Targeted Email Advertising Campaigns ? Do They Really Work?
Copyright 2006 Michael Mould
As a normal course of online business, we all want to increase our website traffic with buyers looking for our products, but none of us wants to increase our traffic just for the sake of using up our bandwidth.
So, many businesses fall victim to the slick advertising of "targeted" email campaigns claiming they have lists of opt-in customers looking for products like ours.
Do you really believe these con men?
How many people do you know that put their email addresses on lists asking to be sent information about a specific type of product if and when some clown with a list of email addresses happens to come across that specific product?
I get at least a half dozen emails every day trying to push Viagra and Cialis on me and I sure didn't ask for information about products of this nature.
I also get Hoodia advertisements that I never asked for.
Did you know that the company that holds all of the patents for Hoodia as a weight loss product has not completed their testing of the product and doesn't expect to complete it for at least two more years?
All the products claiming to have Hoodia in them haven't enough Hoodia in them to aid in the weight loss of a field mouse, but they get away with their claims since they are sold as dietary supplements and not as prescription weight loss aids.
Just another scam on the market.
Most consumers are intelligent enough to find the products and services they want when they want them and don't want their email addresses used to push a hundred unsolicited products on them every day.
I for one will go out of my way not to buy any product that I get unsolicited email advertisements about.
I guess the spam email of this nature is really not much different than the invasive pharmaceutical advertising on TV.
I know that a few months ago, my father kept a log for two weeks of every pill pushing advertisement he saw on TV.
Then, when he went to see his doctor, he gave his doctor the list.
His doctor asked, "What is this," to which my father replied, "It is a list of all the prescription medications that said I should ask my doctor if they were right for me."
His doctor got a kick out of it, and so did I, but in two weeks, he wrote down 79 different prescription medications advertised on the TV channels he watched, and he doesn't watch that much TV!
Over the past few years I have become increasingly irritated by the spam email I get, and I decided to challenge the ones advertising "targeted" email campaigns.
I decided that if they really were legitimate, the entrepreneurs behind them would be willing to accept a challenge that wouldn't cost them a thing to prove.
I told every one of them to go ahead and launch an email campaign targeting customers of products similar to mine, with a promise from me that if I saw both an increase in my sales and website traffic, I would pay them for their campaign and use their service for future campaigns as well.
Not one of them stepped up to the challenge or even bothered to reply to my email.
They all "guarantee" increased website traffic and sales; some even offer money-back guarantees, but getting a refund can be a lot harder than paying after they have demonstrated legitimacy.
When was the last time you paid for your car to be serviced in advance?
Are you expected to pay your utilities in advance?
How about your doctor, dentist, or bank loan?
The point is, any legitimate service company, particularly one with no real monetary investment like the holder of a list of email addresses, should be willing to prove their claims without you providing a credit card number for them to charge to.
A few years ago, I actually paid to have a "targeted" email campaign run, and emails were sent to 3,000,000 recipients.
I had no idea that 1% of the entire U.S. population was interested in this particular product, but I was assured they were opt-in customers that requested to be sent information about products of this nature.
In retrospect and after having been conned, I realize that statistically, there is absolutely no way they could have "targeted" anything but a list of email addresses of unsuspecting customers.
I did get an increase in website traffic, but not in sales.
In fact, I got about 20 more visitors than normal over a one-week period, which is statistically just noise and cannot be attributed to the email campaign at all.
People, these email campaigns are nothing but scams.
The con men behind them are exactly what makes consumers suspicious of Internet marketing and they are preying on your desire to get your website traffic and sales up and they deliver nothing but empty promises.
The next time you get one of these emails suggesting that their "targeted" email campaign will boost your sales, ask them to put their money where their mouth is and prove it BEFORE you pay anything.
.
"Bookkeeping for Booksellers" also provides 55 integrated graphs to visually show an online bookseller just how their business is performing. If you would like to learn more about online bookselling, please visit: http://www.online-bookselling.com or send Mike an email at: mike@online-bookselling.com
JCB Marketing Offers New Hoodia Diet Sense, a #1 Appetite Suppressant on Today's Market
Poplarville, MS (ContentDesk) May 13, 2006 -- JCB Marketing, after interviewing with several wholesalers, decided to sell HOODIA DIET SENSE as this product not only has all the recognized and necessary documentation, but also offers a product with sensible, adjustable dosages and the integrity to stand behind the product.Hoodia gordonii has gained a lot of attention recently, appearing on 60 Minutes and many other news reports and in countless newspaper and magazine articles for its potential as a diet aid, providing significant loss of appetite without the "jitters" associated with other diet supplements. Hoodia gordonii is a cactus grown for centuries by bushmen in Africa. As the anchor on 60 minutes reported after trying a small amount of Hoodia cactus, she had no appetite at all for 24 hours.As important as the brand, is the manufacturer of the product. One such manufacturer is Advanced Dietary Formulas. They use authentic South African Kalahari Hoodia Gordonii in their diet supplements....
JCB Marketing Offers New Hoodia Diet Sense, a #1 Appetite Suppressant on Today's Market
Hoodia > JCB Marketing Offers New Hoodia Diet Sense, a #1 Appetite Suppressant on Today's Market
Hoodia Diet Products
Hoodiadietproducts.com ? Hoodia slimming, an online over the counter natural appetite suppressant.Hoodiadietproducts.com, providing Hoodia, the new fast acting, quality and affordable answer to your weight loss problems in the UK, Hoodiadietproducts.com is proud to launch in the United Kingdom.For centuries Hoodia Gordonii has been used as a natural appetite suppressant by native African tribesman. The plant was used to stave off hunger during long hunting expeditions whilst providing much needed fluid replenishment.More recently a large drug company attempted to patent the active ingredient in Hoodia (P57) to develop a treatment for Obesity. There has been much criticism in the worldwide press over the rights of large drug companies to patent a natural extract - that in fact was discovered long ago by native Africans. However - what has been recognized by the world's media is the astonishing power of this natural substance. In typical human physiology glucose sends signals to the brain...
Hoodia Diet Products
Hoodia > Hoodia Diet Products
Hoodia and Green Tea Extract for Effective Weight Loss
From the farms of South Africa, Hoodia Gordonii is making headlines for it's amazing effects on weight loss. Media outlets from all over the world are reporting that Hoodia has clinically proven benefits on reducing appetite. One company has provided a Hoodia Extract formula that combines the benefits of Hoodia with Green Tea and other amazing co factors that are clinically proven to help with safe all natural weight loss.That company is DynaPure Nutrition (www.dynapurenutrition.com) and the product is WARP 9 Caffeine Free. DynaPure CEO and President Dan Maiullo commented that the product contains a 20:1 Hoodia Gordonii Extract because the company found that other products that just contained Hoodia whole plant were just ineffective. "We found that many products contain whole plant had very little amounts of the effective glycoside found in their products.
In our efforts to provide a better product for the consumer,...
Hoodia and Green Tea Extract for Effective Weight Loss
Hoodia > Hoodia and Green Tea Extract for Effective Weight Loss
Hoodia Diet Pills - Fact Or Fiction?
Hoodia Diet Pills - Fact Or Fiction?- by A lot has been written about hoodia diet pills lately. Can taking a hoodia based supplement realy help you loose weight? Actually, yes it looks like it can. First some background on the hoodia cactus.Deep inside the African Kalahari desert, grows an ugly cactus called the Hoodia. It thrives in extremely high temperatures, and takes years to mature. The San Bushmen of the Kalahari, one of the world's oldest and most primitive tribes, had been eating the Hoodia for thousands of years, to stave off hunger during long hunting trips.
When South African scientists were routinely testing it, they discovered the plant contained a previously unknown molecule, which has since been christened P 57. P 57 affects a part of your brain, the hypothalamus. Within that mid-brain there are nerve cells that sense glucose sugar. When you eat, blood sugar goes up because of the food, these cells start firing and now you are full. What the Hoodia seems to contain...
Hoodia Diet Pills - Fact Or Fiction?
Hoodia > Hoodia Diet Pills - Fact Or Fiction?
California Health Presents Ten Tips For A Healthy Holiday Season
(ContentDesk) December 20, 2005 -- California Health (www.calheath.com) -- makers of premium vitamins and supplements -- would like to remind everyone to have a safe and healthy holiday season.
The holidays can be stressful and indulgent but by following these healthy suggestions, it is possible to reduce stress and improve mental and physical well-being.1.???Get organized.
Santa makes a list for a reason.
Write down everything, prioritize it, and think strategically.
Spread out errands over several days to eliminate last minute trips to the mall.
If possible, delegate tasks to family and friends.2.???Prevent flu.
Take California Health Vitamin C to boost immune system before flu symptoms start.
This is especially good when traveling. No telling what other passengers are carrying on.3.???Always designate a driver when party-going or book a hotel room nearby.
Check...
Hoodia > California Health Presents Ten Tips For A Healthy Holiday Season
Hoodia Gordonii ? The Weight Loss Herb
Hoodia Gordonii was introduced to the United States in 2004 as a weight loss herb. It has been around for thousands of years and has been used by the San people in South Africa for its ability to be an appetite suppressant while hunting.
The Hoodia Gordonii plant looks like a cactus but is really a succulent that grows in the high areas of the Kalahari Desert.
It is the weight loss herb for anyone looking to diet without hunger.
Hoodia Gordonii is not a drug, it is an herb.
It is a completely natural and safe herbal diet pill for weight loss that will not cause any stimulation.
There are many pharmaceutical firms that are trying to make a synthesized version of the Hoodia Gordonii plant, in order to patent it. But from all the research that has been done you must consume the plant or powder causal to achieve the weight loss you desire.
Since this weight loss herb has become so lucrative people are digging up anything...
Hoodia > Hoodia Gordonii ? The Weight Loss Herb
Move Over Hoodia ? There?s A New Natural Appetite Suppressant In Town
In a world filled with diet pills and pre-packaged diet food plans, the weight loss market is wide open for a new kind of "Fat Buster". Enter SiCap Industries, (which stands for) "The Science Of Capsaicin". SiCap is a well recognized pioneer in the race to promote the medicinal benefits of hot peppers ? particularly Capsaicin. According to SiCap officials, the company has invented an all natural capsaicin based weight loss supplement that may be the most effective appetite suppressant ever conceived. Capsaicin is the active ingredient in hot peppers of various varieties within the "Capsicum" pepper family.
These varieties include the mild and tasteful "Paprika" all the way up to the sizzling "Habanero," and the researchers at SiCap Industries are hell bent on bringing the medicinal benefits of capsaicin to the world.If you recognize the name "SiCap Industries," it's probably because you've heard of their flagship product known as "Sinus Buster". Sinus Buster was (and still is...
Move Over Hoodia ? There?s A New Natural Appetite Suppressant In Town
Hoodia > Move Over Hoodia ? There?s A New Natural Appetite Suppressant In Town
The Weight Loss Magic Bullet, Hoodia Gordonii BY MHSCI
Millennium Health Supplements (Canada) Inc. a raw material and ingredient supplier for the nutra/pharmaceutical and veterinarian industries since 1995 has recently been awarded a Conservation Certificate for export of Pure Hoodia Gordonii directly from South Africa into the North American market. Hoodia Gordonii is an all-natural appetite suppressing succulent plant (part of the aloe family) from South Africa with no known side effects or stimulants.
Although hoodia gordonii is new to the U.S. and Canada, this great all-natural product is taking over the multi-billion dollar diet industry here.
Sales in both the bulk and wholesale divisions are picking up and retail products may be reaching shelves as early as 2005.
Currently, Hoodia Gordonii for the consumer is mainly available through internet sales.
You can visit our website listed on this page for both retail and bulk Hoodia Gordonii products. MHSCI is the only company in North America that donates...
Hoodia > The Weight Loss Magic Bullet, Hoodia Gordonii BY MHSCI
Property By Owner, Inc. Releases The For Sale By Owner Secrets Bootcamp Home Study Audio Course
Fort Collins, CO (ContentDesk) April 25, 2006 -- Alan Cramer, President of Property By Owner, Inc., a leading For Sale by Owner marketing firm, has released a new Audio Course that teaches homeowners how to sell their real estate faster without an agent. According to Cramer, To sell your home faster than your competition you must prepare the home, price it right, and promote the property direct to home buyers . Cramer added Most homes do not meet the tough standards of todays picky buyers...
Targeted Email Advertising Campaigns ? Do They Really Work? Hoodia real estate
Hoodia > Property By Owner, Inc. Releases The For Sale By Owner Secrets Bootcamp Home Study Audio Course
home loans Targeted Email Advertising Campaigns ? Do They Really Work?
Blue Financial Promotes More Exposure for FTC's Free Credit Report Program
Phoenix, AZ (ContentDesk) October 23, 2005 -- Blue Financial says The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) requiring each of the nationwide consumer reporting companies - Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion - to provide consumers with a free copy of their credit report is the best thing to happen for consumers in years.Hal Jolley, President Of Blue Financia says, "Your credit report includes information on where you live, how you pay your bills, and whether you've been sued, arrested, or filed for...
Blue Financial Promotes More Exposure for FTC's Free Credit Report Program Targeted Email Advertising Campaigns ? Do They Really Work?
Hoodia > Blue Financial Promotes More Exposure for FTC's Free Credit Report Program
A Look at Colorado Flower Delivery
If you are in Colorado and looking for flower delivery or looking to have flowers delivered to Colorado you will find a plethora of resources online. You can start your search by visiting Yellow Pages and searching within the city to be delivered. National flower delivery companies will deliver to cities within Colorado as well.
Brady's Florist is a family owned and operated floral business. This company serves the Metro Denver area and is one of the most popular florists in that...
Hoodia > A Look at Colorado Flower Delivery
How To Plan A Car Show Attraction
Antique classic cars, especially collector and specialty automobiles are a hot attraction for any event?whether indoor or outdoor. How do you get the cars to display? If you are a classic car club, members are happy to participate with their vintage rides. Another option is contributing a donation to a nonprofit car club for their service.Main AttractionThese beautiful motorcars are show quality. So having a contact with a car club is essential. Individual clubs have different rules and regulations...
Targeted Email Advertising Campaigns ? Do They Really Work?
Hoodia > How To Plan A Car Show Attraction