a good college. But it’s hard because it seems like yesterday that they were babies. It seems like yesterday when I was going from the shower to walking on the beach to try to calm my daughter because she was so collicky. And now, 17 years later, she’s off to college to be her own person.

As we were moving her into her dorm, an older security guard told my husband that Rob Reiner had a child going to the school. My husband, an avid fan of Reiner and his recent movies, was eager to meet him.

They bumped into each other on the UPS pick up line… then again when the “goon” squad moved in all the stuff from the cars and yet again when the UPS pick up line was forming after the parents were so angry that their kids stuff didn’t get to the school on time.

Rob Reiner and my husband talked and talked and talked until the truck dropped off all the stuff and my husband found the mini refrigerator and said goodbye. He never asked Rob Reiner for his name nor anything about him. Rob Reiner didn’t ask for my husband’s name.

The one thing that stuck, Rob Reiner said that his son is going here because this is the best school in the country.

My husband was pleased to hear that. As he and my son were parting, my son shouted to Rob Reiner, “Goodbye Mr. Reiner!” Rob smiled and my son and waved.

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I won a contest with global Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) and British Air. How? I got an email from Meaghann Scherrer who works in communication’s at EO global. She asked me to forward it around to the chapter, which I did. I didn’t look at the email until I got home later that evening and found that it was a contest for EO members.

Called “Face to Face,” the contest was geared for entrepreneurs who want to do more business in Europe. Since my book, “Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Social Media but were afraid to ask…” is sold on Borders UK, and since I am the host of an Internet TV show produced in London, I thought that it would be good to connect, do some book signings and meet up with some people to do business with.

When the list came out a few weeks later, I was shocked to see that my name was on it as one of the winners. Ever since, I’ve been reaching out to dozens and dozens of people would be a good fit for HJMT COMMUNICATIONS, LLC.

I reached out to EO UK. (EO is an international organization of entrepreneurs under the age of 50 with gross profits of $1million – $25million. There are more than 7,000 members worldwide.) I got about 10 emails back and then found out that EO UK was going to organize a meet up on the 16th. I also emailed PR firms in London to see if we could collaborate. In addition, I reached out to the two bookstores in London for book signings and my producer to get an appointment.

Hopefully, with all this business stuff, I’ll be able to tour London. (London is one of those cities I’ve never visited before….)

So come September 15 – Hello London!

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Should I use an Avatar? Should I use a professional photo? Should I use a casual photo? I am asked these questions all the time. My answer, how do you want people to see you?

• Using a fictitious character – Some people I know use avatars or fictitious characters. To me, this says that the person is hiding behind something and you won’t be able to read him or her. Doesn’t this defeat the purpose of social media? Social media is about making connections and getting a deeper understanding of other people. Remember, if you are using social media for business development, you need to be transparent and let people in. When you use a fictitious character, you are pushing people away!

• Professional Headshot — Professional photos are also roadblocks but not as bad as an avatar or fictitious character. This tells me that you are all business and nothing else. I want to get to know you and who you are before I do business with you….

• Casual photo — The casual photo makes me think that you are being real, inviting and want people to learn more about you. Personally, I think this is the most effective one for business development because it shows that you are three dimensional, not just all business or closed ike the other two.

• Photo with Family Members — I think that people need to strike a balance between professionalism and casualness. Photos with family members make me feel like I shouldn’t go there — that the page is all personal and no business. Are you true friends with all of your friends? Or are you using this for business development too? If the later, change the photo!

Let’s hear your thoughts on the topic…. Comments welcome!