1) "The State of the Internet Address - 2003. How To Blast Your Future Internet Marketing Profits With These Seven Predictions and Save Literally Tons of Dollars and Thousands of Hours of Hard Work!"

2) "Does Your Copy Have Personality?"

3) "Classified Ads."

4) "Tell Us What You Think!"

As 2003 draws to a close, we've seen a lot of things come and go this past year. Decorations for the approaching Holiday season remind us that another calendar is almost used up and it's time to start fresh with a brand new year full of promise.

It's been a wild ride through 2003! Even though we're busy, it often helps to take a moment and reflect on where we've been, what's happened, and take a hard look at the current state of affairs so we can predict what we're likely to see in the coming year.

So what happened this past year online and -- more importantly -- what can we learn from it and how can we use it? Well, pull up a chair by the fire and let your old friend Jim break it down for you...

The FTC

The Federal Trade Commission weighed in this year and made its presence known around the world. Fines, asset seizure, and all-around scary stuff happened when the FTC decided to crack down on what it termed "deceptive advertising practices". Reaction to the FTC's actions made for a very interesting study of human behavior.

Some people adopted the "ostrich" legal self-help approach by sticking their heads in the sand and doing nothing. Others imitated "Chicken Little" by running around proclaiming that the "the sky is falling... the sky is falling!" Still others took legal advice from the online equivalent of "jailhouse lawyers" by following the rumor and innuendo found in forums and newsgroups... none of which rate as a very sound legal strategy.

In the end, most took the sensible approach and took time to educate themselves on the real dangers of running afoul of the FTC by adding the proper disclaimers and disclosures to their websites. They also modified their promises and statements on their websites to ensure a more compliant positioning with FTC advertising rules.

The current situation:

Basically nobody is really talking about the FTC anymore because nobody we've heard of has gotten stung with court papers... but that doesn't mean the FTC stopped watching! All that means is you haven't heard what they're doing or who they're watching. And even if they aren't doing anything, the actions they took should burn a message into everybody's brain as a warning against making the same mistakes got others got whacked for good and hard.

My predictions for the FTC in 2004:

The FTC will continue watching for any flagrant violations of their fair advertising and other rules and, if they get enough complaints (not sure how many "enough" is), will act swiftly to smack down anyone they see acting inappropriately.

The moral of the story: Don't let your guard down and think "Big Brother" isn't watching... because he IS!

The "Canned Meat" Avalanche

Spam!

It's gotten so bad that the U.S. Federal Government actually wants to weigh in and try to help solve the problem. Unfortunately, in my opinion, any legislation currently under debate won't help much... and may even do more harm than good.

I personally saw the amount of UCE (Unsolicited Commercial Email) triple in my email box this year. Every morning I wake up to find 250 to 400 messages waiting... when I get done deleting the spam, I usually end up with 35 legitimate messages.

Amazingly BAD ratio!

The current situation looks pretty grim for actually solving the problem. Services like SpamCop often succeed in blocking legitimate email while the spammers just keep merrily sending their avalanche of messages guaranteed to help you get filthy rich, meet interesting people, find the world's smallest automobile toy and, of course, make certain body parts bigger!

My predictions for SPAM in 2004:

The problem will only get worse if you don't take any action to protect yourself. I personally plan to revamp my entire email setup after the holidays by eliminating almost all of my existing email accounts (which web spiders harvested from my websites). I'll then "cloak" the addresses appearing on the pages so they can't get read by anyone but a human being who intends to email me personally. (I plan to document what I do and share it at a later date).

A whole bunch of "snake oil" solutions will appear claiming to solve the problem... but the amazing thing is that the majority of them will get sold via SPAM! Additional Resources - here's an article with some basic help "SPAM Killers": www.thenetreporter.com/spamkillers.shtml

Lights, Camera, Action!

In case you didn't notice, a lot more audio, video, and multimedia appeared online this year... due largely to improvements in streaming technology. Connection speeds didn't get faster, but the software used to deliver the content sure did! We've seen audio testimonials, multi-media newsletters - like my ground-breaking www.IgottaTellYou.com newsletter - and a host of downloadable products incorporating much more than written words on digital paper.

As the hardware gets cheaper (computers, microphones, sound boards) and the software gets better and more universal (flash, mp3, etc), you'll see a lot more people jumping on the audio/video bandwagon.

My predictions about Multi-Media for 2004:

1. You'll see an ever-increasing number of multi-media products. Unfortunately, many of them will absolutely bore you to tears! Fair Warning: Anyone who wants to create multi-media products or newsletters should invest time learning how not only to educate people... but also entertain them!

2. A lot of really cool tools will come out this year to help the technically challenged (like ME) do some really awesome things with video and audio.

3. High-quality, full-motion streaming video will NOT make it to dial up connections this year (like it has for high- speed)... but 2005? My guess says... YES!

Block Those Pop Up's

Ah yes... pop-up windows. Nothing short of a good insult toward someone's mother will get people to express an opinion about something faster than mentioning pop-up windows. In fact, they're such a hot topic that AOL and Netscape use their "pop-blocker" software as a marketing benefit for people to sign up!

Undeniably, however, pop-ups rate as one of the best ways to build a targeted optin list by making a VERY specific offer to each targeted website visitor. In truth, the vast majority of my subscribers come from exit pop-up windows on my websites.

So it seems the online world finds itself engaged in a standoff... "to POP or not to POP - that is the question!" My predictions about Pop-up's for 2004: We've already seen some interesting contributions to the pop-up window issue, on both sides.

Armand Morin and Corey Rudl both sell software to help you get around the majority of pop-up blocking software. On the other hand, major players like Google and Alexa offer free pop-up blockers integrated into their toolbars.

Bottom line: somebody will come up with a solution that rates as effective as pop-ups, but it won't offend people. (And whoever does that will enjoy my undying gratitude!)

Sold to the Highest Bidder

Did you realize that eBay, the web's leading auction site, ranks as the 6th most popular site on the Internet (according to Alexa.com). In fact, according to Alexa, more people go to eBay's website than even AOL or CNN!

Think about that for a minute. The website that started out selling beanie babies and old stuff from people's attics now gets millions of visitors every single week... and the majority of those people WANT to BUY something! Think about all that targeted traffic - with credit card and checkbook in hand - going to one central spot to spend their money... in some cases FIGHTING and COMPETING against other people for the right to spend their money. Amazing!

The biggest challenge any online business owner faces, ultimately, comes down to getting traffic to their websites. Just think if you could get some of those millions of visitors who hit eBay every week to come take a peek at your website! Well you can (and many people do)!

My prediction about eBay for 2004:

eBay will just keep on getting bigger... and bigger... and bigger!

If you're looking to start an online business and you're starting from scratch (or even if you're already established) - take a hard look at incorporating eBay into your overall marketing strategy. They've got the targeted traffic you may need to launch a successful business quickly or take your existing business to the next level.

Google takes over Top Spot as preferred search engine

Google. The name strikes fear into the heart of other search engines and creates dreams of riches and untold avalanches of traffic for online marketers. Not since Yahoo! dominated the search scene 4 years ago has one search vehicle held such power to make or break online businesses. Unfortunately, as more and more businesses come online, competition for the elusive TOP 10 spots on Google seems to bring out the predator in every marketer.

Add in Google's "Ad Words" and you incorporate the other main ingredient in search engine marketing, pay-per-click. To increase their overall marketing reach, Google syndicated not only their search results, but also their pay-per-click Ad Words results across major sites.

My predictions for Google in 2004: Google will only get bigger.

Their Ad Words and Ad Sense, along with their regular "free" search engine listings (how long can that last?) make them "THE" search vehicle to watch. The smart marketers will invest time in understanding HOW Google works... so you can make it work for your business.

Are eBooks dead?

I've had a lot of people ask me, "Are ebooks still an effective a way to publish and sell information... or has their time passed us by?" My answer: YES - ebooks still rate, in my opinion, as the best way to get started selling information on the Internet. Why?

Because ebooks require the least amount of technical expertise to create and distribute. Also, the people who buy ebooks now have the technical ability to download and read them. A few years ago ebook authors (like myself) spent half their time just explaining to people HOW to download the ebooks and read them! Instead of feeling like an author, you felt more like a tech support rep for Internet 101.

Now, the average user who buys ebooks has very little problem in buying your information and using it. Also, cheaper and easier technology has evolved to make it VERY easy for the average ebook author to set up a truly auto-pilot ebook delivery system.

A simple website, a ClickBank account, and a decent autoresponder - and you're in business with a real, legitimate, functional online business. On the downside, because the price of entry has gone so low, anybody can create an "ebook" and go into business online.

A lot of crummy ebooks get hawked around the Internet every day, and a lot of them really stink! But there's a silver lining to that cloud too... Since so many bad ebooks get circulated online, when people find a good one, they are actually MORE impressed than in the past. It's actually EASIER to stand out now than it was a couple of years ago because people crave good content!

My predictions for eBooks in 2004:

eBooks will not only survive in 2004, they'll get published in record numbers. Many of them will significantly change how we use the Internet and some of them will even make their authors rich and famous around the world.

eBooks still rate the #1 way for smart, dedicated people to start a highly profitable business selling information on the Internet. I don't see this changing in the foreseeable future. Additional Resources - here's an article that should interest you "Let's Get One Thing Straight About Being A Published Author": http://www.infomarketingupdate.com/published-author.txt

My personal thoughts on the coming year, 2004

I see three trends driving people's behavior in the coming year. You should take these into consideration when planning your Internet business and other web activities.

First, in general, the Internet has gotten "noisy" and crowded. People get bombarded with information every single day. Even with information they want to receive, it's easy for people to feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of data coming their way.

Second, since they get bombarded daily, people's level of skepticism and mistrust towards just about everything seems to increase daily. It's just plain harder to get and hold people's attention, let alone their trust, for an extended period of time without constant effort.

Third, people are drowning in a sea of information, but they are thirsting for knowledge. In other words, they've got plenty of information already, but what they need is someone to show them how to APPLY it to their unique situations.

What does this mean to you?

Make sure whatever you do or create online (website, email, ebooks, articles, etc.) helps people make sense of what's going on and doesn't add to their confusion. The people who help bring order from the chaos will turn out the big winners when we look back a year from now.

The key to success in 2004 is not more information... a better sales pitch... or a website that burps and sings with more bells and whistles than anyone else's. The winners in 2004 will be the people who get back to basics and:

1. Find out exactly What People Want...

2. Sell it to them the Way They Want it...

3. Treat people with Honesty and Integrity...

4. Don't settle for anything Less Than the Absolute Best they are capable of producing!

To YOUR success!

Some people like hypey copy, while others prefer cold copy. Some people like short copy, while others prefer long. Some people drama, stories and testimonials. Others data, statistics and facts. Does it all matter? Absolutely.

What makes one style of copy more favorable than another? Why does one person buy from one type of copy and not from another? The style you choose will not appeal to everyone. It never will. Even some of the best ads miss the mark with at least half of their target audience.

You may have heard me say this before. Trying to be all things to all people is a death knell for most businesses. By trying to be all things to all people, you must paint your copy with broad brushstrokes in order to appeal to everyone. Similarly, ads crafted so as not to offend anyone will be counterproductive. It may even backfire. Why? Because the more you try not to offend anyone, the more generic you become with your copy. And the more generic you are, the the more your copy will be disconnected from your audience.

In other words, to your prospect, you appear as if you DON'T understand them, and that your copy DOESN'T cater to their specific, individual needs, goals, concerns, budget and unique set of circumstances.

Thus, you alienate most of your market that way.

Sure, you may avoid offending a minority. But now you inadvertently offend the majority -- perhaps in a subtle, indirect or unconscious way -- because you appear as if you simply don't care. You see, ads are distinctive. They're alive. They like pieces of art. Each one has a certain personality. And no matter what you do, that personality may attract some people and repulse others at the same time

Instead, appeal to the majority, even to the detriment of the minority. It's not just because they're conducive to the greatest results but also because they offer more than just information. They also present that information in a way that is favored by the majority of your target audience. Instead, it's best to cater to one predominant market, i.e., one predominant buyer personality. That way, your information is presented in a way that the market feels the copy is centered on them. And them alone.

Different People Prefer Different Things.

Over the years, many psychologists and behavioral scientists have categorized personality styles. They may have labeled them differently, but the methodology is essentially the same. A personality style is defined by a person's assertiveness and responsiveness level. One of the more popular models -- and perhaps the best one for copywriting purposes -- lists 4 such styles:

1) High assertive, low responsive
2) High assertive, high responsive
3) Low assertive, low responsive
4) Low assertive, high responsive

Is this some kind of new science? Not at all. Around 400 BC, Hippocrates, in his book "Air, Water And Places," dubbed these 4 personality types Sanguine, Phlegmatic, Choleric and Melancholic. In more recent years, behavioral scientist and sales psychologist Dr. Tony Alessandra labels them Directors, Socializers, Relaters and Thinkers. But the most common labels given to them are: Driver, Expressive, Analytical and Amiable. Here's a chart of how this looks like in the form of a quadrant:

Your Market Will Predominantly Fall Into 1 Or 2 Personality Styles.

Of course, with all things being equal. Your audience may not necessarily and precisely fit into a single, neat personality category, and your entire market may not fit one specific style. Keep in mind that the keyword here is "predominant." But depending on your product, your industry, and both demographics and psychographics of your target audience, it is safe to say that the majority of them will likely demonstrate one particular style more than any other.

To give you an idea, here's a brief look at them:

--> Drivers are concerned with RESULTS.

They are practical, impatient and time-sensitive. A Driver is a person who usually is more concerned with the bottom-line. For example, they want to know how long will it take to get your product, what kind of results they can expect and, of course, how much does it cost. Bankers, sales managers, purchasing agents, businesspeople, corporate executives and so on are typically Drivers. They don't care how to get from point "A" to point "B." They just want to know if you can get to point "B." Everything else is irrelevant. So give them the bottom line.

--> Analyticals are preoccupied with DETAILS.

They don't care much about results. They're far more interested in the facts of your product. They might want to know what is its exact size, where and of what is it made, what are the ingredients, what are the features, what kind of guarantees do you offer with it, and what, precisely, makes it work.

Scientists, developers, mathematicians, engineers, computer programmers, doctors and so on are mainly Analyticals. They want specifications. They want facts. They want statistics. They want data. The more, the merrier. They prefer cold, hard information rather than hyperbole and stories.

--> Expressives care most about PERCEPTIONS.

Status and approval are important to Expressives. How they perceive things and how other people perceive them take precedence. They are mostly impulsive, colorful, ego-centric, undisciplined and spontaneous.

Actors, teachers, musicians, artists, art lovers, graphic designers, directors, comedians, etc fall in the Expressive category. As an example, they're the ones who buy mostly for the sake of prestige of ownership, or to boost their standing in their communities, their organizations or their peer groups (for instance, Expressives are the types who intentionally park their brand new luxury car on the street so that the neighbors can see them). Ultimately, tell them how your product will make them look good.

--> Amiables are interested in FEELINGS.

They are emotional, caring and humanistic. They are normally those who deal with the public and care deeply about the relationships they hold. How your product will help others and strengthen the relationships they maintain with them will be of utmost importance to Amiables. It's not uncommon for Amiables to hold careers as salespeople, home-based business owners, entrepreneurs, social workers, human resource personnel and so on. If your product can solve a problem, that's good. But if it can help your prospect to solve a problem they have with others, that's even better. With Amiables, use testimonials, stories and analogies. A lot.

How Do You Appeal to Your Buyer's Personality?

For instance, avoid lacing your copy with feelings and emotions when your audience, comprised mostly of Analyticals, wants specifics. Be objective and factual, and refrain from hyperbole or drama. While an Analytical will never have enough information, don't drown your visitors with needless details when they consist of Drivers. Be quick, pithy and straight to the point when dealing with these practical buyers. However, be sensitive and friendly when pitching to Amiables.

Use stories, case studies and testimonials. Use hyperbole and focus on feelings. Take your time with them. Be warm and interactive. For Expressives, talk about how the product will get others to compliment them. Or focus on how the product will make others around them cringe in horror, turn green with envy or even be humiliated. Here's a real-life scenario.

A patient visits a dentist for an initial consultation.

During the meeting, the Analytical will be preoccupied mostly with the details of dental work. Knowing precisely how much freezing will be applied, which specific teeth (and parts thereof) will be repaired and what kind of filling will be used are of enormous interest to him.

On the other hand, a Driver will want to know how long the procedure takes, how fast can he return to work after the procedure and how much it will cost.

But for the Amiable, they are mostly concerned with pain that such a procedure might incur, their happiness with their new look, and their ability to please their spouse, friends or boss with their improved appearance.

The Expressive, however, will be mostly interested with how good do their new teeth look, how their teeth changes their appearance, how natural are they going to be and how attractive the procedure is going to make them.

But What If My Market Consists Of More Than One?

Your market will fit into one predominant category, and one more than any other. And depending on your type of industry and product, the style of your message should chiefly appeal to that one specific style. But what if your market consists of strong, identifiably different groups? In other words, what if you have more than one predominant personality type in your target audience? If so, I submit that you can have a different ad or salesletter directed at each different market.

It's market segmentation, pure and simple. Even if it's the same product. For instance, a clever entrepreneur can take a product, package it, price it and sell it in 2 different ways to 2 different audiences on 2 different websites — and thus maximize sales from all potential market segments. Oftentimes, even creating their own competition (take, for instance, AudioGenerator.com versus InstantAudio.com).

3. Classified Ads

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4) "Tell Us What You Think!"

Dear friend, I would love to hear what you think of this issue of The Internet Marketing Profits^™ newsletter. And of course, if you have any suggestions for upcoming issues that you'd like to share with me, please send those, too -- just email me right away! And don't forget to check out the previous issues at the Internet Marketing Profits Newsletter Archive.

Warmest Regards,

Valeriu S. Popescu, Editor and Publisher
The Internet Marketing Profits^™ Newsletter

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DISCLAIMER: I urge you to exercise due diligence in responding to any advertisement or article posted here or in any other future issue. I do not give business or professional advice in this newsletter and therefore cannot be held responsible for results you get from responding to ads or articles in this newsletter. I urge you to exercise due diligence in all of your online dealings.