'elf Expressions Ezine
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"Get hold of your 'elf!"
Your weekly collection of marketing tips,
hints, and advice interspersed with humor, inspiration, and other
goodies to spice things up a bit. It is being offered for
entrepreneurs, would-be entrepreneurs, and online marketers, who
need guidance, tutoring, advice, mentoring, and inspiration. The
publisher's philosophy is that most learn faster by taking small
bites, rather than large gulps. Small bites are chewed more
thoroughly, swallowed, and digested more readily. Keeping that
in mind, many features will be solo items. That way, you will
not be bombarded or overwhelmed.
Publisher: Mary Wilkey
Volume 1 - Issue 6
Published every Tuesday evening
Hi, readers. Time flies so quickly-seems as
if the last issue just went out! Happened to catch an item that
Vern Anderson, one of my subscribers, put in his ezine's last
issue, and I felt led to sent him some commentary. His original
article and my response are published as the feature article this
week-if anyone has anything else to add to our thoughts, please
do so. Feedback is wonderful-ezine publishers love it-and it
provides an open dialog.
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JUST A THOUGHT
What is a word?
An idea.
Ideas are thoughts.
Thoughts exist.
Just as electricity exists.
Just as all
other invisible forces exist.
We know that invisible things
exist, because we have visible evidence of their existence.
Once we speak a word or send forth a written word,
it does
not return to us void.
It is very possible to control things with our thoughts
(ideas).
It follows that it is even easier to control things
with our words,
because we cannot speak or write
words
before we have thought them.
And if thoughts
have so much power,
how much more should our thought-backed
words have power?
(This is why we should weigh our words
and never say anything
without thinking about it
first.)
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CONTENTS:
Sponsor Ad
Ad Contest
Subscriber Spotlight
Feature Article
Classifieds #1-3
Today's Chuckle
Today's English lesson
Internet Tips & Hints
Classifieds #4-6
Guest Article
Inspiration
Etcetera
SPONSOR
AD
AD
CONTEST
Results of last issue's ad contest: See Patricia O'Dell's ad
above.
For our subscribers only: Be the first person to
submit an ad this week containing any word starting with "C" and
ending in "S" and receive the top sponsor ad next issue FREE!
God's Presence is here on earth.
That is why we can
experience such highs of joy-but they cannot last
because,
even though God's Presence is everywhere,
we have
to be tuned in to His station.
We must be on the same
frequency.
And if we move too far away,
we cannot bring Him in.
We can search and search the
dial,
but unless we get on the same wave-length
and tune in
to His signal,
we cannot hear His program.
We have many
other stations
from which to choose.
But once we discover
His frequency
and stay close to His signal,
His station
comes in loud and clear.
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SUBSCRIBER SPOTLIGHT
The first subscriber to submit his or her personal profile
sharing with the rest of us all about who he/she is, background,
family, location, interests, hobbies, goals, dreams, etc., will
be spotlighted right here next issue-and yes, an email and/or URL
may be included!
No one submitted an entry for the Subscriber Spotlight this
week, so get yours written up and send it to me for inclusion in
next week's issue!
FEATURE ARTICLE
Here is an original article from Vern Anderson, one of my
subscribers:
Rich Still Getting Richer
Six years ago when I first hooked
up to the internet, I was as mixed
up about what to do as any newbie is
today.
I was looking for information that
would help me on what to do. I read
every bit of information I could find.
I remember even back then reading that
the internet had created a level playing
field for rich and poor alike.
Don't you believe it. I did until I had
been marketing for a long time.
When I noticed that the rich were still
making sales at a high rate, I decided
to do some investigating.
Here is why those of us who are poor
cannot compete with the rich.
When one of them has an idea to start a
new website and sell this or that, they
start a lot differently than we poor slobs
do.
They hire a professional to start building
a website per their instructions.
They set a date for the website to go live.
Then with that date they start purchasing
ads everywhere that they know will get them
the best traffic and sales.
The price of the ad is no problem. One guru
told me that he pays as much as six hundred
dollars for a solo ad to start his new site
out with a bang.
Of course, his ad goes out to 200,000 persons.
Can you do that? Not me!
He does not stop with just one ad. He purchases
a lot of less expensive ads, some costing only
$140. Still over my head.
All those ads are set to go out the exact time
the website goes live.
Another reason poor people can't compete is, when
they have an idea for software or any thing else,
they don't wrack their brains trying to come up
with a way to complete it, they hire it done.
A certain guru who shall remain anonymous told me
that he came up with a software idea, so he hired
it made for himself. Cost only $1,500.
His new software is selling for around $20
dollars each. Could you spend that much and
possibly wait months just to break even?
They can, because their other sites are making
a lot of sales. A lot of these gurus have as
many as twenty websites.
I could not afford the web hosting cost. Could you?
Now I know there are exceptions to everything.
Now and then someone who is not wealthy comes
up with a great idea and starts selling like
crazy and ends up wealthy.
The odds of this happening to you or me is
probably something like 100,000,000 to one. It
could even be higher than that. We have about as
much chance of winning the state lottery.
The guru I mention is making six figures a
year from his websites. Not my words, his.
If you see an ad or a website saying you
can be making a million dollars a year from
now, run like the wind. The only millionaire
will be the person that has the program.
We are all hoping and praying that we can just
make extra money to help us pay our monthly
bills. We need to be thankful of the many friends
we have established since we came online.
Money cannot buy friendship. Only honesty can
do that. If I never get rich I still have my
great friends.
Article written by Vern Anderson
101 South Cherry Street
Lexington, Illinois 61753
http://www.market
ingnewsnewsletter.com
mailto:vern
@marketingnewsnewsletter.com
All articles available at our website.
Also visit our marketing site.
http://www.lvanderson.com<
/center>
And my response to the above:
You'll Never Look at Another Plate of Bacon &
Eggs
in Quite the Same Way Again!
Hi, Vern -- Caught your article and have a few thoughts. You
made some valid observations, but I believe you didn't go far
enough.
I mean, the majority of us are in there with you-on the
downside looking up-but one thing we have is hope.
We never fail until we quit. We can make it to the upside of
the whole shebang if only we just hang in there. Of course,
plugging along from day to day using only our own meager
resources means it will take us awhile to
build up a decent income.
However, if we wish to make it BIG-FAST-we have to take the
concomitant risk and GO big, insofar as we are able to put
together the
resources to do so. By this, I mean, sticking our necks
out-whether that means running up our credit cards, borrowing
against our home equity,
dipping into life insurance funds, 401K, selling off some
assets, or borrowing from friends or family, maybe getting a
government
grant, or raising cash from investors-there is going to be
RISK!
(I would rather try SOMETHING BIG and make it BIG, than to try
something little and succeed with only paltry pay!)
And also, it is better to try something BIG if you really
believe in it. Of course, before taking on ANY risk, we first
must
thoroughly investigate that which we are considering and gather
as many
facts as we can to make an intelligent decision.
Then, once we make the decision to "go for it," we must be as
commited as the pig for the bacon, and not just be involved, as
the egg for the chicken. (You may never look at another plate
of bacon & eggs in quite the same way!) :-)
We have to then throw everything we have into the effort to
make our
enterprise work-whether that is monetary resources, time,
effort, or anything else. We must be willing to give our all-and
most of all-NEVER QUIT! If something is worthwhile investing in
in the first
place, then it will be worthwhile sticking with for the long
haul.
Now I'm not talking about pie-in-the-sky here-I'm talking
about advertising and marketing a proven and tested product-one
that you know works-and also I'm talking about putting the more
expensive ads out ONLY after you've tested them for
effectiveness. (Advertising is not only a science, but it is an
art!) So, while everything in your ad may be
technically correct, if it doesn't "click," it will still fail.
You MUST
test. All the BIG boys do! That's part of what makes them
BIG!
Bottom line, what I'm trying to say is this: Sure, do
everything for yourself that you can do when you're starting out.
Later
on, after you've had a measure of success, you can afford to hire
some of these things out. But the most important thing you can
do if you want to get BIG is to develop a good ad that pulls
well and then roll out with it BIG.
And remember-nothing ventured, nothing gained-an old saw,
but true. Another is, ya gotta HAVE money to MAKE money!
This is at least partly true-I look at it as "ya gotta USE
money to MAKE money"! It just doesn't necessarily have to come
directly out of your own pocket.
*******************
Feel free to reprint the above article with this info
intact: Article penned by Mary Wilkey, publisher of 'elf
Expressions Ezine. To subscribe, email me at elfbutter@er
inet.com?subject=subscribe
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Last week, my dear, dear readers, I asked you to
share with the rest of us a brief listing of your favorite books,
the ones which have impacted your lives the most-the response,
na-da-zilch! Does anyone read these articles, or am
I just spinning my wheels???
TODAY'S CHUCKLE
The Eskimo hunter asked the local missionary priest, "If
I did not know about God and sin, would I go to hell?"
"No," said the priest, "not if you did not know."
"Then why," asked the Eskimo earnestly, "did you tell
me?"
TODAY'S ENGLISH LESSON
Seeing the same elementary mistakes over and over again
has prompted this publisher to write an English lesson each
issue. This one concerns the misuse of "tailor" and
"taylor." It is hard to believe that people don't know
the difference between these two words. But we have to assume
that it's all part of the dumbing-down-of-America syndrome so
evident today.
"Tailor" as a verb means to alter something, from an
article of clothing to a document to anything else. "Tailor" as
a noun refers to the person who does the tailoring.
"Tailor-made" is an adjective and refers to anything
made to order.
"Taylor" is a common surname, and it is now coming into
common use as a first name. It is NEVER used as a verb.
INTERNET
HINTS & TIPS
How to find out if hardware devices have gone
sour.
Is your computer's hardware causing problems? Did you install
a new sound card that won't work? Or something else? Check
the Device Manager for details.
Right click My Computer, and select Properties.
Click the
Device Manager tab. If you see a yellow exclamation mark
next to any item, it has problems. You can uninstall that
item by highlighting it and clicking the Remove
button.
When you reboot your computer, Windows will try to locate
the appropriate drivers for the device. You may need to
have your Windows CD available, or the proprietary disks for
that particular hardware. Worst case scenario: the hardware
still doesn't work after you've tried this. You may need
to take your computer in to a techie.
GUEST
ARTICLE
20 Ways To Increase Your Traffic and Sales
Using
Free Follow-Up Autoresponder Courses!
An autoresponder course is a group of articles or
information set up to be sent out separately over a
set period of time by e-mail. People just e-mail your
autoresponder to receive the free course, and it is
sent out automatically over time. You can find free
follow-up autoresponders to use by typing it into any
search engine. Below are twenty ways to use them to
increase your traffic and sales.
1. Offer your course as a free bonus for
purchasing
one of your main products or services. People will
buy your products quicker when you offer a bonus.
2. When you write and give away a free course you
will become known as an expert. This'll gain people's
trust, and they will buy your main product quicker.
3. Allow others to add your free course to their
own
product packages. Their customers will see your ad
when they purchase.
4. People love to get freebies. A free
autoresponder
course is perfect. They will visit your website to
get the free valuable information.
5. Allow people to receive your course for free,
if
they give you the e-mail addresses of three to five friends
or associates who would be interested.
6. Allow other people to give away your free
course.
This will increase the number of people who will see
your ad in the course.
7. You could trade advertising space in your
course
for other forms of advertising. It could be banner ads,
e-zine ads, website ads, etc.
8. Gain new leads by having people sign up and
give
you their contact info before they can receive your
autoresponder course.
9. Give away the autoresponder course as a free
gift
to your current customers as a way of letting them
know you appreciate their business.
10. Give away the course to people who join your
affiliate program. This will increase the number of
people who sign up.
11. Make money selling advertising space in your
course. You could charge for small classified ads or
sponsor ads.
12. Get free advertising by submitting your course
to
freebie websites. This will increase the number of
people who will see your ads in the course.
13. Make money by selling the reprint rights to
those
people who would like to sell the course. You could
make more money by selling the master rights.
14. Hold a contest on your website so people could
win your course. You will get free advertising when
you submit your contest to free contest directories.
15. You'll gain valuable referrals from people
telling
others about your course. Word of mouth advertising
can be very effective.
16. Make money cross-promoting your course with
other people's products or services. This technique
will double your marketing effort.
17. Increase your e-zine subscribers by giving
your
course to people who subscribe to your e-zine. This'll
give people an incentive to subscribe.
18. Allow your affiliates to use the free course
as a
promotional tool for your product. Each lesson could
include their affiliate link.
19. Promote other businesses' affiliate programs
you
join with your free autoresponder course. Include a
different affiliate link in each lesson.
20. Advertise a different product or service in
each
lesson. If you have only one, use different emotional
response ads in each lesson.
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Over 40,000 Free eBooks & Web Books when you visit:
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http://www.ldpublishing.com"
As a bonus, Bob Osgoodby publishes the free weekly
"Your Business" Newsletter-visit his website to subscribe
and place a FREE Ad!
"
http://adv-marketing.com/business"
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INSPIRATION
The path to God is a two-way
street.
He gives us what He is. He is
Life.
He inspired (breathed) Life into me.
I
give my Life back to Him to use for His purposes for me.
He then imparts to me more than I gave to Him.
He
does not give what He has, he gives what He is.
He cannot give what He has, because everything remains
His,
whether we have custody of it or not.
We receive His nature after we take on His name in
baptism, and with His nature comes the ability (power and
authority) to receive all things.
More is then required of me as I mature in
knowledge, understanding, and wisdom.
And as I fulfill these additional
requirements, my faith builds as I keep His
commandments, as I love and obey Him by continuing to yield my life
to Him to use as a willing expression of His perfect
love and will here on earth as it is in heaven.
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ETCETERA
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Contact publisher at:
mailto:elfbutter@erinet
.com
©2001, Mary Wilkey
To advertise, please send your 7-line,
65-character classified (including URL or email address) to: mailto:elfbutter@erinet.com
All classified ads are free for right now and are for
subscribers only. The top sponsor ad is $10/issue.
To subscribe/unsubscribe, to place an ad, to submit an article
for publication, to make suggestions or comments, just email me
at mailto:elfbutter@erinet.com
"DISCLAIMER: We disclaim any liability for the use of
any contributed information contained herein. We also claim no
responsibility for the legality or accuracy of advertisements or
articles submitted and reprinted by permission. It is the
contributor's and/or advertiser's responsibility to abide by all
pertinent jurisdictional laws and regulations pertaining to their
business."
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Mary Wilkey,
9310 South SR 202
Tipp
City OH 45371
937-669-8211
Email
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