Your customers and prospects are bombarded with thousands, sometimes tens of thousands of advertising messages every day. Getting your email though to them is a very small part of the problem. After it gets to your reader, you have to connect with them on a conscious level. Something about your message has to make them really read, understand and digest your message. You have to create a "top of mind awareness." Otherwise, your message isn't really received.

To make your message stand out, you need to be what Seth Godin describes as a purple cow. He points out that if you're driving down a busy highway, and pass a purple cow grazing in a pasture, you would have to take notice. You'd say, "There's a purple cow." And then you'd stop and take a closer look. Your email messages to your customers and prospects need to stand out like a purple cow.

So many messages that we get every day aren't fully "received." We aren't fully aware of them in our environment. This point jumped out at me a few days ago as I walked my shitzu (dog). I knew there were bears in my part of Florida. There are signs posted along some of the highways warning drivers. However, I had never seen one until about a week ago. I noticed several cars stopped along the street where I was out walking my dog. I looked in the direction of the cars and there was a black bear. It was about 3 feet tall when down on all four legs! At that point the message that there were bears near where I lived was fully received and felt on a very deep "gut" level. There was a loose, wild bear, about 50 yards from where I was! Fortunately, he was only interested in crossing into a nearby patch of dense vegetation.

After seeing that bear, and reflecting upon how long the claws and teeth were on those I had seen in zoos and museums, I now appreciated the fact that there were wild bears around. Now, when I heard a rustling sound in the bushes I paid more attention. Previously, I had just assumed it was a porcupine or an armadillo rummaging around for food. Now I was aware that it might be something big enough to hurt me. Your email and promotional messages to your reader need to be this impactful!

"Ok, Willie," you say. But how do I create this top of mind awareness in my readers. "How do I stand out in their universe like a purple cow?" "How do I have the impact of seeing a big bear walking through my neighborhood?"

You increase your visitors top of mind awareness by showing them in your messages that you understand their problems. You show them that you really understand what it is that they need or want. The words in your message to them shares what *they* are feeling. Your empathy and understanding has to come through.

Increasing your top of mind awareness in your readers and prospects involves nothing more than showing them that your thoughts are "what's in it for them." If you show that you have their best interests at heart, and that you are working for them, they have to appreciate you and what you do. You do this by studying great copywriting - as I have pointed out before. You do this by talking directly to them, as I am doing in this article. You do this by using the words you and your more than I, me, and my in your copy. This shows them who the message is really about.

Making your message about your customer or prospect pushes you to the top of their consciousness because you are communicating about something that they care about. You are moving yourself into a universe involving something they think about all the time. Your prospects spend a lot of time and energy thinking about how to improve their lives. It's human nature. If you also spend a lot of time and energy thinking about how to improve their lives, you naturally move into where you h ave top of mind presence. You begin to stand out in their subconscious and onscious minds like a purple cow or a wild bear!

Now you have the secret to breaking through the clutter of all of the messages your readers get everyday. Simply make the message about them. Simply convey," here's something that will help you." Simply convey that you're working to make their lives easier. It will be virtually impossible for you to be ignored if you do this with sincerity.

Willie Crawford is a popular writer, speaker, and internet marketing consultant. Through the 32-step Power Copywriting For The Internet system, you can learn more about creating top of mind awareness in your website visitors and email readers. Begin using this powerful system today by visiting: http://williecrawford.com/powercopywriting/