When I left corporate America six years ago to launch my full-time business, I did not have a single dime saved up and only one remaining paycheck from my job. I did have an iron will to succeed and a lot of faith, although these intangibles do not translate into immediate cash flow. I had to figure out ways to create money fast with little or no cost. I began to use the email addresses I had been collecting from my networking, speaking engagements and product sales. Once I compiled the contacts I already had, I then had to set out to learn how to maximize creating income while supporting them in living God's vision full-time. This gave me some keys to understanding heart-to-heart e-marketing.

Heart-to-heart e-marketing is using electronic marketing to open your heart to others in a way that compels them to take action. There are three keys for effective heart-to-heart e-marketing. This is the first key - collect contact information form each and every customer and those who come in contact with your work. While this sounds obvious, very few business owners follow through on it.

The second key to making this work is having an electronic method to capture credit, debit, and electronic check payments. I use Paypal because they have a business debit card that allows me to have access to the funds instantly. The third key to implementing these ideas is to have an email list of your past and potential customers and clients. Make sure your website is able to collect an emailing list of your client's emails and first names. Studies show that collecting anymore information may stop people from signing up for your e-mailing list.

Marketing to your e-community takes being able to get the word out quickly and in a way that compels them to register or invest quickly. You can always tell the effectiveness of writing good copy by how quickly people respond with their payments. When I first began learning these techniques, writing compelling copy took some time to learn. I studied, "Words That Sell" and "More Words That Sell" by Richard Bayan and any other book I could find to learn how to wordsmith in a way that resulted in immediate sales. I have learned three other secrets to increasing your cash flow instantly that I want to share with you:

§ Write from your heart. Make sure your announcement doesn't sound too "salesy" and you are sharing your real life experiences and stories. Give the reader a glimpse into your heart and they will respond. Make your email message stand out by opening up your heart to theirs.

§ Be clear about the results your clients will receive. Focus on the benefits of how participating on your offer will positively effect their lives, businesses, marriage, family, financial planning, etc. Most copy only lists the features versus the benefits. How will participating in this program or purchasing this service change their lives? Use a title that tells the biggest benefit as well as listing the specific benefits they will receive.

§ Use only a few graphics in your email announcements. People expect to be entertained by pictures and graphics. I began to take notice of multi-millionaires that sent out their email announcements as text only and wondered why they did this. I began to track my results and found that the emails I wanted people to take action on (such as signing up for a tele-class, or registering for an online course) were more effective if I put little or no graphics in them. I spent time designing emails with beautiful graphics and was astounded at the lack of response they received. When I limited or eliminated all of the pictures, it received a wonderful response.

§ Give something away for no cost. When you are requesting that people invest in your products and/or services, give them a free glimpse of your expertise. Add a great tip or tool that you usually only give to paying customers. Include a free giveaway if they respond. Give them access to something that is normally only granted to your paying clients. Get in the habit of giving three times for every one time you ask for money and you will consistently add value and referrals to your e-marketing.

§ Take notice of other e-marketing announcements. Begin to take notice of the legitimate marketing emails that you receive and notice which ones move you to action and which ones stay in your inbox without you even opening it up. Sign up for several e-newsletters and see which ones evoke action versus non-action from you. Those that move you to action usually list the benefits versus the features. You can use similar techniques to get your desired results.

Now it's your turn. Electronic marketing is still a wonderful way to create deeper relationships with your customers and potential clients. With the right approach, you can experience great results for almost no cost even in this time of spamming and random suggestive mysteriously finding their way into your email. Most of all have fun and be willing to try some new approaches.

To learn more about how to apply these e-marketing secrets to 10 new and refreshing ways to increase your income now, please read Ericka's article, "10 New Ways To Create Cash Now (and Wealth later).