Review of Desktop Lighning

Desktop Lightning is a viral marketing tool designed to help you build a list of potential new distributors, customers, or joint venture partners. You communicate with your list via a desktop application, which alerts the owner whenever it receives a message via a small notification window in the lower right corner of your screen (similar to many programs, such as the Gmail notification tool). You can choose to ignore the message and read it later if you're busy at the time. When you send messages you know that they will not be blocked by spam filters since they are delivered directly to the individuals desktop, not via an email program.

Pros

Over time, Desktop Lightning will empower you to build a list of people who are already interested in earning money from home via affiliate, internet, or network marketing. You are able to communicate with these members direct to their desktops, thereby bypassing the spam filters that prevent many of your emails from reaching their intended audience.

Thus you have a very targeted market for your opportunity or services. By gradually building a relationship with your list members, e.g., by offering them assistance and advice, you create an atmosphere of trust which increases the chances they will become interested in your business opportunity or services.

A major benefit of Desktop Lightning if you are a Platinum member (currently $14.99 per month if you purchase it immediately after signing up; if you wait to upgrade it's $19.99 per month) is the "Platinum Bonus" feature. The way it works is that every time you send out a broadcast to your downline it your message also goes out to an additional random group of 57 people in the DesktopLightning system.

Thus, not only will your messages reach your downline members, but they will also reach a random group of 57 other members. This addition to the service (added on 11 OCT 06) makes the upgrade to Platinum definitely worth it in my opinion. Where else can you send a message directly to the desktops of 57 people who are already interested in Internet, affiliate, and/or network marketing?

I should note here that Desktop Lightning does not have an affiliate program. I want to mention this fact so that you know that I'm not recommending the Platinum version because I can make money off it. I recommend the Platinum version because I believe you receive good value for your money.

Cons

It takes awhile to build a list, whether it's using Desktop Lightning or other methods. Therefore, you have to approach building a list with a tool like Desktop Lightning as a long-term process. The ads for Desktop Lightning, like this one:

Click Here to Learn How I Broadcast Messages to Thousands of People's Desktops Instantly With the Click of a Button

make it sound like you'll be sending messages to thousands right away. Unless you have a huge list of loyal subscribers that just ain't gonna happen! Of course, if you approach the task as a marathon as opposed to a 100-meter dash then this doesn't have to be a problem. I simply don't want you to assume that a thousand-member downline from the get-go is the norm.

When I first wrote this review I said:

You must keep in mind that you will also receive messages yourself since you will have an upline too. Individuals who join late in the game ( DesktopLightning was released on 06 October 2006), e.g., several months after release will receive more desktop messages than those who joined within the first few months of release. Many viral marketing products "run out of steam" after a year or two because people realize that they will receive a lot of messages since they are at the bottom of the funnel. It can become more difficult to sign up enough new members for late-comers to make it worth their while. An exception to this rule is if the program owners keep the product fresh by constantly adding new features. I am not familiar with the owners of Desktop Lightning so I don't know what their track record is for keeping a product current and attractive to customers down the line.

However, I have since learned that DesktopLightning has built in a couple of features that ameliorate these concerns.

First, they limit the number of messages any member receives to 14 per week. DesktopLightning explains the mathematical reason for this limit, if you are interested, but the main point is that even if you join a year after the initial release, you will not be inundated with messages.

Second, if you are a Platinum member (currently $14.99 per month if you purchase it immediately after signing up; if you wait to upgrade it's $19.99 per month), you benefit from the "Platinum Bonus" program described above, in which you are able to send messages twice a week to 57 randomly selected Desktop Lightning members.

Recommendation

If you are able to promote Desktop Lightning to a mailing list or via advertising and you are patient and persistent about it, it could prove to be a great way to build a targeted list of home-based business entrepreneurs with whom you communicate much easier than if you had to rely on email. Keep in mind that if you choose the Platinum option, you will be able to send messages to 57 random members right from the beginning, even if you have not signed up a single downline member.

If you don't already have an ezine or newsletter or if online advertising via traffic exchanges, networking, PPC (pay-per-click) ads, etc. is not feasible for you, then you'll probably want to hold off on Desktop Lightning. You will want to gradually grow your downline so that you can establish rapport and trust with them and eventually have some of them join your business or otherwise benefit each other. The 57 random members you can send messages to as a Platinum member is a significant bonus but you wouldn't be sending messages to the same 57 people each week so it would be difficult to establish a working relationship with that "Platinum Bonus" group.

If you do try Desktop Lightning you can opt for the free version to see how it works and begin promoting it. However, I don't recommend this option because you would miss out on the "Platinum Bonus" feature that allows you to send messages to 57 random members twice a week.

If you do decide to take advantage of Desktop Lightning as one of your list-building, networking tools, I recommend a two-pronged marketing strategy.

Marketing Strategy

Strategy #1: As with a network or affiliate marketing business, build working relationships with your personally recruited members. Provide your downline with valuable information and generous assistance. The quality of your relationships with your team will largely determine your success. If you send sales letter after sales letter to your Desktop Lightning members, they will soon delete your messages right away.

Develop trust by sharing valuable information and support. Surprise your downline members by helping them in ways they would never have expected. If you do that, many of your downline members will come to you and ask, "So what is it you do to earn a living from home?"

Strategy #2: Since, if you are a Platinum member, you will be sending out two messages a week to 57 random members, you'll want to include something in your message with them in mind. Specifically, since the 57 people will be different each time, it's best to assume that you have only one shot at establishing a connection with them. Thus, your number one priority is to entice those 57 members to provide you with their contact information. You don't have to don't have to be as concerned about obtaining contact information from your personally recruited downline members because, in a sense, you already have their contact information as long as they are a member of DesktopLightning (but see more on that issue below).

The best way to obtain a person's contact information is to offer them something of value. For example, in my messages I offer members of DesktopLightning use of some of the marketing materials I have developed, such as banners, lead capture pages, an article reviewing DesktopLightning into which they can place their own referral link, and shares in an online advertising campaign (at cost--I don't make a profit on advertising co-op shares). In return, I simply ask that they subscribe to my ezine. By giving away quite a lot (if a person were to develop all those advertising resources on his or her own, it would take quite a bit of time, not to mention some technical know-how) I make signing up for my ezine worthwhile.

I stated above, "You don't have to don't have to be as concerned about obtaining contact information from your personally recruited downline members." Note that I wrote, "as concerned" implying that you should still give some thought to obtaining contact information from your downline members. Why? Because some of them won't stay with Desktop Lightning. It's just the way it is with any program--not everyone has the persistence to follow through with the marketing and relationship-building that's required.

But just because someone might fade away from Desktop Lightning that they won't be persistent and ultimately successful with another endeavor. And that endeavor might be your business if you have established rapport and trust and have the person's contact information. It's even better if you are already communicating with them regularly via another venue, e.g., they are subscribed to your blog feed or your newsletter. The cool thing is that since you will be trying to obtain the 57 random members' contact information, those same enticements will work with your downline members.

Messaging Tips

1. Keep your messages "short and sweet." Members are less likely to read long messages unless you are particularly good at copywriting.
2. In particular, keep the enticement you offer in return for contact information short. Your personally recruited downline members will be see this enticement several times because you'll want to repeat it in each message. It is a good idea to repeat your enticement offer because the 57 random members will probably see it one time only.
3. If you if you can't think of anything to say in your message on a given day, wait a day or two. It's better to send nothing then to send a poorly written message that doesn't offer value to the reader.
4. If you haven't read anything about copywriting before I highly recommend giving yourself an education because how you put your words together makes all the difference in the world. (Our English teachers were right--understanding how to best communicate in writing does make a difference!) The Netwriting Masters Course is a FREE e-book that I highly recommend in this regard.

Advertising Tips

Advertising Tip: If you decide to add Desktop Lightning to your viral marketing efforts, consider offering potential sign-ups a bribe.

Purchasing Tip

When you sign up for Desktop Lightning, immediately after entering your information you will see a page with a one-time offer to lock in a discounted price ($14.99 per month) for the Platinum version. Unlike a lot of "one-time offers" which seem to last forever, the publishers of DesktopLightning are actually serious about this offer. If you close that page and go back even minutes later wanting to upgrade, the price will have gone up to $19.99 per month.

Here is what you can Promote with Desktop Lightning

Once you see your list building in Desktop Lightning you can promote this excellent
Affiliate Marketing System that will bring you in Tons of Money:

http://www.finestconsumerdeals.com/ACS

Sincerely,

Tyler W. Cant