However, there are unblockable pop-ups. Some people sell software to create them. But there are also free scripts available on the Internet. Here are a few links to help you create “unblockable” pop-ups I use on my many websites.

Granted, they are not 100% foolproof, as pop-up blockers are becoming more and more sophisticated. However, not everyone has them, and therefore your chance to take advantage of these response boosters are immense — at least for the time being.

There are 3 types…

1. Window Layers (Or “Pop-Overs”)
The first is to create DHTML (dynamic HTML) windows, which uses layers (also called “pop-ins” or “pop-overs,” and sometimes called “hover ads” or “drop-in windows”).

These windows are not windows per se but in fact are actual HTML mini-pages created “on top” of regular HTML. When they close (such as by clicking the “X” in the upper righthand corner), they don’t really close. They simply become invisible.

These scripts are free.
ScriptAsylum.com
DynamicDrive.com
CodeLifter.com
You can also use their cookie function to disallow pop-ups from showing up with returning visitors, thus reducing annoyance.

Let me show you some examples.
There’s my client Chet Womach at BirdTricks.com (notice the “close window link” in the window, which I discovered by myself .) There’s my own website at SuccessDoctor.com.

2. Modal Windows
The second one is the same as a standard pop-up window. But instead of lauching the window when the page loads or closes (traditionally using the body tag “onload” or “unonload” function), this script launches the window within the code itself — rather than when page loads.

These scripts are also free.
forums.HotScripts.com
Here’s the same one but in a downloadable zip file.
PageResource.com
WebReference.com
Let me show you a more specific example.
There’s my own website at TheCopyDoctor.com (you may have seen the “exit” survey that pop-ups when you leave the website, asking for your feedback as to why you didn’t order today).

3. Scrolling/Draggable Layers
The third is somewhat like #1. But instead of a window, you can create a linked image or a set of links (with no frames) that follow you around on a web page.

This one is becoming more and more popular. It was once used for providing feedback, but with the advent of pop-up blockers, this technique is fast becoming the “pop-up” of choice.

These scripts are also free.
EchoEcho.com
Codelifter.com
Dyn-Web.com
(Click on gliding “layers always in view.”)
Here are some examples.
For links, you can purchase a software that creates them for you, like Dave Brown’s WebsiteResponseBooster.com (not an affiliate link). But when you visit the site, look in the corners of your browser window.

One tip I use to increase my clickthroughs from Google AdWords is to use dynamic headlines in my ads so that the keyword searched for by a user appears in the title of my ad.

It’s proven that, when the keyword searched for appears in your ad, it increases your CTRs (e.g., clickthrough rates).

Thus, here’s how you do it. Type …

{KeyWord:Default Title}

… Exactly as shown. “Default Title” is the default title that appears if the keyword isn’t an exact match to your list of keywords, is a variation or if the keyword/keyphrase makes the title longer than Google’s limit of 25 characters.

Plus, type it exactly as shown — KeyWord, not keyword, or Keyword, or KEYWORD — because “KeyWord” will capitalize each word in your title (“Keyword” will only capitalize the first letter), since first capitalized letters increase CTRs, too.

Now, that may be good news to some of you, but it’s NOT the news I wanted to convey. As a test fanatic myself, I wanted to try to see if {KeyWord} works in the ad itself — either in the ad content or, more important, in the display URL.

Why the display URL?

Because the display URL can be whatever you want (and the real URL is the one people are sent to when they click) … As long as the display and real URLs are in the same domain, it meets Google’s editorial guidelines.

Since I was in the middle of writing copy, I didn’t have time to check this out. So I made a request — and The Copy Doctor member, Eric Graham, was gracious enough to try it out.

The result? You won’t believe this! (And you certainly won’t believe the tremendous boost in conversion it did, too! Hint: It tripled … a 328.1% increase! … the CTRs!)

See http://copywritersboard.com/viewtopic.php?p=2258#2258
for the whole story.

So page “a” may be your existing control while page “b” is exactly the same with one slight change. (Always test just one variable at a time.)

Scenario of “a” versus “b” split test.
The script serves one page, alternately, with each visitor. It measures the response rate per page. Say, page “a” gets 100 hits, 2 sales (2% response). Page “b” gets 100 hits, 3 sales (3% response). The difference between “a” and “b” gives me the change. It’s a 1% difference. Based on the original 2%, that’s a 50% increase.

Let me show you a more specific example.

First, you install the script. You then set your 2 pages. Page “a” is your current control. Page “b” is an exact carbon copy of page “a,” but with a slight change. One variable, whatever it may be. Now…

Page “a” 213 hits, 2 sales, 0.9% conversion
Page “b” 188 hits, 3 sales, 1.1% conversion
Increase from “a” to “b:” 1.1 – 0.9 = 0.2% difference
To calculate the increase 0.2% represents:
Multiply it by 100, like 0.2 x 100 = 20
20 divided by 0.9% = 22% increase
Thus, page “b” with the slight change represents a 22% increase over page “a.” Thus, 0.9% (page “a”) x 1.22 (22% increase) = 1.1% (page “b”). In other words, add 22% of 0.9% to 0.9%, which equals 1.1%.

Now, is this empirical? No.

The amount of traffic above is very small. This example should not be considered as across-the-board numbers. But, it gives you a good indicator. (Don’t forget that a modification to your control may decrease your response, too. That’s fine, since it gives you the knowledge of what DOESN’T work — and not repeat it.)

Here’s a great site that teaches it to you is http://testandtrack.com/.

It’s like the time you walk into a department store and check out a new shirt you’re interested in. Since there’s none in your size, you ask the sales representative if one is available. The clerk goes into the backroom, and emerges a few moments later, saying, “I found one in your size, but it’s the only one we have left in stock.”

Now, how much more desirous are you in that shirt?

I’m a firm believer, and I’ve grown even more convinced over time, that great copy is not meant to induce action, especially online — it’s really meant to prevent procrastination. Why? Because copy should not sell people and pressure them per se. It should help them buy what you sell and prevent them from making a wrong decision.

And procrastination is a decision in itself — a bad decision at that.

Online, people find your site through research, searching for specific information. Or they were propelled to visit your site through some affiliate promotion, ad or offer made elsewhere. So to a large degree, and unlike the offline world, they’re pre-qualified. They’re interested. They’re in the market. (Granted, not all the time. But again, they are to a great degree — at least to a greater degree than a bunch of people on a direct mail list you have no knowledge of, other than some basic demographic data.)

Nevertheless, as the saying goes, “People don’t like to be sold. But people love to buy.” So scarcity, used properly, helps them buy — and not pressure them to act.

Look at it this way: if you give a chance for your prospects to procrastinate, they will. Guaranteed.

So use takeaway selling in order to stop people from procrastinating rather than getting them to take action now. In other words, shape your offer — and not just your product or service — so that it is time-sensitive or quantity-bound. More important, give a reasonably logical explanation to justify your time-sensitivity or else your sales tactic will be instantly discredited as it appears disingenuous.

How do you do that?

I’ve always used one of three ways…

In my experience, there 3 types of takeaways you can use:

Limiting the time
Limiting the quantity
Limiting the offer
The first is done by adding a deadline on the offer. A realistic deadline, and not some script that changes everyday. For instance, how many times have you come across a salesletter where the offer had a deadline, which seemed to “magically” bump ahead each time you visited the website? That’s what I mean. (People are not stupid!)

This is done very well when the product or the price is changing after the deadline, or simply no longer available or temporarily inaccessible. Take Thomas Pierce’s BlogMasterSecrets.com, for example, which is no longer for sale. Well, for now at least.

(By the way, Thomas reported on an interesting take on the use of takeaway selling. There’s a site that’s holding a rabbit hostage, on its way to a slaughterhouse by a certain date — unless you donate money or buy merchandise, the rabbit will die. Personally, I’m not too keen on the approach. It’s crude. But creatively, and as an example of takeaway selling, it’s brilliant. See Thomas’ blog post here.)

The second is limiting the number of units (stock) or openings (clients) available. Again, back it up with a realistic reason. Something logical. Something justifiable and real. Perhaps it’s “fire sale” (products discounted because of minimal cosmetic damage, for example), or perhaps it’s a way to deplete old stock and to make way for the new.

Whatever the reason, as long as it’s credible and logical, scarcity can become a powerful too. Remember, people buy on emotion first and then justify their decisions with logic. In fact, if you give them logical explanations in your copy further down, many will actually use your suggestions — whether consciously or unconsciously — as a way to back up their purchasing decisions.

You make the excuses for them. You make them feel as if they “own” your reasons for buying now, in other words.

In terms of services, this is done by limiting the number of people for a number of reasons — such as a service provider who can only take on a certain number of clients because there are so many hours in the day, or because it would dilute the value of the service. Etc, etc, etc.

Also, even making the offer something that’s secretive, exclusive or otherwise unavailable to the general public, can arouse stronger motives in the psyche of your readers. People are intrinsically curious. And people always love to get some kind of “insider’s edge” over the rest of the world.

Take my friend Ryan Deiss’ Nicheology.com private site, for example. They currently have an extensive waiting list and only open their “doors” every so often for a very specific number of new members. Once they’ve reached that number, the offer is “closed.”

The third is the offer. And this is done through limiting other elements that are part of the offer, such as the guarantee, the bonuses/premiums, the price (not a discount, but perhaps an imminent increase in price, perhaps to cover the extra costs in dealing with more customers), the packaging (perhaps since the product is bundled with other products or components that won’t be available after “X” amount sold), the extras (perhaps as in free support, free installation or free shipping, etc), and so on.

I like them all, especially when the product is truly limited, such as Frank Kern and Ed Dale’s recent Underachiever Mastery course I wrote the copy for, which was strictly limited to 700 packages, and the site was taken down once they’ve reached the limit.

(The reason? The course helps people make money with tiny, ultra-targeted niches, where very little competition if any exists. But if too many people bought the course, then chances are that the competition in any given niche will grow and thus lessen the potential profitability of people buying and applying the techniques in the course.)

But for convenience and flexibility, I prefer the “fire sale” as well as the third (which is limiting the offer, especially with bonuses and extras). Because often, bonuses can be limited and changed, without limiting the sales of the core product or service.

This not only creates more believability (because it reduces the perception of the owner’s “control” over the limitation, which may appear as self-serving or manipulative), but also reduces skepticism as the bonus may actually have been sold elsewhere or is currently being sold elsewhere, and therefore the 3rd party may put a limit on the quantity to distribute.

For example, I did this with Stephen Pierce’s copy I wrote, where Stephen was giving away a software program that complemented his infoproduct he was selling — one that was truly being sold by someone else on another website at a real price. Stephen managed to secure permission to distribute only a certain number of copies from the 3rd party as a free bonus to his infoproduct, making the offer truly scarce and valuable.

In negotiation skills training, they call this approach the “higher authority” or “third party” gambit, where the limitation is outside of the owner’s control — making the takeaway truly a takeaway, and not some manipulative ploy.

This is crucial, because too many people use takeaway these days as a tactic, not as a reason.

So add a deadline to your offer, limit the number of products you sell (or the number of new members you allow to join), or shape your entire offer so that one of more elements are limited.

Again, there is a caveat: to make sure that people believe your need to limit the offer, give a reasonable and logical explanation to justify your time-sensitivity, or else your tactic will be instantly discredited.

Here are some examples.

If you add a deadline or limit the number of members you accept, you must explain why you’re doing so. But you can also be vague, too. (Although a real, tangible deadline is best.) Here’s an example of what I put on some sales letters I’ve written — they sell memberships to private sites and offer personal consulting to their members:

Example #1:

“To be candid with you, I don’t know how long I’m going to keep the doors open to new members since this information is extremely sensitive and limited. I don’t want to dilute the value of this information for my paid members. If you were a member, wouldn’t you want the same, too? So, I must restrict the number of users for quality control purposes.”

(In the above case, it is very true. The author sells access to a limited number of “hot” real estate opportunities that he finds through his unique system, which he also teaches his members. If too many people join and get their hands on the opportunities or the system, it will surely lower the value of the information to the member-base, and contradict the whole purpose of the site, which is to gain access to hot, insider’s information. Otherwise, why would one join?)

Example #2:

“We’re only human, and there are only so many hours in a day and so many people we can physically attend to! So, in order to limit the number of hours of coaching we do provide, we must put a cap on the number of new members for obvious reasons. We can only guarantee that people who sign up through [date] will qualify for membership, completely custom-tailored support and this incredible set of free bonuses worth over $[amount]! ‘You snooze, you lose’. So, join today. I’d hate to put you on a milelong waiting list!”

(This example demonstrates the importance of the support they offer private members and, at the same time, drives home the idea that such a service is limited. I’m sure the owners can hire part-time help, if the need ever arose. But nothing can replace expertise that comes from straight the experts — the more people join, the more individualized coaching they must provide, and the less time they have.)

Example #3:

“If you act by midnight, Friday on [date], you will get the 3 bonuses included with your special offer. But keep in mind, however, that these bonuses come from various third parties, including [3rd party name], over which we have no control, and can be removed at any time without notice. I’ve only secured permission to give away [amount] copies of this bonus bundle. So the time to act is now!”

(The above is an example of the 3rd approach, where the offer is limited through a bonus. You can also accomplish this by tailoring your offer, or even making a special backend or alternative offer to an accumulated list of non-buyers, after they’ve seen the original offer.)

So, add some kind of constraint, such as a time-limited or quantity-bound offer. Such limitations implore at some unconscious level, “You better read this and take action now!” But above all, always make sure to back up your limitation with a logical, genuine and easily justifiable reason in order not to appear misleading or disingenuous.

For the more you make them feel that procrastination is a bad decision, the more people will feel compelled to buy of their volition — and not pressured into buying.

Let me say it another way.

You’ve done your research. You found a starving market. Your product fills their needs. And your sales copy shines with benefits. If so, then why is your product still NOT selling? Is it the price? The offer? The competition?

Maybe. But not necessarily. The fact is, these things are not always to blame for being unable to sell an in-demand product, even with great copy.

It has more to do with one thing: FOCUS. (Or the lack thereof.)

In fact, the greatest word in copywriting is NOT “free.” It’s “focus.”

And what you focus on in your copy is often the single, greatest determinant of your copy’s success. Similarly, the most common blunders I see being committed in copy is the lack of focus in a sales message on:

The individual reading the copy; and,
The value you specifically bring to them.
In my experience as a copywriter, I find that some people put too much emphasis on the product, the provider and even the market, and not enough on the most important element in a sales situation: the customer.

The individual reading the copy at that very moment.

Don’t focus your copy on your product and the features of your product — and on how good, superior or innovative they are. And don’t even focus on the benefits. Instead, focus on increasing perceived value.

Why? Because perception is personal. It’s intimate. It’s ego-centric.

Let me explain.

When you talk about your product, you’re making a broad claim. Everyone makes claims, especially online. “We’re number one,” “we offer the highest quality,” “it’s our best version yet,” etc. (Often, my reaction is, “So what?”)

And describing benefits is just as bad.

Benefits are too broad, in my opinion. You were probably taught that a feature is what a product has and a benefit is what that feature does. Right? But even describing benefits is, in my estimation, making a broad claim, too.

A claim always looks self-serving. It also puts you in a precarious position, as it lessens your perceived value and makes your offer suspect — the opposite of what you’re trying to accomplish by making claims in the first place.

Therefore, don’t focus on the benefits of a certain feature. Rather, focus on how those features specifically benefit the individual.

There is a difference. A big difference.

The more you explain what those claims specifically mean to the prospect, the more you will sell. It’s not the features that counts and it’s not even benefits. It’s the perceived value. So how do you build perceived value?

The most common problem I see when people attempt to describe benefits is when what they are really describing are advantages — or glorified features, so to speak. Real benefits are far more personal and intimate.

That’s why I prefer to use this continuum:

Features Advantages Benefits

Of course, a feature is what a product has. And an advantage (or what most people think is a benefit) is what that feature does. But…

… A benefit is what that feature means.

A benefit is what a person intimately gains from a specific feature. When you describe a feature, say this: “What this means to you, Mr. Prospect, is this (…),” followed by a more personal gain your reader gets from the feature.

Let me give you a real-word example.

A client once came to me for a critique of her copy. She sold an anti-wrinkle facial cream. It’s often referred to as “microdermabrasion.” Her copy had features and some advantages, but no benefits. In fact, here’s what she had:

Features:

It reduces wrinkles.
It comes in a home kit.
And it’s pH balanced.
Advantages:

It reduces wrinkles, so it makes you look younger.
It comes in a home kit, so it’s easy to use at home.
And it’s pH balanced, so it’s gentle on your skin.
This is what people will think a benefit is, such as “younger,” “easy to use” and “gentle.” But they are general. Vague. They’re not specific and intimate enough. So I told her to add these benefits to her copy…

Benefits:

It makes you look younger, which means you will be more attractive, you will get that promotion or recognition you always wanted, you will make them fall in love with you all over again, they will never guess your age, etc.

It’s easy-to-use at home, which means you don’t have to be embarrassed — or waste time and money — with repeated visits to the doctor’s office… It’s like a facelift in a jar done in the privacy of your own home!

It’s gentle on your skin, which means there are no risks, pain or long healing periods often associated with harsh chemical peels, surgeries and injections.
Now, those are benefits!

Remember, copywriting is “salesmanship in print.” You have the ability to put into words what you normally say in a person-to-person situation. If you were to explain what a feature means during an encounter, why not do so in copy?

The more benefit-driven you are, the more you will sell. In other words, the greater the perceived value you present, the greater the desire for your product will be. And if they really want your product, you’ll make a lot of money.

It’s that simple.

In fact, like a face-to-face, one-on-one sales situation (or as we say in sales training, being “belly to belly” with your prospect), you need to denominate as specifically as possible the value of your offer to your readers.

In other words, express the benefits of your offer in terms that relate directly not only to your market, but also and more importantly:

To each individual in that market
And to each individual’s situation.
Don’t focus on your product. Focus on your readers. Better yet, relate the benefits of your offer to the person that’s reading it. And express how your offer benefits your prospect in terms they can intimately relate to.

Look at it this way:

Use terms the prospect is used to, appreciates and fully understands. (The mind thinks in

Do you remember how you flipped each page with an almost excruciating curiosity because the story was so tantalizing, you became increasingly riveted to the book with each subsequent chapter?

Copy is, or should be, the same.

Good copy makes a good case. But great copy tells a good story. A great copywriter is also a great salesperson. But all great copywriters AND all great salespeople also have one thing in common…

… They are also great storytellers.

The closer your copy reads like a compelling story — keeping the reader interested and engaged, hanging on to every word — the greater your chances she will read your copy until the end and, of course, buy.

Your “story” should tickle the reader’s curiosity and pull her into the copy. Each new idea introduced should build on the other, pulling the reader further and deeper into the salesletter. The copy should almost mesmerize the reader to the point she’s in a trance-like state.

Each header, each paragraph and each word crescendos and prepares you, step-by-step, for the climactic “twist” in the story’s plot.

The climax, of course, is the offer.

And the plot, in copywriting, is called the “platform.”
Your platform is the major concept or “storyline.” It’s possibly a core benefit, result or key topic that creates the foundation upon which your entire “story” is built. It’s one powerful idea with which your entire copy will hinge.

The platform you choose to present your offer is critical to the offer’s success — hopefully the offer is good, but getting there is the job of the platform.

The concept of the “greased chute” is one in which you keep the reader hanging on to every word you write — up until they buy. They simply can’t leave. They’re glued to your copy. They’re compelled to keep reading.

Copy is telling a good story that involves the reader so they can see in their mind’s eye the benefits of your offer, as if they owned your product already. The platform is the “pivot,” if you will, you choose to build your story on.

It could (and often should be) be your USP. It could be what copywriter John Carlton calls your “hook.” It could be some major advantage or benefit.

Ray McNally, a programmer and friend, offers a neat software program that complements an affiliate marketer’s efforts by helping them capture the names and email addresses of traffic they generate to an affiliate link.

This program sets up a doorway page (not the search engine kind) that, before the affiliate’s generated traffic is sent to the site being promoted, it capture’s their name and email addresses for future follow-up.

Why? Because once they click on an affiliate link, they’re gone. But that affiliate has worked hard or spent money on generating that traffic. They own that traffic. So why not capture it in the process?

If they DIDN’T end up buying that affiliate product, no problem. That list can now be followed-up with, or even monetized in other ways!

What has that got to do with copy? Here’s my point.

Originally, Ray had one of those hackneyed headlines: “Discover how to explode your income… Blah, blah, blah.” Bland. Hypey. Boring.

After talking with Ray, I said, “Ray, this is your USP! Your hook. Why not capitalize on it?” So the platform I told him to use was this ability affiliates will gain with this software to make far more money with the traffic they generate.

The result is here: http://AffiliatePageCreator.com/. Check the headline out and you’ll understand what I mean. Also, you’ll notice another strategy I used.

Before I explain it to you, let me backup a little to “set the story.”
A great way to learn how to write mouth-watering copy is to read fiction. Take a popular book and read it through once. Then go back, read it again and take notes. List the nuances, twists and storylines that grabbed you. And why.

In other words, try to look beyond the story.

Pinpoint where certain characters, ideas and phrases were introduced in specific locations of the book — and see how they relate to the whole plot.

Look at the flow of ideas. Is there a crescendo? Are there small “valleys” along the way (until you reach the “summit,” i.e., the climax)?

What do I mean by “small valleys?” Copy should build on the reader’s intrinsic curiosity. But it needs to do so multiple times throughout. In fact, incorporate what copywriter David Garfinkel once told me are called “nested loops.”

A nested loop is when you begin on an idea but, before you complete it, you introduce another idea. And guess what? People will read every single word more intently and intensely, and remember more what is being said in the process, until you close the loop and finish the idea.

In between the nested loop is therefore a great place to insert a key idea or critical point you want to drive home.

Why are “nested loops” so powerful?
In 1927, Bluma Zeigarnik, one of the early contributors to Gestalt Psychology, found that people have an intrinsic need for closure. Often called the “Zeigarnik Effect,” he discovered that we remember interrupted tasks best.

We either passionately attempt to complete something that’s incomplete, or feel a certain discomfort, uneasiness or disconcertedness, until it is. The tension created by such an unfinished task helps us to concentrate more.

For example, have you ever watched the news on TV or one of those tabloid shows, where they begin with the following introduction:

“Tonight, Hollywood superstar escapes blazing fire while filming her new mega-budget movie. More on that later. But first…”

That story aroused your curiosity. So you remain glued to your TV set until… They air that particular story at the end of the show! Now, do you think they did this intentionally? Of course. They did so to force you to watch the entire show. (And of course, all of the commercials in between.)

Look at all the TV shows that keep you hanging with each show to the next. (Look at the hit show “24″ as a perfect example.) Even commercials use this strategy brilliantly. (Remember the “Taster’s Choice” soap-opera-like series?)

Once you close the loop, their concentration level goes down somewhat, which is why you want to use multiple nested loops, or “valleys,” throughout the copy. Once they finally “climax,” there’s no more “Zeigarnik Effect.” And you stand a great chance to lose your reader.

(Take, for instance, the show “Dallas” in the 80′s with the famous “Who Shot J.R.?” plot. After the show’s culmination when they finally revealed who did it, ratings dropped dramatically.)

In copy, include nested loops to not only keep the reader reading but also to build on the reader’s level of concentration until the very end. And use them to introduce new or critical ideas in between them.

Look at soap operas and cliffhangers as an example. As an aside, even a few Internet marketers are doing exactly that. For example, check out the “Joe And Mable Show” at http://www.joeandmable.com/.

For marketers, these changes mean more direct interaction with customers and potential customers. By speaking and listening directly with the customer marketers are able to reduce the expense for public relations and advertising. Of course, these developments are worrying some in the pr and advertising industries, as well as the news media.

Many things about marketing communication won’t change, of course: you still need to have something to say. And the best way to apply all these technologies is still within a business niche. With that said, here are some of the other ways communication is changing:

1. Podcasting is the hottest idea on the internet. Starting in 2004, people began downloading homebrewed radio shows to their iPods. So instead of “broadcasts” they’re “podcasts”. Unlike streaming audio, podcasts require the file to be downloaded. The advantage of podcasts versus streaming is that you can take it with you when you’re not on the net. The disadvantage is that streaming audio is much easier for a customer to play at his or her computer. The solution is to do both – create an audio file for streaming, and an mp3 for podcasting. The same recording can be used for both.

2. A vlog is a video blog. Unlike podcasting, vlogging can refer to either streaming video or downloadable shows. Combined with the rapid development of internet video delivery, vlogging seems poised to take off. As with audio, you can prepare your video file in both streaming and downloadable formats. Also like audio, you can begin with very low-cost tools and work your way up to full blown professional equipment. Remember that people like good production quality, but they like watching something interesting even more.

3. Wikis are websites that are editable by the site users. Content becomes part of a dialogue among the users, instead of something fixed. This interaction can build strong communities, and produce large sites with enormous information. Up until recently, wikis have been difficult to use, and limited to techs. New approaches to wikis are making them easier to use, and reinforcing the next trend:

4. Social software. Community sites that encourage sharing and conversation are springing up in many areas. Photography and music have been drivers of this trend, in addition to political activism. Interaction builds community, and community is where the market is.

5. Almost all of these tools involve RSS, a technology for feeding information to people who want it. Unlike email, which is “pushed” by the sender, rss feeds have to be “pulled” by the user. While still not completely mainstream, rss is a rapidly growing delivery system.

For the small marketer, the price of reaching customers directly has dropped. Large corporations, though, are picking up on these technologies rapidly. To truly gain an edge, the small business person needs to develop a strategy for these channels before the big companies figure them out.