If you're like most consumers, the mail carrier cometh and you are deluged with packages. Most of them asking you to send money. So you separate your bills into pile A, and junk mail into pile B. And if you get around to it, you might go through pile B.

But if you are sending out a prospecting package, what can you do to get your mailers read? How do you motivate your prospects to open your package instead of getting sandwiched into pile B? And what can you do to prevent them from discarding it in the round file without looking it over?

One of the best ways is to send a package that stands out from the pack:

Send an oversized envelope or postcard. The larger envelopes get special attention because over 95 percent of the other envelopes are usually the smaller size #9 or #10. Get this, I even got an 8.5" X 11" postcard: not once--but twice from a doctor's office. It caused a great deal of curiosity and I was compelled to read it.

Send colorful envelopes or bubble packs. Use brilliant colors that draw attention from the common off-white, blue, or ivory. Today's envelopes even have designs that appear like gift-wrap. People tend to rip open gift-wrap first, or save it for a special moment.

Send a bulky package. Most of the mailers lie flat. Yours will grab more attention by bulging at the seams. It creates the perception of having a great deal more of something. Maybe there are extra coupons, special offers, or discounts on inventory stuffed inside.

And even more effective is sending a package with a bulge. There's a mystery value added when people receive a lopsided, or odd-shaped package. People are naturally curious and assume there's a surprise freebie inside and can't wait to find out what's inside.

Use teaser copy on the envelope. Write a juicy offer, a benefit statement, a fear of loss declaration, a controversial argument, or an incredibly intriguing phrase on the front and/or back of the package. Pen a line that stimulates their senses into finding the answer inside.

And here's how to get a divorce from the pack mentality...

It appears every marketer, publisher, coach, consultant, speaker, and self-proclaimed gurus and geniuses worth their salt are conducting teleseminars. People go online to register their name and e-mail for a chance to listen to the call. Some get to ask questions. And many get valuable coaching lessons for participating.

I register for many of these and have run into clashing teleseminar schedules. I have to choose one over the other. Which causes a slight dilemma.

But you won't have this problem prospecting because if everyone in your industry is zigging--you should be zagging. Don't follow their footsteps. Branch out on your own.

Besides standing out--create a marketing package that goes against the flow...

If your peers are sending post cards: why don't you send gift cards?

If they're using #10 envelopes: why don't you send a 6" X 9"?

If they're relying on e-mail: why don't you use snail mail?

If they're sending letters: why don't you send a CD/DVD?

If they're passing out catalogs: why don't you distribute a magalog?

If they're doing presentations: why don't you send invitations?

If they're posting flyers: why don't you send coupons?

If they're writing articles: why don't you promote a special report?

If they're relying on advertisement: why don't you submit a media release?

If they're promoting their website: why don't you develop a squeeze page?

If they're giving away tchotchke: why don't you pass out an informational booklet?

You see, every time they zig--you zag. Don't be the follower: become the leader. And when they start copying you, lead from another direction. This way: you become the Alpha Marketer and are always ahead of the pack.

Source: Tommy Yan helps business owners and entrepreneurs make more money through direct response marketing. He publishes Tommy's Tease weekly e-zine to inspire people to succeed in business and personal growth. Get your free subscription today at www.TommyYan.com

Making Money for Podcasts

Podcasts started out as fun ways for ambitious garage DJs, independent musicians and talk show hosts, who had not ventured into radio broadcasting as a way to show their stuff and make a name for themselves. What started as a hobby for many, has turned into a lucrative profession for some.

Not surprisingly, podcasters, just like radio stations, have looked for ways to profit from their on-air dialogue.

Sponsorship

Many podcasters profit from their podcast by having companies related to the show's content sponsor the podcast in its entirety. Sponsors might also sponsor specific themed shows or show segments for a fixed fee.

Sponsorship is usually indicated by an audio advertisement. Audio advertisements are typically 10 to 20 seconds in length, and they may be inserted into the podcast show at any point. Podcasts can also include what would be considered traditional commercials very similar to what is heard in a radio broadcast. Like radio broadcasters, podcasters can recruit advertisers directly that wish to advertise, or they can work with an ad agency to locate potential advertisers. Not be left out, video podcasters can also insert video advertisements into shows to raise revenue, similar to what would be seen as a television commercial.

Advertisements in Podcast Transcripts

Many podcasters create transcripts of podcasts, and post the transcript in an RSS feed. Podcasters will often sell advertisements to be included in the podcast show transcript. Podcasters can recruit advertisers directly and negotiate the advertisement price or they can use a 3rd party network that will automatically insert advertisements into their podcast feed. The most effective advertisements, are not surprisingly those that are contextual and related to the podcasts contents.

There are a number of third party services that work with podcasters to match advertising partners with podcasters. The advertising agencies attempt to match advertising content with the podcast's content. Pheedo and AdSense for RSS Feeds are two of the more popular third party ad serving platforms for RSS feeds. When using Pheedo advertisers select the categories of their advertisements, the categories narrow the types of advertisements that will appear in their feed. Google Adsense for Feeds uses contextual language in the feed to place the advertisements that most closely relate to the RSS feed's contents. If you are using Google AdSense for Feeds and wish to improve the advertisement's relevance be sure to include as much about the podcast show in the feed description. This will mean that Google will be able to use the language in your RSS feed to serve related advertisements.

Publicize other Ventures

Many podcasters use podcasts as a covert advertisement. They use the podcast to attract interest to other products or services through which they receive a revenue share. Some podcasters promote products through affiliate programs or they own multiple ventures and use podcasts to subtly promote their ventures.

Subscription Based Podcasts

No, not Cerious radio, some podcasters have moved to a subscription model where subscribers pay a weekly, monthly or annual fee to subscribe to the podcast show's contents. Podcasters can build a subscriber base and profit from the podcast subscriptions and renewals.

Communication

Other podcasters see no need to profit directly from the podcast. The podcast is used as a means to communicate, establish brand and name recognition. Podcasters can create good will in their industry by publicizing consumer alerts, health warnings or other relevant and valuable information.

Additional Benefits - Part of the Whole

Some companies may promote their product or service by offering podcasts as an added benefit. In other words the podcasters are not selling the podcast in itself, but customers receive access to the podcast as part of something larger. Many organizations have found that providing a podcast to members in addition to other member benefits is a great way to increase membership.

Podcasting once defined as a geek hobby, has now spawned an industry. Entrepreneurs have adopted traditional advertising mediums to the podcasting technology as a way to make some extra money.

Source: About the Author: Sharon Housley manages marketing for FeedForAll http://www.feedforall.com software for creating, editing, publishing RSS feeds and podcasts. In addition Sharon manages marketing for RecordForAll http://www.recordforall.com audio recording and editing software.

Learning the Basics of RSS

What is RSS? You probably have seen this three-letter acronym in the course of your internet surfing. RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication or Rich Site Summary; syndicating means republishing an article that comes from another source such as a website. An RSS is a means of publicizing updates about websites. It may or may not include a summary and photos of the latest posting. But those that provide summaries (thus Rich Site Summary) allow users to skim through the article so that they could decide later on if they want to access the website source. The RSS feed usually contains the title of the update originating from the website. It is also usually the link to the website source.

What are the benefits of RSS? RSS gives benefits to both readers (users) and web publishers. 1. It gives you the latest updates. Whether it is about the weather, new music, software upgrade, local news, or a new posting from a rarely-updates site learn about the latest as soon as it comes out.

2. It saves on surfing time. Since an RSS feed provides a summary of the related article, it saves the user's time by helping s/he decide on which items to prioritize when reading or browsing the net.

3. It gives the power of subscription to the user.Users are given a free-hand on which websites to subscribe in their RSS aggregators which they can change at any time they decide differently.

4. It lessens the clutter in your inbox.Although your email address will be required to enjoy the services of online RSS aggregators, RSS does not use your email address to send the updates.

5. It is spam free. Unlike email subscriptions, RSS does not make use of your email address to send updates thus your privacy is kept safe from spam mails.

6. Unsubscribing is hassle-free. Unlike email subscriptions where the user is asked questions on why s/he is unsubscribing and then the user would be asked to confirm unsubscribing, all you have to do is to delete the RSS feed from your aggregator.

7. It can be used as an advertising or marketing tool. Users who subscribe or syndicate product websites receive the latest news on products and services without the website sending spam mail. This is advantageous to both the web user and the website owner since advertising becomes targeted; those who are actually interested in their products are kept posted.

What are the drawbacks of RSS? The disadvantages of RSS use are brought about by its being a new technology and some user-preference concerns.

1. Some users prefer receiving email updates over an RSS feed.

2. Graphics and photos do not appear in all RSS feeds. For conciseness and ease of publication, RSS feeds do not display the photos from the original site in announcing the update except for some web-based aggregators

3. The identity of the source website can be confusing. Since RSS feeds do not display the actual URL or name of the website, it can sometimes get confusing on what feed a user is actually reading.

4. Publishers cannot determine how many users are subscribed to their feed and the frequency of their visits. Moreover, they would not know the reasons why users unsubscribe which could be important in improving their advertising.

5. RSS feeds create higher traffic and demands on the server. Most readers still prefer the whole update over a brief summary of the entry, thus they still access the site.

6. Since it is a new technology, many sites still do not support RSS.

How do I start using RSS? There are two things needed: an RSS feed and an RSS aggregator or reader. The RSS feed comes from an RSS-supported website. There are also websites that provide a list of RSS feeds of different websites. An RSS aggregator is used to read the RSS feed from the source website. It scans and collects data on latest RSS feeds from the worldwide web.

An aggregator comes in two forms: a downloadable program also known as desktop aggregator and an online or web-based aggregator. Downloadable aggregators may require payment before they can be acquired, while internet- based aggregators are usually free of charge. All you need to do is to register an account then you are ready to use their services. Both versions allow you to customize or choose which RSS feeds to enter. Paid aggregators are usually chosen by more experienced users and they usually allow more freedom in customizing feeds.

1. Choose an RSS aggregator to use. For beginners, web-based aggregators are recommended since they are usually user-friendly

2. Scan the homepage of your target website for the RSS or XML button. It contains the RSS code you need to enter in the aggregator. Copy this code. Syndic8 provides a directory of websites that support RSS.

3. Paste the code (which contains the URL of the website) in your aggregator. There is a space provided for pasting the code.

After you have done these three easy steps, you can start reading the RSS feeds coming from the website. New postings appear as they are published real time at the source website.

RSS and Internet Marketing

The original idea of RSS came from Netscape, where their intention is to provide a means for users to customize their personal homepage to contain links to websites that interest them, similar to bookmarking websites.

The application of RSS to internet marketing was an unforeseen development to RSS technology developers. Since users are given the freedom to add RSS feeds to their aggregators, those who are interested in particular products and services available in the internet can now be notified real time. Marketing becomes more specific to interested people and not a hit-and-miss operation.

Those who intend to use RSS for marketing their products and services should consider linking up with email account providers, (e.g. Yahoo, MSN, Google mail); networking websites (e.g. Friendster, Multiply, My Space, Hi5); websites of newspapers and television network websites (e.g. New York Times, CNN) for medium to big-scale companies. Small-time industries can also look into networking websites as well as personal blog websites (e.g. Blogspot) and websites of clubs and organizations that would probably make use of their products or services e.g. a fishing supplies store can look for the website of their local fishing club for possible RSS marketing.

Clearly, RSS is an innovation in information management in the worldwide web as well as online marketing. We can expect better RSS technology in the not- so-distant future as its popularity increases among users and website owners alike.

Source: Werner Schamberger is CEO of http://www.homework-online.ws and http://www.best-articles-online.info. He is a entrepreneur and author.