I wanted to take a moment to address something that is a huge problem:  spam.  I’m not talking about spam in a can – I’m talking about the spam that lands in your email inbox. But do you really understand what spam is?

Spam is technically defined as:

Spam is the use of electronic messaging systems to send unsolicited bulk messages indiscriminately. (emphasis mine)

So the actual definition of spam is the receiving of email you did not sign up for, opt in to or ask to receive.   More specifically:

• If you signed up for someone’s email newsletter using their opt-in form on their web site, then you have asked to receive email from them.  This is not spam.
• If you signed up to receive a free guide, report, or tips on whatever or some free product – you have requested information from them and you will get email. This is not spam.
• Also, by law, if you purchase a product from someone, they have legal right to email you. This is not spam.

Every communication you receive from legitimate marketers will have an unsubscribe link within the email – usually at the bottom of the email.  If you no longer wish to receive any emails from this person – click the unsubscribe link.  Please do not mark the email as spam!  You asked to get that email – so therefore it is not spam.

Most mail programs do a pretty good job of knowing what is spam, and what isn’t and will redirect spam emails to your spam/junk folder.  And yes, occassionally, even legitimate emails go there; I’ve found this to especially be true in Gmail.

Gmail likes to think they’re smarter than me – and just because I delete an email without reading it, Gmail is assuming it’s because I think that email is spam.  That’s usually not true.  So I always scan through my spam/junk folder – mark any legit emails as “not spam” and then delete the rest.  This keeps the good guys – those folks who I asked to send me email – in the clear and not tarnishing their reputation by marking something spam that isn’t.

Spam is a huge deal.  If an internet marketer is getting their legitimate emails marked as spam, by those very folks who asked to receive that email, it looks bad on that marketer.

Ask yourself this:  if you opt into a list, and then click the confirmation email in your inbox confirming that you want to be on that mailing list and to receive that email, are those emails really spam?  No they are not. Then for the love of Pete, do not mark those emails as spam! Unsubscribe instead.

By Jimmy D. Brown of Traffic F.U.E.L.

See if you can spot the similarity.

What do the following three statements have in common?

1. I can’t do it right now, but maybe later.
2. I’ve already got my mailings scheduled.
3. Let me get back to you.

Got the similarity spotted?

These are all typical responses that most people get when asking partners and affiliates to promote their offers.

Chances are you’ve gotten answers much like these, right?

Don’t despair … there are ways around the barriers of reluctance and passiveness.

Let me share some simple ideas for getting affiliates to take action on your promotions quickly. I use the acronym “N.O.W.” to describe three ways to get others to promote you now…

N – News

In journalism, no one wants to be “scooped” when it comes to newsworthy items. Sharing some big story that another network or publication broke days ago is a big “no-no”. You always want to be first when it comes to getting the word out.

That same philosophy applies to what I’ve labeled “The Principle of First”. The idea is simple: being “first to market” aids in responses. Those who let their contacts know about your news promptly will generate the greatest results. If they wait, someone else will break the news.

So, to apply this principle, you simply need to create some newsworthy buzz that your affiliates and partners can’t pass up on sharing with their network of influence.

**CASE STUDY**

Several months ago I decided that I was going to remove the archives from one of my membership sites. This announcement served as a strong motivator to get my affiliates to promote my site promptly before someone else did. The result was almost 500 new members paying monthly fees!

If you make dramatic changes to your offer, or create some other kind of “story” or “news” that warrants discussion promptly, you’ll find you can get many fence-setters active in promoting you.

O – Occasions

Another great way to motivate affiliates to get active is to use “occasions” that have a real deadline involved.

Some examples include –

* Product launches
* Firesales
* Live events (teleseminars, workshops, etc.)
* Contests
* Special offers
* Limited quantities

This is what might be referred to as “The Principle Of Force”. That is, you MUST promote the offer now or miss out simply because the offer will no longer be valid. You “force” participation.

For example: If you have a 3-day “firesale” set for a specific date, then anyone interested in earning commissions for referring customers to the “firesale” would be “forced” to promote it during your pre-determined timeframe or they’d miss out because the event will end.

My recommendation is that you schedule some kind of “occasion” every quarter. That should give you four significant spikes in your revenue each year, which can be a tremendous boost to your bottom line.

W – Wants

What do your partners and affiliates want? Seriously, stop and think about that for a moment. In fact, go one step further than that and ASK them a simple question…“What would it take for you to promote this offer this week?”

Make it happen.

I want you to remember the intangibles here: the sales of your initial offer aren’t really all that important. (Don’t freak out, hear what I have to say It’s building a lead list, an affiliate list and a customer list along with ADDITIONAL offers over time that makes the real money.

Consider this –

Option A:

Miss Ima Guru ignores your request to promote your offer as it currently stands.

Option B:

Miss Ima Guru accepts your modified offer which includes giving her 100% of the revenue she generates. You make nothing off her promotion…but in the process of her promotion she adds 500 new subscribers to your list, 75 new affiliates and 60 new customers.

Which would you rather have?

Whatever it takes to get people to promote your offer now, make it happen.

*** NOTE ***

Now, let me make a simple suggestion here: The deal you make should be directly proportional to the potential results the partner represents.

Some affiliates and partners bring more to the table and sshould be offered more in order to get them to participate.

That being said, you can get virtually any affiliate to promote you now if you make it worth their while. So, ask them, “what will it take?”

This is what I call “The Principle Of Fear”. That is, a feeling of “This is such a compelling offer, I can’t afford to miss out on this deal.”

All of this adds up to more involvement and participation among your affiliates and partners…

N – News +
O – Occasions +
W – Wants =
——————-
Other people promoting you NOW!

—————–
Jimmy D. Brown is the publisher of Traffic Jam newsletter and the owner of Traffic F.U.E.L. membership site. Drop by today to learn how to get completely free traffic to any website. Get your free traffic newsletter at http://genesisblogging.com/traffic-fuel

2011 was a year of change for me, and my business.  If you’ll notice by the lack of consistent blog posts on this site (as well as my other sites); I took this year to restructure, refocus and streamline my business and personal life.  I unsubscribed from many, many mailing lists this year – focusing only on those that I found to have the best content, and who resonated with me for a variety of reasons.

So, while it might have seemed like I dropped off the radar – I was in fact very busy with my business, and also watching and learning quietly in the background from those top internet marketers whom I respect.

I wanted to share that top internet marketers list with you, so you too can sign-up for their mailing list and watch and learn how they run their businesses.  These folks walk-the-walk and were successful first, then started teaching and helping others.  That’s important!  Their style is natural, warm and friendly – so you feel like you really know them vs. a cold hard sales pitch, where it’s clear someone just wants your money and doesn’t give a rip about you personally.

These folks take relationship marketing to a whole new level.  They get it.  Without further ado….

My 2011 Top Internet Marketers List

Lynn Terry: ClickNewz.com  Lynn continues to give excellent affiliate and internet marketing advice.  Her new personal vlog at LynnTerry.tv has allowed us to get to know her personally, which is refreshing!

Check out her Elite group at ClickNewz.com; I’ve been a member for a few years.

Jimmy D. Brown:  I love any product Jimmy creates.  Always excellent quality and how he continues to over-deliver is beyond amazing.  Check out Jimmy’s offerings at IMstitute.com.

Check out Jimmy’s Traffic F.U.E.L. system.  Like I said above, anything Jimmy creates is excellent quality and Traffic F.U.E.L. is no exception!

Willie Crawford: Willie is the JV Broker to the internet marketing stars.  He’s always sharing excellent products and watching how he promotes is the best learning tool of all.  He’s the master!

Aside from being a JV Broker, Willie also creates his own products – including the Three Pillars Help Desk Software!  I’ve heard great things about this software.  No ongoing monthly fees, just a one-time purchase, upload to your server and you’re ready to go!

Nicole Dean:  Nicole is smart and fun!  She has a way with writing where you truly feel like she’s chatting with you from across the kitchen table over a cup of coffee.  I have laughed so hard at some of her Wacky Wednesday niche posts I nearly cried!  You’d do well to plugin into Nicole’s space to learn from her at NicoleontheNet.com.

Have you heard of a ‘Blog Tour’ via guest blogging?  Check out Nicole’s Blog World Tour Planner.

Paul Evans: first time I met Paul in person – he made me cry (in a good way!).  He is an excellent speaker and told the story of his first wife’s death.  He did so with such grace and eloquence, he had the entire audience captivated.  Paul provides excellent content and products – all with his down-to-earth, southern charm.  He’s the real deal and you’d be wise to plug into Paul’s lists and learn from him. Connect with Paul at PaulBEvans.com.

Check out Pauls’ Simple Six Figures system (who doesn’t like simple?!).

Mark Hendricks: I first met Mark a couple years ago at a NAMS event.  I knew he was brilliant not only from hearing him speak; but also from the long list of successful internet marketers Mark has coached!  I had a coaching session with Mark, and from that single coaching sessions he gave me some advice that transformed my daily business!  I was seriously impressed.  You can connect with Mark at HunteRidge.com.

Mark has this amazing Internet Success System (ISS) with live events each year, lots of ongoing training and coaching!  Make sure to check out ISS.

Connie Ragen Green:  until late summer this year, I had no clue who Connie Ragen Green was; but her name kept popping up in my space via common connections we had.  So I decided to check her out – so glad I did! I’ve enjoyed watching Connie and how she promotes and does business.  I can’t wait to someday meet her in person!  She’s an amazing affiliate marketer who is a rapidly rising star! Connect with Connie at ConnieRagenGreen.com

Did you know Connie is a published author?  I have her book Huge Profits With Affiliate Marketing: How To Build An Online Empire By Recommending What You Love.  Love it!!  It’s more than just a book to read, it’s like a step-by-step manual with action steps to take. I seriously had a hard time finishing the book, because I kept wanting to stop and implement right away!

Shannon Cherry:  I met Shannon a couple years ago at a NAMS event.  She is lively and fun; but she also is one smart lady when it comes to marketing.  She made an impression on me and I’ve plugged into her space to learn from her.  You’ll find Shannon at BeHeardSolutions.com.

Shannon has a simple and smart system teaching you how to make big changes in your business with small simple tweaks.  Check out Tweak It and Profit.

I will be keeping up with these folks again in 2012, and looking for additional internet marketers to connect with in the coming year.

Sound Off

Who are your top internet marketers?