John (and other newbie online marketers),
Let me ask you a question. Why would you ever send out an email that destroys your own credibility? Credibility is absolutely essential to the success of any company on the Internet. And yet, you lied to me in your email, multiple times.
Lies? Yes, that is a strong word. Would you prefer me to suggest that you exhibited “extreme ignorance”?
I know that you likely have some very clever software that you are using to construct and mail your sales offers to folks.
Your only salvation here is that I know you likely made only one mistake. You trusted your handy-dandy software package to take good care of your business interests.
But your software has failed you.
The first problem in your mailing appears in the first and second paragraphs.
“I was recently reviewing automobiles ezine sites in some of the major search engines and I came across your web site: www.thephantomwriters.com.”
“After reviewing your site I found that we are both targeting the exact same market, though we are not in competition with each other.”
It is obvious that you really did not review my website, or you would not have written your sales message as you did. But then again, I also know that your nifty little software package wrote the actual sales script for you.
Later in your message, you also said,
“I offer this partnership very selectively, so please do act fast if you wish to go ahead with this.”
Here is another lie that your software’s nifty little sales script tagged to “your reputation”. If you were selective about who you offered this too, you would never have contacted me. After all, I only have about 20 pages related to the automotive industry – in more than 6000 pages on The Phantom Writers website.
The truth is that ThePhantomWriters.com is not an automotive website!!! It does not even have its own ezine!!!
But, you know what? I decided to check out your offer anyway, because I actually do own an automotive website at a different URL. I am always on the search for monetization offers for my various websites, so I gave you a shot.
At the beginning and end of your message, you referred to my “automotive website”, and you offered an affiliate program to enable my “automotive ezine” to earn money.
The biggest disappointment I found in your message is that your affiliate program has absolutely nothing to do with automobiles or the automotive industry. Nope. You are soliciting me to sign up for an affiliate program, to sell web hosting services to my visitors!!! Yes, it is true that most website owners own cars, but not all car owners own websites!
John H. (last name withheld for obvious reasons), I have news for you. My company specializes in the creation of informational and tutorial-style articles and in the distribution of those articles to publishers on the World Wide Web, for the purpose of promoting my clients’ websites.
You know what else John? In responding to your email, I just wrote my newest article. The good news is that you are going to be famous!!! The bad news is that you are going to be famous for all of the wrong reasons…
…
Bill Platt has owned and operated http://thePhantomWriters.com/ since 2001. If you would like to learn more about his article distribution service, visit his website. To read 100′s of Bill’s Tweet-sized tips for article marketing, SEO, and more, visit: http://thePhantomWriters.com/tips/index.php Bill is also active on Twitter @contentmanager
Read more articles written by Bill Platt
Related posts:
- Internet Marketing – Why 2010 Will Be A White Knuckle Ride For Web Marketers
Next year may just prove to be one of the most challenging times for pursuing online or Internet marketing on the web. It may just be a watershed moment for many marketers struggling to keep abreast of all the different factors which have come into play in recent months. Most... - Colors And Internet Marketers
Internet marketers are always on the lookout for ways of creating good impressions on viewers, as the business is always dependant on good impressions! The customer spends only a few minutes to gauge on the competence of a company through the marketing tool. So this few minutes prove to be... - 5 Reasons Why Most Internet Marketers Fail
When it comes to starting any endeavor, whether it be learning a new hobby or starting an online business, we all have to start at ground zero. We all have to start at the very beginning from the very same place. Granted, we each bring different skills and backgrounds into... - Offline Networking: Does it Really Matter to Us Internet Marketers?
One of the most common mistakes that Internet marketers make is to assume that every last thing they do must be online. Wrong! Offline networking can be a very helpful resources when it comes to building your online empire. Here are some examples of how devoting some time to networking... - How to Connect with Other Fellow Internet Marketers Offline
Just as offline marketers use physical gathering places to connect with their peers, you can do the same thing with your fellow Internet marketers. In fact, many of the same venues will work just as well. Here are some suggestions on how to meet up with other marketers who are... - Beware the Rise of Marketing Immunity
As the owner of a small business, you are, in many ways living in what Charles Dickens called, in his book, A Tale of Two Cities, “the best of times” and “the worst of times.” It’s the best of times because information technology, and the Internet in particular, has in... - Successful Article Marketers Help Readers Solve Problems
Every week, I have the opportunity to speak with people about the benefits and challenges of using article marketing to promote an online business. Of course, article marketing is about getting your sales message in front of potential customers and to get links to your website, from the page where... - Why Most Affiliate Marketers Fail
Many people coming online and deciding to sell affiliate products never sell a single product. The reason is glaringly obvious, and it’s not the unfortunate affiliate marketer’s fault. Think about any job that you’ve ever held in the offline world. What happened? You were hired and told when to report... - Beware of the Online Marketing Minefield
... - Warning!!! Deadly Swimming Molds: Invades Crops Causes Billions In Lost Revenues And Millions Starve To Death
Ok the title is a bit over the top but in a round about way it is true. Many swimming molds live in and swim through the thin film of water on wet plant leaves and ruin many important crops during extra wet growing seasons. These molds often have a... - Top 10 Reasons Why Online Marketers Fail With Article Marketing
If you’ve been marketing products online for any length of time, you’ve likely heard people talk about the power and promise of article marketing for the promotion of your online business. Unfortunately, many online marketers have tried to utilize article marketing to benefit their online business and failed. After numerous... - The Six Degrees of Internet Marketing
The theory behind the Six Degrees of Separation is that all people on earth can be connected together in as little as six steps. The concept was made fun in the 1990′s, with the creation of The Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon (oracleofbacon.org) – which is a website that documents... - Newsletter Publishers: The Redheaded Step Children Of Internet Marketing
People who publish online newsletters, often referred to as “ezines”, have always played an important role in the growth of the Internet economy. In fact, if you listen to any of the Internet gurus, they are going to tell you time and again that the most important thing you can... - Article Marketing for Internet Affiliate Programs
When you decided that the time was right to look for business opportunities that let you work from home online, internet marketing affiliate programs like those offered by Click Booth were likely a big draw – for good reason; they make it possible to make money fast. For those affiliate... - Find Your Market On The Internet
An All-Too-Common Perspective I was interviewing a new client recently and was running through the usual qualifying questions with him – the first of which was: “Can you tell me which market your products are targeting?” His response startled me. He said: “well that’s easy, it’s the Internet!” I paused,...