I can tell you definitely that email is not dead. It’s become the bulk of my business in the investment newsletter field.

So if I could add a fourth key to email success, this would be it: Be fanatical about testing—and most important–learn from your results.

You see, because I’ve been blessed to work with top direct marketers in the country for the past 20 years, I’ve been privy to the test results of thousands of split-run, head–to-head email and direct mail copywriting tests.

As a result, I’ve been able to use the science to craft messages that not only better target what our prospects want but also result in higher responses and orders.

Because of email, I can now get into my customer’s head in nearly real time! No more waiting 21 days. I’ll know in 48 hours when all the orders are in.

Frankly, this testing–even more than gut instinct–is to me the new holy grail of profitable email copywriting.

As I always said, I’ve never been the best copywriter.

I just knew what to write about. Testing not only tells me exactly what to write about but also takes the guess work out of determining what my next package should be.

All good wishes for a successful 2008,

Doug D’Anna

PS I’ve written a report that details a few of the things I’ve learned over the past 20 years. Ray, your blog readers are welcome receive a free copy of it if they like. It’s called 7 Proven Profit Trigger for Email Copywriters.

It covers things like how I pretest sales messages, create the right sales appeal, and numerous ways to increase the selling power of your email messages.

Here’s the link to check it out. http://dougdanna.com/joinmyalist.html.

I’ve been studying one of the most financially successful opt-in/salesletter combo’s (DoubleYourDating $20-$30million/year)… To the best of my knowledge he’s using single opt-in. I’m confused at why so many IM’ers hold up this site’s IM methods as good, but he’s only using single opt-in.

I’d appreciate your comments on the pro’s/con’s of his method that’s generating so much money.

-Steve

I don’t want to plant the idea in anyone’s head that they should think of me and my products in connection to the CAN-SPAM act… do you?

-Ray

“This ADVERTISEMENT is fully compliant with the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003. If you prefer not to be contacted by me again, simply click the URL provided below.”

I’d like to add something to what you brought up based on what I’ve been seeing recently with new clients:

No matter what type of marketing you’re doing – whether it’s email, direct mail, telemarketing – a lot of business owners are “putting all their marketing eggs in one basket” so to speak. I’ve got 3 new clients right now that have each only been using one or two marketing methods.

And that’s really leaving money on the table, don’t you think?

Here’s a list that I came up with earlier this week, that I’ve added to a Marketing and Sales self-assessment that all my new clients get…if anyone can think of other methods that should be on this list, feel free to add them:

•Direct Mail Advertising
•Internet Marketing/Advertising
•Email Marketing (including autoresponders, ezines and articles that you send to your list)
•Advertising (List current locations)
•Telephone Marketing
•Direct Sales
•Strategic Alliances or Joint Ventures
•Up-selling or cross-selling existing customers/clients
•Referral Systems and/or Loyalty Programs
•PR (including radio/television/newspaper interviews and stories, online press releases, speaking engagements, articles, etc.)

In conclusion, whatever methods you’re using, make sure that you’re using it in the most effective way, so that you’re reaching the people you want to reach, and then track the effectiveness. If something isn’t working, change it. I like email marketing because it’s quick, it’s easy and it’s inexpensive. But I have 5 other methods of reaching prospective clients too – and 3 of them mean that I don’t have to go looking for new clients, they call me.

Yes, there has evolved an entire cottage industy from list building.

If you google “list building” in quotes you’ll see that there are 988,000 pages with that specific phrase on them.

Squeeze pages, joint ventures, viral marketing, newsletters, blogs, social networking, article marketing it’s all about the list.

- planting the seeds to collect emails
- careful feeding and watering of your growing list
- harvesting repeated bounties from the list

Every thing you write should lead the reader into taking an action, to make the sale or some other part of the sales funnel such as list building.

The money is in your list,
always has been and always will be.
We do need to be more dilligent with our lists.