Well, actually the question stunned me a little because I didn’t expect it. I thought for a second and quickly composed myself, and then answered.

What do you think the answer would be? The First Step? Setting up a website? Setting up a blog? Starting a list? Taking an course? Hummm

But my first response was, to brand yourself. When you become your own brand, then you have a platform to relate to your audience. When you remain the “mystery person” hiding behind a company name, you never become a real person in peoples eyes.

And why would you want to be a real person to them?
For one simple reason: People buy from people.
Your emails; blog posts; and websites all need to show you as a real person. When people get to know you (as a person) then they will begin to like you.
When they like you, they will begin to trust you.
And when they begin to trust you they will not only buy from you, but they will respect your opinions and your recommendations.

Think about it. If you were making a big purchase, given the chance, would you buy from a stranger or someone you knew?
Or buy a product recommended by a friend over one without any favorable comment. People buy brands before other products. How do I know?

Do you buy a Coke Cola or the generic brand? Do you buy “your own brand” of almost everything you buy?
Of course you do! Any Super market will show you that the items in the Brand name section sell more and faster and for higher prices than those in the “generic” brands section.

Why is that? Simple, That brand of corn flakes is known to have the same quality, and flavor, and freshness, but the generic brand is an unknown factor. It may not be fresh, it may not have the same flavor, or the flakes may be softer or soggy.
In this case, price in never the determining factor.

So how does this relate to Internet Marketing on the net? Simple. When YOU become the Brand name, you become the product people prefer, and know, and like and trust. Think about it, when you buy a product, aren’t you more certain if it bears the name of a well known marketer, or someone you know personally?
Of course you are.

I recently started a series of short books, and I call them “the Little Gems Mini Books.” Each one covers just one area of a subject, they are short, to the point and only touch on one thing… no room for fluff.

My sales and acceptance of these little Gems, has been very high, because of MY branding — “by Award Winning Author, Daylynne Starr,” is what I have been using since I started in this business.

I like what my partner, Chris Jenkins, writes on his emails, “Let’s Get Social” and then invites their comments and input on his Facebook and Twitter pages.

So, let us get personal too, I’m always happy to see your comments and reply to you, its a smart business move (as a Brand) but its really fun too.

Talk to me anytime…
Your Marketing Pal,
Daylynne Starr

Endless Emails of how to do this or that…  what’s a poor Newbie to do?

Then, on top of all that  –  “they” keep pounding at you that you  have to build a list!  List Building – List Building  — soon that’s all you hear.   You can’t make money without a list,  Build Your List!  Build Your List!

The whole thing is frustrating enough without being hammered about a list!  Well the REAL  problem is – how do you build a list without having a list to build from?

Really –  almost every way to build a list – isn’t – they are mostly ways to ADD to your list,  but not how to start it!

If this is where you are at,  or you are trying to help someone without a list to get started,  then I have a great answer for you.

My newest Little Gems Mini Book  gives 15 ways to start a mailing list using  (mostly)  free methods.   How about some of these:

**  Getting friends and family to help get some of those new names.  I tell you how.

** Using Social Media..  it’s not as complicated as you may think.

**  Using safe lists.

**  Writing articles

**  Chatting in Forums

**  Using Ezines

**  and even advertising.

These are just a few of the things possible,  and  - – Hey you “old timers”  there may even be a few things that could help you along the way too.

So grab a copy of the mini book …Right there, next to this post,  and Enjoy!  Oh yes..  did I tell you it was free?

Your Marketing Pal,

 

Daylynne Starr    And   Chris Jenkins present:

The Second Annual Bargain  Basement                 Giveaway2

Bigger and Better than ever..

More Gifts
More Prizes
More ways to improve your list

Enter NOW — open to JVs  now  Click here.
Open to members coming in for the free gifts,  Wed  Feb 9th.

PRIZES:   First Prize in our referral contest:
$100  PLUS  a solo mail to a list of  50,000!
Other prizes:  Solo mail outs to Chris and Daylynnes lists and to  the events list.
Everyone on the leader board with 5 referrals are entered in a
Drawing for gift cards and mail outs.

All JVs given our Brand New Free book, “Massive List Building through Giveaway Events”  to help recruiting.

Random Door Prizes of Gift Cards for the members coming  in to see the huge array of products offered to them Free.

Chris and I have an agenda this time around.
We want to see the revival of the Giveaway event amongst the top marketers as well as the beginners and mid level marketing people.  So far there are over 10 top marketers,  well known, in the marketing communities, committed to our dream.

The idea is to introduce “New Blood” into the Giveaways
Community.  Along with their huge list power – this promises
to be one of the truly big events of the season.

Come and Join us.. build your list,  grab every great FREE product in sight -  and try for some of the fabulous prizes.

And you know what?  To make this a truly wonderful event we only need one more thing…  and that’s YOU – come along and join in the fun.    

Sincerely,   Daylynne Starr and Chris Jenkins

Giveaway Events are becoming more popular than ever.  More and more newer members of the marketing community are supporting them in larger and larger numbers.

Why the great surge back to these events that just a short time back were beginning to wane?  Simple!  Because they
work!

Not only are the newer people supporting them,  but  the older marketers with large list numbers have returned to enjoy the advantages of them too.

So what’s behind all this rush, hype and support?  Simple! They are Win-Win-Win situations.  There’s everything to gain and nothing to lose,  besides they are really fun to attend.

As a JV (Joint Venture)  partner:

• You enter a product you will give away to who ever wants it and signs up for it.  The sign up will add them to  your regular mailing list.  Both you and the guest member win.    Win-Win.

• You get a chance to add lots of people to your mailing list.   Win.
• You get to put up a product that will put YOUR name and product before more people than pick your gift.  These are people in the business.  Win.

• You get to put up a product as an upsell of the one you give away,  so you can also make some money.  Win-Win

• You get to put up a One Time Offer (OTO) to sell a product,  and everyone gets to see it (more publicity.)  Win-Win

On the event, there is also a small 3 liner ad (called text ads) that are at the top of each page,  you get 2 to 4 of these.
To top that all off… you also have a chance to win some real money if you bring in the most JV partners and Member guests.  Prizes and awards for special items.

Plus, all of this is actually free, (unless you upgrade). You actually have member status too, so you can get any and all of the other gifts being offered by the other JV partners.

Of course, you can just come in free when the event officially opens and grab everything you can get your paws on…    

If you haven’t participated in one,  its time to get into the act.

Soooo   what are you waiting for?  An invitation?  OK .. in that

case:  here is your personal invitation:

Our next big  Bargain Basement Giveaway2 will be taking place later this week.  Details — dates and the Prizes information will be here next week

Daylynne  

A Blog dedicated entirely to List Building!  It’s Powerful as article after article appear,  and comments and  helps start rolling in from –  why from YOU of course.

Right now, there are 6 original articles;   How-to videos on the site,   and
several products;  plus a “Must Have”  Free report on common list building mistakes to avoid.

If you are a member of my list you don’t need to opt-in, as you will have
given the link for it in a recent Email from me.  Do sign up and you won’t ever have to opt-in for any of my Free Reports.

This is my personal invitation for you to pop over and  take a looky-see and make a few comments,  (even be the first one on a couple of them).  Learn some effective marketing strategies through list building;  and some tools to use for faster  list building growth.

Ask some questions and we can have a Q & A department.   Are Ad Swaps really a good way to increase your list?  Come over and find out,  oh yes.. you can bring a friend too… or several hundred   

http://List-Explosion.com and see  your list explode!

Daylynne

Everyone wants to know the fastest way,  the best way,  the easiest way,  the automated way and the laziest way.

The reason for all that?  You already know,  because -  “The Money is in the List.”

Oh don’t groan,  it really is you know!  But there is more to list building than you may realize.  And thus,  more to making money with that list than is seen on the surface,  or told.

Just having a big list is NOT going to bring you bushels of money!  You have to honestly work at that list,  almost constantly,  to make that money.  Not only that,  but constantly be adding more targeted people to that list.

Naturally,  there are literally dozens and dozens of ways to do these things,  and some real  secrets that some of the “big guys” hold back for their own ‘in-crowd.’

I was going to start dishing out all these big and small ways to build your lists, and to monetize your list,  and how to manage that list,  piece by piece here on the blog.   I realized that was way too much material for a single blog.

So I have started a new site,  actually there will be three sites dedicated to telling you everything you need to know about that list,  and building it to bigger proportions,  having the relationship,  and monetizing it to your goals.

What else,  it’s going to be fun to do too.  So,  now that I have you all excited about it,  I’m going to tell you that it will be another week or so before I’m ready to open the flood gates and let you all know the where abouts of the the sites.   

Just to whet your appetite, one of the first  posts is:  “List Building Tools for Faster List Growth.”  To be followed by  “The Money IS In the List…Really!”

Watch for my announcement,  and NO,  I won’t tell you in advance  

Plus there’s a free report,  “10 Critical List Building Mistakes.”

See you all next week

Daylynne 

Does the idea of putting  up a sales funnel,  scare you into numbness?

Do you freak out with the mere thought of trying to keep the whole process straight?

Well,  take a deep breath and relax,  I have the solution for you.  Let me help relieve your anxiety.
—————-
“How can I make some money on the net?  I’ve tried everything and nothing seems to work,  what can I do?”

A few months back,  one of my readers came to me with that same old problem all newer people in marketing seem to  have  and a lot of not so new people too.  

You know what my first question was?   How many pages do you have up on the web with your PayPal button on them?

Golly,  simple question,  and simple answer to his question.
If you don’t have a website up with a PayPal or shopping cart
Button on it,  how can you expect to get paid?

My questioning really shook him up though.   Really!  Is that why YOU aren’t making money on line?

It just seems very simple to me,  if you don’t have a way for people to give you the money,  how can you expect to get any?

Further questioning with him,  revealed,  although he had just finished a coaching class with a well known coach,  he simply could not figure out how to put up the sales process pages,  in other words,  the “Sales Funnel.”

Then I thought back to my early days, and the ultimate mystery of “THE Sales Funnel.”  If you are technically challenged, as I am,  the mystery of ‘what’ was far out weighed  by the further greater mystery of HOW.

Well,  that’s not a problem,  just outsource it.  I had a very good techy guy,  but  marketing was a mystery to him,  so I had the not-so-simple monumental task of  ‘teaching him’  how the sales funnel worked so he could put the pages together in the  proper order that were needed.

OK!  Stop laughing now,  this is really serious   

I am wayyy too embarrassed to tell you how much communication was needed before I could really explain it all to him.

And that is the entire problem.  In an effort to help you… so you can either do it yourself,  or hire it done, and explain how it needs to be,  I started to write this huge volume of material.
It was so complicated  I couldn’t understand it myself.   (lol)

It just seems so simple when you see it finished:
Your traffic sends people to your Opt-in (Squeeze)  page, where you ask them to sign up for your list,  or bribe them with a free gift of some sort.

OR, you use that bribe to get them to read your sales page, where you offer a product for sale.  If they like what they see on that page,  they hit the PayPal Button… OR… if they don’t need it or want it,  they click on the link saying,  “No, thanks just give me the freebie”,  which then goes to the download for the free gift.    And TA Daaa  its done.    NOT!  (lol)

When I told that to my techy guy,  he had to gum up the whole works with,  “but where does the auto-responder come in?”
“Well –ahhh…  I’ll get back to you on that part!”   (lol)    But before I could get away from him,  he added,  “do I need to put up two download pages or just one,  and oh  yeah,  I’ll also need the Paypal button code.”

Code? I thought,  they don’t have to put it in code on my account,  I don’t know what it means in plain English     

So,  if you’re absolutely sure they put this stuff in code so there would be no way for you to ever understand it all… then I have some really good news for you.   No,  not my monumental E-book,  but a really nice series of videos,  that carefully and gently explain it to you as they show you step-by-step how to do each phase of the process – or so you can explain it to your techy   

Fact is,  its so simple,  even un-technical me could do it!  If this phase of marketing  has been  holding you back, think of all you can accomplish  and all the pages  you can put up –Yourself – with this knowledge.   Here’s a link to the page that explains it all:
http://daylynnestarr.com/sales-funnel.php

Daylynne

I  recently wrote this post in a forum.  It was in answer to a long
thread answering a question about using Ad Swaps to build a list
quickly,  and with what frequency one should do swaps.

I thought you would be interested in my post.  I invite your response
also.  What do YOU think?

———–

The gentle, sincere and loving care and feeding of a tender young list is nothing to be casual about.  It is a serious business.  It will be the life-blood of your business, and your income.

In writing on this subject,  I have found that following the Golden Rule is usually the best principle.  If you want a REAL experts advice…  look at yourself!  When was the last time YOU hit that unsubscribe link in the zillions of emails you get a day?

And more importantly WHY?  I can tell you what I do.  The first time you send me
3 sales letters a day,  I get up tight,  the next time, you get dumped.   

We’ve been told that the money is NOT in the list –  the money is in your relationship with your list.  What kind of relationship are you setting up by constantly bombarding them with sales pitches?

And  YES,  a swap letter IS a sales pitch… for a product or report with the intention
of selling a person on joining someones list, or yours.  If  you can see through that rouse don’t you think everyone else can?

Something,  I haven’t seen in this thread,  is what Kern in his List Control gets to the core about and that is monetizing your list.  Creating a relationship for higher and higher conversion,  and believe me it is NOT done by bombarding your list with other peoples sales pitches.

My opinion: swaps can help you build your list a little faster,  but like anything in our lives, it should be done in moderation.  Personally,  I limit my swaps to a certain number a month, (or a certain number of days between)  and then ONLY if the swapper is giving away something I feel is of real value to my list.  And believe me,  I’m Ms Fussy about it too.

For the most part my list tells me how I’m doing.  I get thank you letters from my list when I send them something worth while.  I get comments on my blog  and people write me and ask for my help,  and even offer theirs.  My favorite letter from a list member,  (the whole thing)

“hi daylynnestarr
i no study english
i am iran
i love you”

I  think it says it all about relationship with your list. 

~ ~ Daylynne ~ ~

That’s why they call it the Present!

(a little quote from former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt)

Each of those “days” has much to do with marketing on the net.
If you spend time dwelling on yesterdays,  you can’t get past today.
If you get so involved with today  that you never look to tomorrow…
you will only have today.

What I am saying here,  is that looking to the past,  and dwelling on the
mistakes and bad parts of it,  will hurt  you in many ways more than you
realize.  It will hinder you from looking to a brighter future,  and cause
you days of regret instead of productive days.

In life,  as well as marketing,  looking to the mistakes of the past,  is only
productive in order to avoid doing them again,  or to fix them.

Living for today (only),  as a poet once said, “live for today for
tomorrow we die,”  will do one major thing,  it will MAKE  your
tomorrow’s dead things.

So the best advice is:  Yesterday is only to celebrate the lessons learned
so you can enjoy today and repair any problems from yesterday.

Today we celebrate our “present”  living life to the fullest while
working towards our tomorrows.

And tomorrow,  we work the plan from what we learned and planned
yesterday towards this day,  making this day another Present!

One of the foremost teachings in business and in marketing is to
learn how to plan your business, day by day.  You start with a
goal,  sometimes based on what  you learned  or experienced in
your past.  This is actually using TODAY to ‘fix’ things from the
past to set in motion your future.

OK,  this isn’t all double talk.  In plain everyday wording.  If you
just start out today to figure what you are going to do today, and
hope that will make your future brighter,  it just may not.

Taking a goal,  such as  how much money you want to make next
year;  then forming it into a pattern of plans of how to accomplish
that goal will give you a solid foundation to grow your business.
It will help to over come that over-load and confusion everyday.

It will help you overcome one of the biggest problems for newcomers
to the marketing world — jumping at every offer they see,  and running
after project after project or products and never really accomplishing
that goal that’s in their mind,  but  never planned out.

Plan Your Work and Work Your Plan!

Have a happy and productive day today,  and enjoy your “present.”

Daylynne

June 15, 2009: Daylynne  Starr has just been nominated and approved to be included in  the 2009-2010  Cambridge Who’s  Who of  Executive and  Professional  Women.

The nomination referred to her outstanding achievements in Property Development and building,   Published Authorship Awards,  and current works in Internet Marketing.
CONGRATULATIONS DAYLYNNE!

From the team at Daystarr Enterprises.