The Power of Brand

The power of creating a powerful brand is a process of providing a great product or service, developing trust, marketing it effectively, and developing loyalty with the consumer. Simple concepts to say but difficult to achieve.

Notice I said difficult, not impossible. Large corporations spend millions to keep what they are peddling swooshfresh in our minds. In other words, branding. The best example from the corporate world I can think of is the Nike Swish. You see that symbol and you know exactly what it means.

Today I am going to provide you with access to free software and free information that will set you on your way to branding yourself. It does take time, effort, honesty, and persistence to build your brand. But you can do it if you are determined.

Here is an interesting tidbit. Most people, who are impulsive, have stopped reading this article by now. They see that there is no magic elixir or secret remedy to launch there site into the stratosphere. In reality they do not have what it takes to brand themselves…focus and dedication.

The Process - Add a mailing list to your arsenal

If you are not using mailing lists you should be. A mailing list is a ‘must have’ for every blogger. As a successful blogger you should have a direct contact and knowledge of who your customers are. There is software available for you to help manage your subscribers and your messages. This software is generally referred to as an autoresponder.

What is an Autoresponder?

I use a free, yet powerful, autoresponder system called Infinite Responder. If you are not familiar with autoresponders, they are a powerful marketing tool that allows you to provide valuable information to your subscribers via email. Whether you set it up as a free service, such as I did, or as a pay service, it is an excellent way to stay in constant contact with people who you know are interested in what you are saying or selling.

Name:

Email:

Benefits of Mailing ListsMost bloggers, myself included, use autoresponders to send out newsletters. Subscribers always opt-in, and can always opt out. If they sign up with you, you know they want to here from you. That is important because you are delivering the message to them. They do not have to come to you.Here are two questions for you:

1) How many times per day do you visit your favorite sites?

2) How many times per day do you check your email?

I would bet my life savings of blue bananas that you you check your email way more than your favorite sites. Your clients do too. In other words your mailing list is more effective than your blog.

You heard me right. Your mailing list, when done properly, has way more effective reach than your blog. People may not be visiting your site and if you have something new and exciting to share with them how will they know? Well, with an email you can let them know.All of the top internet marketers use this type of service for the very reason I described. A lot of marketers also charge you for this information and for the software used to deliver it. I am providing both to you for free.

At the end of the day what you are doing is ‘branding’ yourself, your blog, your product, or your service. You are staying fresh in the minds of your target audience.

Opt-In Methods

In my case I use the double opt-in method, and I would recommend that all of you use this method when setting up your autoresponder.

Double opt-in is the method whereby your ensure that someone is actually registering through their email address. In other words the user signs up, an email is sent to them, they click on an confirmation link, and then sent another email confirming they are now registered. A simple process that takes longer to write about then to actually do.

The alternative method is the single opt-in method which is where your subscriber fills in the form and is registered. I don’t like this method because there are too many dipsticks on the web that get their jollies by using fake email addresses or an email address that does not belong to them.

How Infinite Responder works

Infinite Responder allows you to send two types of emails: pre-programmed and bursts. A pre-programmed message is sent after a certain amount of time has passed since a subscriber registered with the system. A burst is a message you create and send to the subscribers at the same time.

infinite

The beauty of Infinite Responder is that it has very robust functionality that you usually only see in expensive systems. You can create multiple autoresponders. For example you could provide a freebie newsletter and a pay newsletter each with their own subscriber base.

Setting Infinite Responder up

Installing the Infinite Responder does require a bit of patience and expertise. It is php and MySQL based. Your server host needs to allow you to set up ‘cron jobs’. I use GoDaddy.com. They have everything I need in a host, at a very affordable price.

If you are overwhelmed by setting it up, the software developer will do it for you for $30. If for some reason he can’t do it, I will and I will match his price. The quoted price is to install the software. Although I am not really looking to do customization; if you want it customized, message scheduling set, that will cost you extra. Contact me directly for details at chiefape@gmail.com.

Aaron Colman is the guy who developed this product. He has spent many hours developing and testing it. If you feel that what he has given you needs to be rewarded in some way, he does accept donations. See his site for details at Infinite Responder.

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