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Our tip of the week this week comes from our Postmaster, Brendan Dubbels. This tip is less a how-to and more of a warning. Because there is a plague among us… and it could affect YOUR email deliverability!

Postmaster Brendan Dubbels

Brendan says,

“Massive amounts of testing is used every day to determine what landing page, form, email, arrow, logo, headline, copy, etc will get the best ROI. Because of this, it’s become commonplace for gurus and entrepreneurs alike to offer their highest performing copy and pages to their affiliates in order to squeeze as many sales out of them as possible.

While this is an understandable tactic for those looking at the bottom line – they might reconsider when they see hundreds of people using the same copy and methods to promote the same product.

Why is this bad?

In email marketing your online reputation – your product, messages, and IP’s reputation – is only as good as its weakest link.

Email service providers (Gmail, Yahoo, etc.) are implementing “email fingerprinting technology” to target those using content borrowed from or shared with poor mailers (spammers). They know when you’re sending the exact same offer as someone else and they judge you for it. The major problem here is that while the email service providers know who is sending out similar copy, you, as a mailer typically don’t.

Why does that matter?

Well, if another mailer is spamming the messages – you’ll find that your ability to reach the inbox will only be as good as theirs.

Bummer right?

Using that swipe copy may have gotten you an additional 5% conversion rate… but consider the fact that your mailing didn’t reach your entire email list because NOW you look like a spammer.

Now consider if you had mailed copy that you had wrote, which drove users to a blog page where you pitched the affiliate product or even reviewed it. Your mailing and domain reputation would remain positive, setting up you up for enduring and lasting success.

The future and success is home for the charismatic, energetic, INDIVIDUAL entrepreneur. Greatness is not achieved by plagiarizing others.”

And now Brendan gets deep:

“As an exercise – next time you sit down and are tempted to use swipe copy to run an affiliate promotion I want you to consider the swipe copy a presentation, given on stage by another marketer.

Now, read over the copy, and open up a blank document. Pretend this document is where you’ll be making your presentation and you’re going on just 5 minutes after the previous presenter.

Is getting up on stage and pitching the exact same thing in the exact same way a good idea? NO! Writing an email is the same thing. So, rather than just using the swipe copy flat out – read it and then write your copy improving on the swipe piece by piece. Be different, be individual, and write in your voice. You may not realize it but your list will become attuned, and look forward to, to your writing style and voice – and that’s irreplaceable.”

Swipe now, pay for it later? What do you think?

Email us at news@ontraport.com, find us on Facebook or tweet us @ONTRAPORT.

The thing that is really hard, and really amazing, is giving up on being perfect and beginning the work of becoming yourself. – Anna Quindlen.

I surround myself with strong, powerful, fabulous women, and our ONTRAPORT VP of Client Experience  Rochelle Yoshida is all that, plus an amazing alto.

This week, Rochelle reminds us that we should take time to recognize ourselves for all that we do.

Rochelle Yoshida

Rochelle says,

“Many women I know are generous and constantly doing for others  - their employees, children, families, friends, and anyone else in their respective communities. It is so easy to forget to acknowledge yourself. When was the last time you stopped, took a breath and said to yourself “Great job, [insert your name]“?

The old adage “Stop and Smell the Roses” holds true here. Acknowledge yourself for at least one thing EVERY day.  I believe that all humans have an innate desire to be treated with respect, be valued, accepted and loved. Treat yourself with the same dignity.

The result? You remain humble, appreciative and keep yourself open to receiving more. Heck, you might even smell roses like you’ve never smelled before!”

Thank you for that reminder, Rochelle.

I would love to hear about the different ways you recognize yourself for being the amazing woman you are.  Leave your feedback on our Facebook page.

The best thing about being your own boss? No one peering over your shoulder, checking your work and holding you accountable. The worst thing about being your own boss? No one peering over your shoulder, checking your work and holding you accountable.

As an entrepreneur, it’s all about creating your own deadlines and no one is going to hold you liable except yourself. There’s no better situation for procrastination to flourish – it’s a veritable petri dish of deferment.

The thing is, procrastination isn’t even enjoyable! While you may be doing the things you sometimes love, with a deadline looming over your head that Law and Order SVU Marathon isn’t as relaxing as it otherwise might be.  There’s no quicker way to ruin your day off than the feeling of “I should be…”

So here are a few tips to stop (or at least curb) your procrastination:

• Stop being a perfectionist. Maybe you’ve been procrastinating starting a blog, or writing for an existing one, because you want to make sure it looks a certain way or you’re an ex-English Lit major who wants to produce high art. Some say procrastination is, deep down, a fear of failure. So create that blog, write or do any of the other million things you’re putting off. Even if it feels “bad” at the time, remind myself you can always go back and edit. Nothing is permanent. And upon second glance you’ll probably realize that your “not perfect” is pretty damn good.

• Break up your projects into small goals. No one says I’m going to climb Mount Everest and does it the next day. You get in shape, you get your gear together, you fly to Nepal, you hike to Base Camp 1… you get the point. Many people procrastinate because a project seems too overwhelming to even begin. Work backward from your goal and break it down into steps with their own deadlines. Then break those steps down even further. All of a sudden your goal is doable. Then, see Step 1, and JUST DO IT.

• Have someone else hold you accountable. Find a buddy who has their own goal (maybe someone who’ll meet you at the gym in the morning?) and hold each other to it. Do NOT find the one friend that will cosign your procrastination (the friend that you end up going to brunch with instead of the gym). Find an inspired, motivated person, and check in with them daily or weekly to see how it’s going.

• Hang out with motivated, driven people. Not that same friend who will always skip the gym with you, but people who are doing awesome things with their lives because they work HARD. Hang with people who have what you want and you’ll be inspired to get to where they are.

• Turn off all distractions. This means YouTube, Facebook, G-chat, Law and Order. Lock your cat out of your office. Much like breaking your projects into small goals, turn them off for 20 minutes at first. See where you are at the end of 20 minutes and we can guarantee that you’ll be pumped enough to turn them off for another 20. Under no circumstances do you tell yourself that you’re turning everything off all day!

So, as soon as you’re finished reading this email (yes, you can finish reading everything in your inbox), you’re going to turn off all your procrastination mechanisms and GO, right? Right?

OAP User of the Week

Wunderkind Dane Maxwell started four software companies by the time he was 27. Along the way he learned some valuable lessons, which he now shares through his software company startup boot camp, The Foundation. Our Concierge Service department took care of the entire technical implementation of his Foundation.io business product launch (at the time, Dane was at Burning Man!). In seven days, Dane’s company was up and running. And did we mention successful? Learn more about him here.

ONTRApeep of the Week

Meet Jesse Baird, our amazing front-end engineer. Jesse lives in Iowa but enjoys working (remotely) with ONTRAPORT!

So, we’re off until next week. We’d love to know what’s worked (or not) to curb your procrastination and up your productivity.  Or ask us a question, or even just say hi.  You can email us at news@ontraport.com, tell us on Facebook or tweet us @Ontraport.

In this Thursday’s Tip of the Week, our Customer Service Hero Anthony DeLorenzi shows you how to create a contact group for active leads – or contacts that have opened at least one email you’ve sent them. He’ll also show you how to create a group of inactive leads – or contacts that have not opened an email from you in a specified amount of time.

Anthony, OAP Customer Service Hero

Why do you want to do create a group of active leads?

Well, you want the emails you send to get to your client’s eyes right? If you want to send marketing email to people, email service providers like Gmail make you prove your worth first. They’ve implemented systems that automatically hides email sent from marketers, unless the recipient seems interested in that kind of mail .  If lots of folks on your list don’t care and aren’t opening your emails, gmail thinks you stink and may junk your mail for ALL recipients. And then no one gets to see your emails! (Learn more about this here.)

With your inactive leads, you’ll want to:

1. Unsubscribe or delete them – people who don’t open your emails are not only dead weight, they’re bringing the value of your email list down by making you look like a spammer.

2. Mail them less frequently.

3. Set up a re-engagement email series. (More about this here.)

With your active leads:

You’ll want to continue engaging them. They’ve signed up for your emails and newsletters so deliver those daily, weekly or whatever frequency you promised. Also, write your emails in a way that encourages recipients to open and click them. If you can get them to REPLY to your email, even better!

So get started with some spring cleaning by seeing who’s paying attention and who’s asleep at the inbox by creating a group of your active leads now!

Learn how HERE.

Do you have any cool tips? Let us know at news@ontraport.com and you could be featured in a Tip of the Week email newsletter. Or share them in our forum here.

We’re not just a software company – we care deeply about the small businesses and entrepreneurs we serve. That’s why we started a series of Google+ Hangouts to help you, support you, teach you something and, well, just hang out with you

So here’s our new schedule of Google+ Hangouts:

Every other Thursday at 11 am PST, Zach Johnson will teach you how to Cure M.T.O. (Marketing Technology Overwhelm Once & For All!  Sign up here if you’re feeling overwhelmed by all the different platforms you’re using to run your business.

On the third Tuesday of every month, our Women in Business group holds a Google+ Hangout where COO Lena Requist, the women of the ONTRAPORT executive team and a monthly special guest discuss various women’s issues. The next Hangout will take place on Tuesday, April 16 at 11:30 am PST. Sign up here.

Last month, entrepreneur and teacher Sheevaun Moran led the Hangout through a focus and breath exercise while Lena showed us how to manage our time more effectively. This month, special guest award-winning social media maven Lena West will be teaching us “The Gift of Asking.”

(And Like Women in Business on Facebook here.)

Featured OAP User of the Week

Meet Vishen Lakhiani and his team at MindValley, “an international group of visionaries, rebels, crazed inventors, best-selling authors, quirky artists, and ambitious entrepreneurs working on pushing humanity forward through culture hacking and revolutionizing the global education system.”

Featured ONTRAPeep of the Week

Meet the Tillotsons, the only set of sisters here at ONTRAPORT. They’ll tell you about life at ONTRAPORT and teach you their signature Tillotson whistle.

If you have any ideas, suggestions or want to just say hi, email news@ontraport.com.