69% OF E-MAIL READERS

UNSUBSCRIBE…WHY? 

A recent study by Epsilon and ROI Research revealed that North American e-mail subscribers cancelled their subscriptions either “frequently” (14%) or “occasionally” (55%) for a total of 69%. That’s a disturbing piece of news for all of us who use e-mail to promote our books, articles and newsletters and other writing. 

Kevin Mabley of Epsilon was quoted in AdAge saying, “North Americans are receiving a lot of content, and at the same time they’re getting more and more selective about the kinds of e-mails they want to receive.”  

Because of the importance of this information, eMarketer listed the primary reasons readers unsubscribe that were uncovered in the study. “Irrelevant content” was complained about by 67% of respondents, with “receive too frequently” following that closely with 64%.  Half of the respondents feared their address was being shared or sold and just under half “didn’t recall signing up.” 

Heed these disturbing results and reassess your e-mail program to be sure you’re getting maximum return on a promo program that can bring top results. comScore claims e-mail has a 4.4% sales conversion, and that’s pretty good. Marketing Sherpa finds that 44% of marketers polled report a “great ROI” from their e-mail programs. Make sure you’re on board to share those kinds of results. 

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MAKING YOUR WEB SITE

USER FRIENDLY FOR JOURNALISTS  

The Web is one of the most important research tools for journalists, Jakob Nielsen states in his latest report. When asked how they would get basic information about a company or organization (and that includes an author, a book or a publisher), all journalists in the study said that they would begin by doing some Web research.

They use online search regularly, and when viewing your web site for information are impatient with bloated sites that don't serve their needs or don’t list a readily accessible PR contact. A web site must be painfully clear about the purpose, products, and services it offers. 

If journalists can't easily find what they're looking for on a web site, they probably won’t include that company in their story. Journalists repeatedly warn that poor web site usability could reduce or completely eliminate the press coverage they had planned to give you, Nielsen, a noted expert on usability cautions in his report released this month. 

Click on http://www.useit.com/alertbox/pr.html to read more detail from this important study. Press coverage for you and your book will benefit. 

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IN A UNIQUE DOUBLE ROLE, BABY BOOMERS ARE BOTH

TARGETS OF YOUR PROMOS & TOOLS TO SPREAD THE WORD 

eMarketer  reports on several recently released studies that offer greater insight into the Baby Boomer market of more than 56 million Internet users, the majority of whom are ideal targets for your book promotions. It is generally accepted that the majority of Boomers are well educated, financially comfortable enough to buy your books (hopefully that’s remains true in this recession) and tend to share information on products and ideas that they find interesting with their peers.. 

As the largest group of Internet users, they can be reached best through digital channels and will carry your message to their acquaintances and family members. A Third Age/JWTBoom study found that 93% regularly shared this information with others.  

That was confirmed by a second survey conducted by BIGresearch that analyzed the media used for this sharing. Older Boomers (54 to 62) preferred the telephone and e-mail, while the younger set (44 to 53) turned to text and instant messaging, blogging, social networking and mobile phones.  

Far too many people think of Boomers as a completely homogeneous group. Because of the wide disparity of ages, their attitudes differ, as these surveys point out. So when you market your writings to them, those distinctions should always be in your mind.

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AN EXCITING NEW WAY TO INCREASE

RESPONSES TO YOUR ONLINE ARTICLES

EzineArticles and Twitter have joined hands to help authors gain still greater exposure for the articles they distribute through EzineArticles.com, considered by the majority of writers as the most effective ezine distributor on the Web.

More than 400 writers have already signed up for the program that automatically twitters every new article that is accepted and distributed by EzineArticles. Interested authors must first create a membership on Twitter. Next step is to update your profile on EzineArticles to include your Twitter registration.

This marriage of two of the leaders in their respective areas should prove to be a wonderful boost for authors seeking a wider reach for their editorial promotions.  

WHEN IT COMES TO PROMOTING YOUR BOOKS,

THINK E-MAIL AND DIRECT MAIL 

Although text messaging and social networking are the most talked-about techniques on the Internet these days, studies now show that while they are the media of choice for reaching friends, they are nowhere near as effective for marketing your work. 

The 2008 Channel Preference Survey by ExactTarget reports that in almost every age bracket, three-quarters of the people who completed a purchase as a result of a marketing pitch did so as a response to direct mail.  

E-mail came in a very close second with two-thirds of respondents indicating they made a purchase in response to an e-mail message. The telephone was the third most effective source, while text messages, social network promotions, instant messaging and RSS all tailed far behind. These new technologies slipped even further as the age of respondents increased. 

So it’s fine to reach your buddies through the newcomers, but stick to the tried and true when you promote and sell your books or your services.