Has the response to your e-mail
promotions taken a nose-dive?

From: Corey Rudl
Internet Marketing Center

Over the past few months, a number of my subscribers have been asking me about the latest marketing technology to hit the Internet.

It's called "direct-to-desktop" publishing, and right now, it's the exclusive property of Fortune 500 companies who are paying tens of thousands (even hundreds of thousands!) of dollars to have hotshot developers create custom software that lets them cash in on the new technology.

Direct-to-desktop publishing gives these elite companies the kind of advantages that most Internet marketers can only dream about...

• 100% guaranteed message delivery
  
  
• Instant messages that appear in full color and sound, right on a customer's computer desktop
  
  
• An exclusive, private communication channel with loyal customers and subscribers

... All in a customized, branded window with their company logo at the top.

When you visit one of these companies' web sites (think online music stores, sports fan sites, entertainment sites, and so on), you'll see an offer that says something like "Click this button to receive instant updates direct to your desktop."

Click the button and you'll download a small, customized "reader" application that lets your computer receive messages from the company.

The advantages of 'Direct-to-desktop'

Direct-to-desktop publishing lets you send HTML messages directly to your customers' desktops -- instantly, reliably, and electronically -- without having to wrestle with e-mail filters, bounce backs, or competition.

Once customers sign up, they don't have to check their e-mail or visit your web site to get your latest news or updates. A flashing desktop icon alerts them as soon as they receive a message from you -- and all they have to do is click to read it.

It's brilliant. The system doesn't use e-mail, yet it is 100% opt-in -- subscribers simply turn off the program if they wish to stop receiving messages.

... It's a win-win situation for everyone involved: Subscribers receive messages only from companies they trust. No spam, no pop-ups, no third-party ads... just legitimate messages from a sender they want to hear from. And companies get to deliver their messages without ISPs or e-mail filters getting in the way.

The right technology at the right time

Here's the bottom line: E-mail marketing is getting more and more complicated. While e-mail is still a powerful marketing tool (Proof: I used it to make more than $2.4 million last year, and I'm on track to do the same again this year), these days you need to work harder than ever to keep in touch with your list of customers and subscribers. Here's why:

• Subscribers change their e-mail addresses, leaving you without a way to contact them.
  
  
• Your legitimate messages get wrongfully trashed by overactive junk mail filters.
  
  
• People's free e-mail accounts fill up quickly, causing your messages to bounce back.
  
  
• And even when your e-mail makes it into a subscriber's inbox, it can get lost in a sea of newsletters, personal messages, promotions, and spam if you don't know what you're doing.

For these reasons, many marketers are looking for opportunities to use this new direct-to-desktop technology as a "partner" tool that works hand-in-hand with their e-mail and advertising campaigns.

Unfortunately, there are still a few problems with it...

The 'big guys' have cornered the market

Right now, the Fortune 500 companies have cornered the market on direct-to-desktop publishing. And for good reason -- they've been the only ones who could afford it!

These companies have paid huge sums of money to have software developers convert their company materials into compatible content. They've hired professional designers to come up with attractive, customized "reader"applications they can send to their subscribers. And they've put tons of money into developing flashy graphics, streaming audio, and video clips to send out.

There is a tremendous opportunity for marketers to be at the very front of the curve, taking advantage of this red-hot new technology to get secure, direct access to the desktops of your customers... But unfortunately, it's next to impossible for the average person to get set up with direct-to-desktop technology right now.

You need to know a programming language like XML to create your content "feed." And unless you're willing to hire some expensive software developers, your subscribers will have to use a generic "newsreader" application to receive your messages.

Where this new technology is heading

The current situation of direct-to-desktop publishing reminds me of the way things looked on the Internet five years ago, when most companies didn't have web sites yet. Only a few highly funded Internet start-ups (remember the dot-com boom?) had the money, software, and skills to develop a professional site.

Then a few companies started looking at how to make web design accessible to the public -- and now, user-friendly web design software has made it easy for anyone to create a professional-looking e-commerce web site in minutes!

The same thing happened with e-mail marketing. At first, it was just a few entrepreneurs testing the water to see if there was a way to avoid paying postage for direct mail promotions -- and now, thanks to e-mail automation software, it seems like every company is using e-mail to distribute their promotions and newsletters.

And now, the same situation has come up again. This technology will become mainstream in the future, but it's those who get in on it FIRST who will see the biggest profits from it. And at the moment, it's just now affordable for all of us smaller companies that don't make billions of dollars a year.

All the best...

Corey Rudl
Internet Marketing Center

I'll let you in on a 'little secret'...

I hope this information helps you kick your online marketing into the next generation!

The Home Biz Stop Team