Marketing Training

General Marketing Training

icontact review

iContact Review – Show Me What It Can Do

If you looking for a new way to manage your email lists and autoresponders, this iContact Review will help guide you through the features, pros and cons of using this autoresponder for your email marketing campaigns. 

There are a lot of choices; this iContact review is set up to help you whether you want to read every detail or just get the basics. This iContact Review also has links to other resources you can use to help you get the most out of your autoresponder.

icontact email

 Before we dive into iContact… let's make sure you get a basic understanding of Autoresponders and why use them.

 

But Why Do You Need An Autoresponder?

Can't you just email from Aol.com email (yeah… I said it… some of you STILL use that), Gmail.com, Yahoo.com, Hotmail.com, MSN.com….. 

All of these including the ones you purchase from your hosting provider have mailing restrictions. You are NOT supposed to be adding hundreds of people to an email…. How are they supposed to be REMOVED from the email?(opt out option) [pullquote]How are they supposed to be REMOVED from the email?[/pullquote]

This gets worse if you are doing it for marketing with capture pages. You need permission… It's called permissions based marketing and giving people the option to LEAVE your email list (not just cause you have them in your contacts list.)

Wanna know what SCREAMS unprofessional?

– Not having an unsubscribe option from a company email broadcast. I recently consulted with a local gymnastics business as they were mailing their custom database about their schedules but it was coming from their YAHOO account… and BCC everyone with NO option to be removed from the list…. really?

An autoresponder is very effective and inexpensive, plus it keeps you compliant.

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By Lawrence Tam, ago
wordpress managed hosting

WPEngine Review: Coming From Hostgator Dedicated Hosting

Let's start off with this WPEngine Review by saying…

  1. I personally use WPEngine Personal account
  2. I personally have (past tense) used Hostgator Dedicated Baby Linux Plan
  3. I personally use Hostgator shared plan for my small websites (with low traffic)
If you are building a website to eventually grow.. have room for growth. Let me share with you my experience since blogging from 2007.
My journey might have been like yours or could be …
I tinkered with frontpage and DreamWeaver in college back in 1998 – 2000 and most of those sites played music… no kidding.
why? I was inspired by this (do you remember the hampster dance?)
hampster_danceSo I built some family websites (hosting images) but never really understood marketing, traffic, and how the internet could pay my way online so eventually those got shut down. (remember GeoCities?)

 

*Update Speed Test 12/20/14
– updated to basic wordpress theme
– added some 2 security plugins other plugins I'm testing
pingdom speed test

 

Marketing Years (my start to building a business from home)

2007 – started with blogger.com and wasted a ton of time there due to not understanding optimization and proper affiliate marketing (they don't like it cause  you don't own the hosting). Got my first international MLM Rep signup through a blog post (had no clue how I did this)

managed wordpress hosting wpengine 2 months off2008 – started writing on forums, marketing sites, articles sites to get some traction
2009 – I opened my first wordpress.org self hosted site (was horrible) and started tinkering with Amazon selling.
 
2010 – I got some education under my belt (here) and learned Blogging and Marketing with SEO and this site was born (www.LawrenceTam.net) you are here:)

I've been using Hostgator Hosting for the longest time and still recommend them for beginners .. I was using iPage for hosting initially and they were straight horrible (I repeat.. horrible) and have been happy with Hostgator shared servers for years.

2011 –  Sold thousands on Amazon with niche sites. At one time had over 20+ sites ranging from cat water fountains to clickbank products.

2012 – Started to get too big on a couple sites and wanted to look for better hosting than just “shared” hosting… by this time I was doing $30k/month income from blog sales and information marketing (affiliate marketing). A mentor of mine told me to get a dedicated host. So …. (more…)

By Lawrence Tam, ago
how to advertise on facebook

How To Advertise On Facebook And Don’t Spend A Dime

Let's Dive Into “How To Advertise On Facebook”

Facebook represents our primal need to be social: connecting, comforting, sharing, and entertaining. It is part exhibitionist and part voyeuristic. It is our collective consciousness, shared in a digital forum with written ideas, videos, photos.

 

What we share becomes an extension of ourselves.

Facebook is here to stay.

Your business or niche is your pride and joy. Putting it on Facebook is a decision to create a digital representation of your business and weave it into the massive fabric that is the Facebook experience. When you can post status updates, photos, links and videos that tap into your fans deepest emotions (in seconds), then you can master the art of building profitable Facebook pages.

 

Why Do I Need a Business Presence on Facebook?

The numbers don't lie:

  •  1.3 Billion people use Facebook. Nearly half are logged in at any given time.
  • 680 million use on mobile devices.
  • Facebook is available in 70 languages.
  • The average user has over 100 friends and spends nearly 20 minutes on Facebook per visit.
  • 73% of U.S. users earn over $75,000 per year.
  • Facebook has logged over 1 trillion likes since its beginning in 2004.

 

In a nutshell, these facts mean that there is a boatload of people on Facebook. Many have the disposable income to buy your product or service.

It means that your page can reach them anywhere at anytime, even before they get out of bed in the morning. 

If you can offer something to your target audience that brings them value, any value, that they feel compelled enough to like your page and keep coming back, then you can create a profitable Facebook page.

 

Should I Build a Business Profile or a Fan Page?
Learn How To Advertise On Facebook Within Their Guidelines

You will need a profile in order to have a page. The real question is: “Should I tack on a Facebook page to my profile?” If you have a business, yes. If it is just you, maybe not…..

“It is long been my position that Facebook Fan Pages are the most important sites to a brand anywhere on the internet. Maybe more important than our own homepage.” Gary Vaynerchuk, Social Media and Media Expert

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By Lawrence Tam, ago

MyPhoneRoom – How to Never Call Another Lead

Yeah I know, I know. Having the audacity to say MyPhoneRoom allows someone to “Never Call Another Lead” is a bit crazy to say when the majority of the business I do is dealing with people. Many of you will also say “Hey Lawrence, I've spoken with you before so that statement can't be correct!”.

Well your correct to an extent.

Look, I'm not say you will NEVER have to call you leads. What I'm saying is you will never have to call data. Sometimes people get that mixed up and confused. There is a distinct difference from generating data and hot prospects and leads.

What are you generating?

[pullquote]Top super affiliates and network marketers know it's a numbers game.[/pullquote]

Top super affiliates and network marketers know it's a numbers game. Being able to get to the RIGHT people at the RIGHT time can be super time consuming.

The right people could just need more time to get their life in order or having the ability to Call someone a couple days in a row cause they are at work and busy….

See the right person just needs to be “touched” in a business/polite manner… not slamming and must close method.

This is where the newbie is at a disadvantage.

green continue*Tell Maddy you are connected to Lawrence Tam
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By Lawrence Tam, ago

LT 6: B-A-R-M

BARM – Podcast #6

Listen Here:

Speaking at No Excuses 4

Not too long ago i was the one who was only there to learn… not teach.

Now speaking on stage has been more common.

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Met Ann Sieg Finally

She was one of the first people I met online back in 2008 when I was learning about “Attraction Marketing”.

2008  I was a complete Newbie online. Didn't have a clue what traffic was or how to build a website.
I read one of her pdfs and listened to her audios while waiting for my van pool at 5:30am…

yeah… I used to ride a van pool to work cause it literally took 45-60min each way and getting on the HOV lane
was way better than driving solo through US 59.

What was even cooler… she actually knew who I was 😉
Never spoken with her but had to snag her and grab a pick.

 

*not sure what the deal was with my phone.. it had weird purple stuff going on and had it replaced but I guess it goes with Ann's shirt? 😉

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Congrats Little Sis For Becoming a Dentist!

This is me photo bombing my sister… Yes.. I know. you are supposed to do it ninja like and not just jump into someone's face and selfie…

but hey… this is what big brothers are for 😉

liana tam graduation

 

Sleep Study

I didn't speak about this on the podcast but it was too hilarious to NOT put on the podcast as it was in that same time frame of Las Vegas, My sister's graduation, and Houston IPI event.

My wife believes I have some form of sleep apnea (where you stop breathing when you sleep at night) and wanted to do a test. I do some sleep walking… where I go and pick up my phone and I wake up and go… What THE heck!

This was an over night test and it came back saying I had ~50+ times in the 9 hour block I would stop breathing.

My thoughts are that my mind is always “ON”….

It's kinda like having a hard drive (external) and you just keep it plugged in.. .even though you don't turn it off.. it never really goes off..

well… like my laptop.

We are looking at sleeping machines or possible surgery to open up air way sin my nose and back of my throat to help breathing.
Some of it is allergies and living in Houston doesn't help when the season kicks in.

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LINKS

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Show Transcription

Lawrence: Hey, this is Lawrence Tam and I want to welcome you to podcast No. 6, Project Mayhem, I’m your host, Lawrence Tam. Project Mayhem was the idea that you can actually in a crazy life, be married, having kids, having no time to build a business, working full time, you too can still build a fantastic business.

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By Lawrence Tam, ago