19 June 2009
From Ian Traynor
York, UK

Hi!

I've briefly opened up the Marketing Update Community to new subscribers. I'm trying a different anti-spam tactic. If the sign-up email address doesn't match one in my subscriber database, the account doesn't get activated.

It's a second's job to do the check, but it doesn't stop the spammers from trying. So if you want to register, make sure that you use the same email addy as your "Update" subscription. Hopefully I'll find a more automated way of beating these evil spammers. And a "thank you" to subscriber Georgetta Sterling for making some suggestions.

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I've just started work on putting together a full multi-media course, the first I've done. More news of this soon. It's a major project for me.

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There's just a few days left before my Special Deal for "Update" subscribers for my "CheatKit Photo Wizard" software ends. If you haven't yet picked it up, go here before Wednesday 24 June, 5 pm UK time:

http://www.IanSays.com/PhotoWizDeal/ClosingSoon

I'm not going to repeat the details of this powerful (and inexpensive) software. They are all on the above page, with a few short videos showing the photo editing tools in action. Oh, and you can also use one of the tools to find legitimate photos on any subject, which you can then use on your web pages.

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I don't always get it right with products that I off'er! My Photo Wizard has been extremely popular :-)

But the Twitter Marketing guides that I told you about last week have had very little interest. I don't know why. The content is brilliant - in my humble opinion! And the package costs less than ten bucks!

Nope. It wasn't good enough to attract many people. So, since I don't believe in kicking against a locked door, I'm pulling down the sales page in a week's time. And I won't mention Twitter Marketing again. If you want to prove nearly all the other "Update" subscribers wrong, go here and take action:

http://www.IanSays.com/TwitterMktg/LessThanTenBucks

* The Power Behind "IanSays.com"

You'll be very familiar with the links in "Update" which start with "IanSays.com". These links are the front end of a very powerful link tracking system, GoTryThis ("GTT"), which I've been using since July 2006 - and it cost me nearly 200 bucks. And that was an "early bird" price! The price went up considerably and people still kept buying it. Very soon, John Reel, the owner shut the doors after 2,500 people had bought GTT.

Very little happened over the next couple of years and then John started hinting about version 2 of GTT, which, he said, would be very different and even more powerful. He wasn't wrong!

A few weeks ago, version 2 arrived, creeping out like a new-born kitten, blinking in the sunlight. OK, I know that kittens are born blind, but you get the picture :-) First, just 50 existing GTT users were allowed to upgrade, then another few batches followed on. And eventually it was my turn.

It wasn't a smooth ride. The new software was still in "beta" and there were a few bugs in the system. But John Reel provided excellent service for me, and now everything is running smoothly.

In the last couple of days, John has decided that the software is now stable enough to be made available to a limited number of the general public. And that includes you! You can read John's short (and slightly quirky) sales page here:

http://www.IanSays.com/GTT/ThePower.htm

When you've watched the short video, go to the "Get Started" button, and you'll be in for a pleasant surprise. On this page, which shows all the different options, instead of having to lay out mega bucks, as I did, you get the full power of GTT for a small monthly fee - if you opt for having your tracking hosted on the powerful GTT servers. If you want the system on your server, that's when the mega bucks kicks in!

I switched immediately to the inexpensive hosted version, and I've not regretted my decision. Yes, I know that I'll be paying out each month. And yes, I know that I'll be using this service in the years to come. I've already been a happy user for two years. But I feel that I have peace of mind knowing that my mission-critical system is on the GTT servers.

In just a couple of days about 200 of the 500 slots have gone. So if you're interested in using the same tracking / cloaking system that I use, then have a look at the features of GoTryThis:

http://www.IanSays.com/GTT/ThePower.htm

And if you have any questions you want to ask me about GTT, I'll try to answer them.

Too Late? Maybe Not

I emailed you yesterday about a great f'ree deal from Jim Daniels, one of the few internet marketers that I really trust. I'm not going to repeat everything again. I'll assume that you have a reasonable memory! But to recap:

• F'ree access to some great resources - not the usual rubbish!
• No hard "upsell" - just a soft one
• Time-limited. Access ends today, Friday 19 June at 9 pm EST (that's 2 am on Saturday in the UK)

Go and pick it up now, if you haven't already:

http://www.IanSays.com/JimDaniels/RunDontWalk

I would have let you know earlier, but the details only hit my inbox yesterday. Incidentally, after my "Special Update" yesterday, subscriber Leslie Spranking emailed me to say:

"I read Jim's letter and it brought back good memories for me. Like Jim, I too first accessed the web in 1996 and my first advertising was in his little newsletter. I made my first purchase online buying his printed soft cover book 'Insider Internet Marketing'. I liked it so much I sold it as an affiliate making my first dollar online.

Jim has always been one of the very few online people I could always trust. I have moved on to other things since those days, selling my products, but I'll always be thankful for Jim's straightforward approach and his honesty. I took up the off'er of gold membership because he is one of the few people online I know I can listen to and learn from."

That's quite a testimonial, isn't it? If you've already taken up "Silver Membership", you might want to look closer at what you get from upgrading to "Gold". Full details are inside the Members Area.

And if you've yet to take out your f'ree Silver Membership, do so quickly before the door closes:

http://www.IanSays.com/JimDaniels/RunDontWalk

* Put More Power Into Google Searches

Google's search engine, I often think, is a bit like Microsoft software - 95% of people only use 5% of the features. And it's usually because many people are unaware of the many search parameters that can be used. You can find details of advanced search operators here starting from this page:

http://www.IanSays.com/Google/AdvancedSearch

Let me give you an example, and it's a powerful one. This search technique lets you find recently published articles on EzineArticles.com with more than a certain number of page views. It's a great trick to identify up-to-date and popular sub-niches within a broader niche. Here's the search term in full:

KEYWORD site:ezinearticles.com "This article has been viewed 2000..199999" "Article Submitted On: * *, 2009"

That's all on one line, by the way. So, you put in your keyword followed by a space and then the rest of the search term.

The two dots "2000..199999" will find any number between those two values. So if you want to find articles with 5,000 or more page views, change "2000" to "5000". The two asterisks are wild card characters substituting for the month and the date that the article was submitted to EzineArticles.com

That particular search term on its own is a valuable research tool. But, with a bit of creative thinking, you can use these, and other advanced search operatives to really put more power into your Google searches.

* Which Screencasting Software Should You Use?

"Screencasting", according to Wikipedia, is the "digital recording of screen output, also known as 'video screen capture'". With screencasting software you fire up the software and then do whatever you want to capture - maybe software, maybe a website. You must have seen such videos dozens of times, [FIRSTNAME}!

Most internet marketers, including myself, use the up-market software, "Camtasia". But for many people, Camtasia is too expensive.

So, given that website video is almost a "must" these days, what are the alternatives. "Cam Studio", from which Camtasia originated, is f'ree or low-cost. It's open source software, so there are a few variations around.

But what else is there? My eyes were opened when I came across a Wikipedia page devoted to screencasting software.

I know about "Jing", and in the Download Library right now, there's a video showing you how to use the Firefox plug-in "Capture Fox". But most of the other software on the Wikipedia page I hadn't heard about. Some links on the page go to another Wikipedia page, which gives more details about each software. Others go direct to the supplier's web page.

So, if you're looking for screencasting software, I suggest that you have a look at the page:

http://www.IanSays.com/Wiki/Screencast

For My "Special Subscribers"

Recently made available to my "Special Subscribers":

• Music Loops A small, but good, collection of music audios - ideal as background music on videos / spoken audio files

You can sign up to be one of my "Special Subscribers" only from inside the Download Library. It's completely f'ree, and you get access to stuff not available to other "Update" subscribers.

The Download Library

I know from my tracking links that there are still many subscribers who haven't yet got this month's gifts. Does this include you? If so, don't miss out on them!

"1 Month To 1,000 Li.st Members"
This 38-page PDF has a very clear aim: to teach you how to build a responsive, targeted mailing li.st of 1,000 people in just one month.

What I really like about this report, apart from virtually no advertising (!), is the way that very clear instructions are given. It's pitched at the "newbie" level and it tries to make all the steps as cost-f'ree as possible.

And it doesn't claim that reaching the 1,000 target in a month is easy.. just that it's possible! And I, personally, know that it's achievable. Using just one of the techniques described in this eBook, I have added well over 1,000 subscribers to "Marketing Update" in less than a month, on several occasions (see page 36 in the eBook).

The eBook comes with Master Resale / Give-Away Rights and includes a pre-built sales page.

"My Adwords NicheSpy"
Whether or not you use, or plan to use Google's Adwords PPC to promote your website, it can be extremely useful to be able to see how popular certain keywords are with Adwords users - and what advertising copy they are using.

Such information can help you to find niches with relatively low levels of competition. But it can be very time consuming doing this manually. You'd have to go to Google and type in each keyword you wanted to check, then read all the Adwords ads - and maybe copy them out.

"My Adwords NicheSpy" automates the whole process! Type in a keyword, hit a button and you'll see the top advertisers for the keyword, what position their a.d is in - and what text they are using. Repeat with as many keywords as you like, and the information just builds up in seconds!

Hit another button and the results will be saved in a "CSV" file, easily analysed with a spreadsheet program.

I'm giving you Master Give-Away Rights to this neat bit of software.

"Making Screen Capture Videos With Firefox"
Yes, videos are taking over "Web World"! OK, I splashed out a few years ago and paid several hundred bucks for the "Camtasia" screen capture video software. But what if you can't afford this?

There are a number of other ways to make screen capture videos at a lower cost, but there's one that has stayed under the radar for many people..

Firefox!

Yep! With a simple plug-in (a freebie), you can turn your Firefox web browser into a simple screen capture machine, churning out as many videos as you want. And, since they come out in the standard .AVI format, you can use your built-in "Windows Movie Maker" software to edit them. Even easier, you can upload the .AVI files to YouTube and then embed the video into your blog or website.

So how do you make these videos? Here's a short video which shows you just how to turn your Firefox browser into a movie maker. It's wrapped up into one of my "Video Viewers", so it's a very small download. And I'm giving you permission to give it away - it's not "locked" or protected in any way.

Easy Ezine Prof'its
I didn't write this report myself - but I have heavily modified it. If you're looking for an example of how to modify a "Private Label Rights" report, download this one to see what I've done with it!

This 17-page report gives you an outline of how to set up a successful newsletter. It gives advice on the structure of the newsletter, the frequency that you should send it out, how to get new subscribers - and how to get them to read your newsletter.

You get Master Give-Away Rights to this report. In case you want to try to sell it, there's also a web page included.

Access the Library here. You'll need the access details for this month, which have been sent out in the email edition of this newsletter.

Some final reminders..

I've got a busy weekend ahead - all to do with birdwatching! Ruth and I are doing some bird survey work on Saturday and leading guided walks at our favourite bird reserve on Sunday. It sure beats sitting in front of a computer!

Have a great week!

Kind regards

Ian Traynor
Professional Webmaster

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There's a sub-forum there where you can discuss any issues raised in this newsletter.

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