| Dear Marsha:
One of the best things about the
Internet is that it offers a myriad of business building
opportunities. E-mail discussion groups (also called
"mailing lists") and e-zines are powerful examples of
this --once you know the secrets of using them effectively!
Community Without Boundaries
A mailing list is basically a group
of people who share an interest in a particular topic and
communicate via e-mail using either an online discussion list
service or a server with appropriate list server software. It is a
way for members of the list to communicate their views about the
topic to all of its members. It is a powerful and convenient way
to keep up on the forefront of a topic and to establish
relationships with some of the top people in a field. There are
tens of thousands of mailing lists in existence on just about
every topic imaginable, and several on real estate.
Mailing lists operate very simply.
Someone on the list sends an e-mail comment to a special mailing
list address where the list server software resides. Once
the list server receives the message, it forwards it on to all the
other members on the list.
reprinted with
permission from ePOWER! - Online Success Strategies For Real Estate
Professionals
Are You A "Poster"
Or A "Lurker"?
Posting is when a
list member sends an e-mail comment to the list for the consumption of
its members. In even the most active of lists, only a small percentage
of members post on a regular basis. Members who choose to just review
the discussion but not contribute to it are known as lurkers.
While there is nothing wrong in being a lurker, there are real
advantages to being an active, contributing member of the list...
-
You will get
referrals! Net-savvy agents tend to refer business to other
online agents and mailing lists are a perfect place to find those
people.
-
You will be seen as
a leader! Being well-known and respected by other members of
the list is a tremendous way to network.
-
You will generate
great ideas! Participating in an online discussion will likely
spark many more ideas than if you were just lurking.
-
You get by giving!
It is a "Law of Success" that the more you contribute,
the more you will receive —this is especially true with the
Internet.
E-mail discussion
lists are also a tremendous (and free!) way to stay on top of just
about any subject. Liszt
is a directory of over 90,000 mailing lists searchable by topic or
keyword and typically offers instructions on how to subscribe to
each one.
E-Zines --Your One
Way Ticket To New Business
Although
e-zines (e-mail newsletters) do not allow for discussion among
subscribers, they can be an important source of valuable information
on just about any topic (see eZINESearch).
There must be hundreds on Internet marketing alone! Most are
free and typically are sent via e-mail on a weekly or bi-weekly basis.
One
aspect of e-zines (and some very active mailing lists) that few people
take advantage of is that they represent highly targeted groups to
which you
can advertise. Costs can be very reasonable and response
rates potentially high (depending on how well the message was
crafted).
If you
do choose to advertise in e-zines or mailing lists, it is important to
structure the ad properly and track how well it pulls. The
figure below gives an example of how these two objectives can be
accomplished:
reprinted with permission from ePOWER!
- Online Success Strategies For Real Estate Professionals
Most Web
site log analysis software will be able to track if the ad hyperlink
was clicked because of the id code at the end of the link (shaded
area). This is a very clever way to see if your e-zine ad
dollars are paying for themselves!
Cutting-Edge
Information --Delivered Right To Your Door
Unlike
the Web where you actually have to "work" to find things of
value --mailing lists and e-zines do all the work for you. All
you have to do is subscribe and read your e-mail. There simply
is no more powerful way to stay on top of any subject. And, the
best part is the collaborative participation with your peers that not
only supports your business development, but your sense of community
as well!
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