Internet Marketing Swipe File

All About Swipe Files
It should be no surprise to you that the best way to learn about internet marketing is to watch and learn from what others do... this is where the swipe file comes in.

A swipe file is simply a file or collection of marketing messages, headlines, techniques, etc. Essentially, whenever you see an example of great marketing you add it to your marketing collection.

Before the internet, a swipe file would contain a bunch of direct mail marketing pieces, newspaper ads, postcards, etc. Today you can still have a file folder full of those kinds of things, but you should also consider starting a digital collection where you can put great examples of email marketing, ezine ads, headlines, digital sales letters, etc.

Some of the best marketing messages that I've seen were only presented in an online format.

I have my own digital swipe file where I save email messages, article resource boxes, sales letters, great headlines, and other promotional materials that I think are really good.

Remember, a great marketing piece doesn't have to relate directly to your chosen market to be useful to you... so save any marketing piece that works, regardless of the product.

A Swipe File IS NOT For Copying
Before you get the wrong idea here... keep in mind that a swipe file is not intended to be a file where you store materials that you are going to copy later. That would be a HUGE no no.

You should think of a swipe file as a place to store materials that you can use later to generate your own marketing ideas and strategies.

Thumbing through a collection of marketing materials will likely bring on a flood of ideas for how you can position, write about, or promote your own product... and that's why you should create your own collection! Remember, you're just looking for inspiration.

Don't just save the materials from the big companies either... some of them use terrible promotional materials! In fact, you'll find some of the best marketing and promotional materials are written by little known people who have really taken their time on each and every piece.

You'll also find a lot of great marketing fodder by watching what the 'gurus' do. Some of them are very, very good at what they do... that's why we think of them as 'gurus!'