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Issue: June 1, 2003

"Newsletters/E-zines, Why? How?"

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If you're reading "Starting Smart" because a friend sent this issue to you, get your own copy every other week by clicking either of these addresses.

http://www.9mistakes-online.com


Here's the link to subscribe:
http://www.9mistakes-online.com/startingsmartnewsletter.htm

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"Starting Smart"
The Ezine for the Online Marketing Newbie

June 1, 2003
Karl Augustine - Publisher

Subscribe Link:
http://www.9mistakes-online.com/startingsmartnewsletter.htm
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*Greetings...a quick thought, I hope all is well with you...
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Hello,

It's been a busy 2 weeks for me, lots going on! I'm tired but it's well worth it.

I hope your doing well and welcome to this special edition of "Starting Smart".

It's 'special' because it's going to be a little longer than usual, but well worth it. Also, I'm going to share information about couple of products I would normally shy away from but these actually work.

More on these later..

I'm also calling this a special issue because it is going to be 2 parts. I have too much to discuss in 1 issue so there will be a continuation that will follow.

This is a long issue but I believe the items in it can help you and you can make money easier if you have some perseverance. I recently made the acquaintance of a fellow netrepreneur who has come up with an excellent idea, I wished I'd have thought of it and it makes perfect sense!

Mike Woo-Ming of "Joint Ventures Weekly" has launched a newsletter like none other. In Mike's newsletter you'll find listings of JV opportunities and write-ups from the people seeking JV's. It's very powerful... a listing of JV opportunities written directly from the source.

One benefit for subscribers is getting a sneak peek at what the potential JV partner is looking for before approaching them. This is highly important, having a bird's eye view of what the potential partner is looking for saves you time and money.

I'm confident Mike's going to do well! I urge you to reap the value of JV's and take advantage of this newsletter…

Find a JV partner here-->JointVentureOpportunity

I promised I'd give you my thoughts around the FTC crackdown last week, so here it is. Regardless of what you may read, and potentially get scared into buying the next "must have" software, The crackdown really not that big of a deal in my opinion.

Yes, some people were fined but they are still enjoying grand success on the Internet!

Nonetheless, it is very important that you are careful…don't make outrageous claims and be truthful in your advertising. Save yourself the $97 of buying the WebLaw software, do your own homework and write your own disclaimers.

Here's where you can most likely get the information you'll need... http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/buspubs/dotcom/index.html

If you want to get the software and spend $97, I'm sure you'll be pleased with it…the software has been endorsed by some experts and, although I haven't used it (so I can't endorse it), I'll bet it's an A+. I guess I'm just old school...I'll take the time to do my own tedious research to save money! Who knows, maybe I'll get AutoWebLaw at some point, if I do, I'll review it in an issue of "Starting Smart".

If you want the software, go to http://www.autoweblaw.com.

One thing I strongly encourage you to do though is to protect your disclaimers as well as all of your important web pages by using WebLock Pro. I've purchased WebLockPro and I love it. I give it an A- at worst, it's definitely worth the buy, no doubt. As you may know, I'm very critical about software, eBooks, and products...it takes a lot for me to recommend something.

Why? Because I've wasted my hard earned money on some things that were useless which is why I wrote "9 Deadly Mistakes To Avoid When Starting An Online Business"...I was exhausted by all the sub-par products out there and knew I could help people save time and money and start with what works first.

Anyway, WebLockPro from Mike Chen has an easy to use interface, easy instructions, and it works fast. Mike has serious claims on his sales copy and the software lives up to it.

Protect yourself, protect your images and your code. I've protected my "thank you" page and my "download" page with WebLockPro. You won't go wrong…I own it, I love it, it's worth it.

Get WebLockPro here--->WebLockPro

On with the rest of the e-zine…

Thanks for reading!

Enjoy and all the best online,

Karl Augustine
"The Regular Guy"

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In this special edition..
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*2 FREE products I'd usually NEVER discuss, but...
*Featured Article: Newsletters/E-zines, why? how?
*Ask me?
*Welcome New Subscribers! Help us grow!
*Copyright and Publisher Info
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Products I'd usually NEVER discuss, but...
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I'm certainly one of those people who loves quality. I cannot take sub-par products and I certainly don't like when experts use their name to sell sub-standard products to the newbie. This happens way too often I think...

I also am not a fan of "tell your friend, who will tell a friend, etc." type programs, but my mind has changed this week because I have come across 2 programs this week where this technique works great, and I've seen it firsthand.

I want you to be a part of this with me and a host of others. There's 2 such programs that can make you money and they are both FREE.

Don't balk, (I did at first), this works, and you will benefit from it if you realize the value…
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Program #1 -Listfire!
Building a list takes work, this makes it easier. Mike Chen has undoubtedly taken a page out of Mark Joyner's book on this one! And why not, Mark's made millions online. Here's how Listfire works (and there's a nice freebie at the end)

When you sign up for FREE, you get a tracking number for yourself that registers credit for other people you refer to Listfire. It's very easy and quick, viral marketing at it's finest. You will get emails (only up to 14 a day) but it's a small price to pay for the increase in the size of your list. To make it even more attractive, Mike gives you his well-know "Web Army Knife Software" for free for signing up.

I almost bought the "Web Army Knife Software" a while back, I'm glad I didn't!

Click ListFire and begin building or increase your list now and get some nice software for FREE at the same time!

That's it…onto the featured article.

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*Featured Article: "Newsletters/E-zines, Why? How?"

Newsletters are one of the best ways to build a list and make money online. But it's more than that, it's about making a difference to someone…helping them. It's fun too. When you are just starting out, or have been at it a while and don't have an e-zine or newsletter, figure out why. Maybe you don't think you can write, maybe you don't feel that you have anything to write about.

Hogwash! You're kidding yourself, you don't need to be a great writer to have a solid e-zine. There's thousands of articles that you can put in your newsletter for free that are written by other folks online.

You must 1st understand the value of a newsletter before you can get excited about starting one. Rather than spell them spell the benefits out, here's a short list:

*Keep in contact on a 1 to 1 basis with people of similar interests
*Help people succeed by sharing tips, resources, experiences, etc.
*Have a bigger online presence and make more contacts
*Possibly sell advertising space (although be very selective, don't sell out)
*Grow your list via sharing valuable information
*Etc., etc.

The online world will eventually be defined by only a few things, "trust" is one of those things. More and more people are wanting to get their piece of the Internet pie and they are going to try lots of things before they find their niche or "rhythm"
so to speak. The more people that trust you and realize that you have their best interest at heart rather than your own, the better you'll be with your e-zine, it's that simple.

So what are you going to write about? Good question…

My humble advice is, "go with what you know!". Write about something that you feel you know extremely well...and of course, write about something you like! You should also write about something that compliments your product offering. It doesn’t have to be an exact match, but whatever the theme of your newsletter or e-zine is, make sure it will be of interest to someone who will be interested in whatever you sell online.

Once you figure out what you are going to write about, cross check yourself and make sure you can sustain the excitement over extended periods of time. Your subscriber list will stay with you if your energy comes through in every issue. Whatever the subject is that you choose to write about, make sure that you think the subject as fun, informative, and interesting.

It would be a serious waste of time to build a subscriber base and change direction after 6 months because you lost interest in your chosen subject.

Naming your e-zine can be a challenge, take your time with it, think it through. The name of your e-zine will be the 1st trigger for whoever comes across your e-zine, so the name has to be dead on and descriptive.

The name should give that potential subscriber a quick snapshot of what your e-zine might be about. Make the name intriguing so they want to find out more. Make the name specific and don't have the prospective subscriber thinking to themselves, "Nah, looks like just another run of the mill e-zine".

Make the name catchy so the potential subscriber feels there's going to be worthwhile content in it. If the potential subscriber's interest is peeked, he or she will want to find out more and will most likely subscribe.

Your subscribers should be happy to receive your latest issue, and they should read it all the way through. I have 2 e-zines I love getting and read through thoroughly the minute I receive them…the rest are hit or miss.

There's a lot of e-zines out there, I've personally subscribed to well over 100 and 90% don't seem to be that useful for me...but some are.

If you are going to do it, do it right and do your best to differentiate yourself from the crowd somehow. Define your niche, re-define, refine, etc.

Not knowing where to start is why most people don't get started. Here's a helping hand that was useful to me a while back…in fact it's in my eBook. Take a look at http://www.nichemarketresearch.com, they have a useful FREE eBook that may help you.

Take some time and think about what you want to write about…understand the value of an e-zine or newsletter and have fun with it.

In the next issue we'll look at what steps to take after you write the e-zine and how to market it.

For now, if you already know you are serious about starting your own e-zine, here's a site that will help you tremendously.

E-zineHelp

All the best online...

(c) Karl Augustine
http://www.9mistakes-online.com
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*Ask Me?

If you have a question, ask me. I'll do my best to answer all the questions I receive. I can't guarantee exactly when, but I'll do my best!
mailto:karl@9mistakes-online.com

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*Welcome New Subscribers!

For those of you just joining, welcome!

Your time is valuable and I'll do my level best to make this "read" time well spent. I am just a regular guy, just like many of you out there...I stuck with it, and now am having a blast doing what I love to do. Keep a positive attitude and you can do just about anything....seems like old news, but it works and we all can use a little reminding now and then.

Please forward this ezine in its entirety to any friends or colleagues who you think may find it useful.

Thanks for helping us grow!

Here's the link to subscribe:
"Starting Smart" newsletter

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*Copyright and Publisher Info

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"Starting Smart" is copyright 2003 by Karl Augustine.
No part of this publication may be reproduced
without consent from the publisher.

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