Welcome to the new format eBF Newsletter.

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eBF News - February 2005

In This Issue

1) Editor’s Note -
2) Feature Article - Autoresponders
3) How To - Use Your Sig File to Advantage
4) New Blog Launch -
5) Recommended Resource -
6) Free Software -

EDITORS NOTE:

Welcome to the new format eBF News…

I trust you found access easy enough.

I have chosen to change the delivery system of the eBF News for a number of reasons but in the main it is due to the increasing difficulty in getting email messages delivered to your inbox.

Due to the high incidence of spam many ISP’s and individuals are running sensitive filters on their email systems and because of this many genuine and legitimate messages are not being received by the intended recipients.

I have until recently posted the Newsletter online after sending out a very brief message to advise it is available.

From this issue onwards the eBF News will be posted here on the eBF-News Blog…You will note that access is via a password, a new password will be provided each time I issue a new newsletter, a brief email to you will give you the password for each new issue.

The eBF News will continue to be available at eBF News Archives but this will be at least a month after the last issue was posted here.

I suggest you visit eBF News Blog regularly as I will be posting time sensitive messages, great offers and or market updates in-between newsletter issues.

As usual I would appreciate any feedback you may like to offer in regards to the new format and or ideas or opinions as to what you may like to see changed for the future.

Just send me a message…the address is in the Left Hand column.

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FEATURE ARTICLE:

“The Value Of An Autoresponder”

A good autoresponder can help your business in many ways. An autoresponder is a program that sends out a prewritten message anytime someone sends an email to a particular email address. The program can also be set up to send pre-written follow up messages at intervals that you specify.

Autoresponders can be used to automate your business. You can set the autoresponder to send passwords to new customers, send potential customers more information, and to follow up with potential customers. Your autoresponder can also be used to distribute free reports or email courses to prospective customers, to deliver newsletters to subscribers, or to communicate with anyone who may send you email while you are out of the office for an extended period of time.

As a general marketing rule, a potential customer must see your message an average of seven times before they will purchase your product or service. Autoresponders make this process easier for you. Once you have the initial contact with a potential customer, your autoresponder can be set with pre-written messages to be delivered to that prospect at given intervals. This not only automates the selling process, but it also increases your chances of making the sale.

It is important that you use a good autoresponder. There are many on the market today that are either not reliable, or don’t offer the features that you may require for your business. Some features that you should look for include:

 Unlimited autoresponders. Your business may require more than one autoresponder, to send messages about a variety of products or services. You may have several free reports that you wish to distribute. This cannot be done with just one autoresponder. You need unlimited autoresponders.

 Unlimited follow up messages. You want to be able to set an unlimited number of follow up messages. Your product or service may require more than seven messages.

 Unlimited message length. You need to have the ability to make your message as long, or as short as you desire. You should also be able to make unlimited changes to your message, and have the option of using HTML or plain text for your messages.

 Tracking. You need to be able to track your messages. You will want to know the deliverability of the messages, the open rate, and click through rates. You will also want to see how many people have activated your autoresponder, and have control of, and access to, those email addresses.

 Opt-in features. Your autoresponder should have opt-in features to protect you from spam complaints. Often, people sign up for things, then forget that they signed up. To protect yourself, you need to be able to prove that a person actually did sign up, and that they confirmed that sign up. You also want people to be able to opt-out.

 The ability to block email addresses. You want to be able to block certain email addresses to keep spammers off your list.

There are many different autoresponders on the market, but not all of them will meet your requirements.

One of the best low cost, full featured autoresponders on the market today is Aweber. I use Aweber for both my newsletter and as my general autoresponder. I am 110% pleased with the service. You can get more information about Aweber here Aweber Autoresponder Service
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- Article by Kevin Robb - Visit eBF-News or eBusinessFormula for more original content like this.
Reprinting this article is permitted provided this footnote is included.
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HOW TO:

Using Your Signature File As A Promotional Tool

A signature file is a short block of text that goes at the end of all of your emails, forum posts, newsgroups and email discussion posts. It is used to identify the author, and to provide additional information about them. A signature file should contain your name, website URL, the name of your company, and a couple of lines about your offer. You may also choose to include your phone number, physical address, and email address. A signature file should be arranged as follows:

Your Name
Your Company Name
http://www.yoursite.com
The best prices and information
On widgets worldwide. Our best
Selling widget is half price this week.

The signature file benefits both the reader and the sender. It tells the reader how to contact you, and it provides you with a form of free advertising. If used correctly, your signature can become the most effective form of advertising you use. It is also the easiest advertising you will do. By using a signature file on all of your electronic correspondence, you are constantly advertising just by going about your day to day business.

When you are writing your signature file, there are several things to keep in mind. First, do not create a signature file that is more than seven lines long. In most cases, five lines is more acceptable. Each line should be no more than 60 - 65 characters wide. You want your signature to look professional. Therefore, you should never use all capital letters, and avoid using exclamation marks.

Writing your contact information is the easiest part of creating a signature file. The hard part is writing the two to three lines that let your readers know about your offer, what your company does, or how you can help them. That is not a lot of space to get your message across to the reader, so you have to make good use of the space.

Do not waste words. Your sentences must make sense, but your space is limited, so do not use unnecessary words. In the sample signature file above, we might use the ampersand ( & ) sign instead of the word “and” to save space. We could also shorten the word information to info. In the last sentence, we could remove the words “Our” and “is.”

Signature files should be tested, much in the same way that ads are tested. You would not continue to use an ad that is not pulling in sales. Therefore, if your signature file isn’t increasing traffic to your website or increasing your sales, change it. Find the signature file that creates traffic and sales, then use it consistently as often as you can.

As an example here is one of mine:
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The eBusinessFormula Newsletter
The Ultimate Home Based Business Ideas Guide
All the latest news, *Free* to subscribe
http://www.ebusinessformula.com
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- Article by Kevin Robb - Visit eBF-News or eBusinessFormula for more original content like this.
Reprinting this article is permitted provided this footnote is included.
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NEW BLOG LAUNCH:

Just recently I launched a new Blog eBizBlogger

eBizBlogger is dedicated to delivering eBiz News from the world as it happens…

I am using RSS extensively to provide feeds for the Blog, these are updated automatically so the Blog is always displaying the latest news.

These live posts are interspersed with my own comments, I have had it running for just a few days now with almost no promotion but the traffic I am receiving is quite amazing.

Take a look now eBizBlogger I will provide more detail as to how I intend to further develop this site and give you some data on progress via posts here at eBF News

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RECOMMENDED RESOURCE:

This package comes highly recommended, I use the tools, software, ebooks and more provide on an almost daily basis.

Every tool you could ever want for your Online Business is bundled into one great resource…the products are to numerous to mention.

Yes I know what you are thinking?, Kevin is trying to do the hard sell on me, well it’s your choice but I believe you owe it to yourself to check out this power packed offer…I use it every day and once you see it I’m sure you will as well.

Blockbuster Deal

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FREE SOFTWARE:

Two great pieces of software for you this issue:

    Pegasus Mail 4.12a

This is the best “Free” email client around, Pegasus mail includes all the features you would expect in a top program and more…

Get it here: Pegasus Mail

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    NoteTab Light 4.95

NoteTab Light is a free super fast text and HTML editor, This program functions efficiently as a word processor as well as an editor.

A very handy program that includes a number of unique features.

Get it now: NoteTab Light

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If you have any questions or would like some further info on today’s newsletter drop me an email:

Well that’s it for now, I trust you found within some value that will further enhance your experience and enjoyment of this exciting industry.

Until next time…

All the best for your success,

Kevin Robb

eBusinessFormula
eBusinessFormula Forum
eBusiness-Advisor
eBizBlogger
eBF-News

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AUSTRALIA
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