Get Caught Reading in May

May is the month to get caught reading. I love to read and am always looking for new and interesting books to read. I especially love to read business books and find ideas to improve my business.

Some of my favorite business books are Ken Blanchard's. You can find some of his books at my bookstore.

So, what will you be caught reading in May? Please share some of your favorite books with us.

Checklist for Effective Subject Lines provided by Constant Contact

Do you find yourself struggling to create subject lines when sending out emails? You know you don't have much time to catch your reader's eye and you want to be sure the subject line encourages your reader to open your email.

Constant Contact has provided a checklist to help you create effective subject lines. Two of their tips are:

Review: Send the subject line to friends or colleagues to gain insights on how to
increase relevance and creativity.

Send: Distribute the email to yourself to view it as the recipients would and determine
if you would open it immediately, ignore it, or delete it.

Read Constant Contact's entire checklist.

What tips can you share?

Using Twitter Effectively

Everyone is jumping on the bandwagon to use Twitter. As an online business owner, how you can use it most effectively? Here are a few simple tips:

1. Make sure your profile bio has information about what you do and include a link to your website.

2. Post tips and answer questions you've received from clients and prospects.

3. Share your blog posts on Twitter.

As with other social sites, it can be time consuming. So plan your time wisely. I'm continually learning new things about using Twitter. And yes, I have had a prospect even contact me through Twitter.

How do you use Twitter in your business?

Do You Publish a Newsletter?

Particulalry to an online business owner, publishing a newsletter is an important online marketing strategy. When prospects first visit your website, they don't yet know you, your services, or how you do business. Prospects need to learn more about who you are and what you do so they can become comfortable with you and come to trust you.

A regular newsletter helps your prospects get to know you and then they will be more likely to use your services and become your client. Of course, this requires that your information is dispensed on a regular basis and that it is valuable.

Tips for a Newsletter

1. Your prospects need to know you are an expert in your field. Use your newsletter to reflect your expertise. Includes tips, articles and ideas your prospects can use and pass along.

2. In addition to valuable information and tips, use your newsletter to promote your products and services by including links back to your website. Be careful not to use your newsletter solely to promote your products and services. Be sure there's a reason your prospects want to keep getting your newsletter by including valuable information they can use.

3. Do you know what products or services your clients and prospects want? Create surveys to use in your newsletter to solicit feedback on new products and services you could offer.

Do you publish a newsletter? If you need help getting started, drop me a line.