Over the past few months, a number of my subscribers have been asking me about the latest marketing technology to hit the Internet.

It's called "direct-to-desktop" publishing, and right now, it's the exclusive property of Fortune 500 companies who are paying tens of thousands (even hundreds of thousands!) of dollars to have hotshot developers create custom software that lets them cash in on the new technology.

Direct-to-desktop gives these elite companies the kind of advantages that most Internet marketers can only dream about:

• 100% guaranteed message delivery
• Instant messages that appear in full color and sound, right on a customer's computer desktop
• An exclusive, private communication channel with loyal customers and subscribers

... All in a customized, branded window with their company logo at the top.

When you visit one of these companies' web sites (think online music stores, sports fan sites, entertainment sites, and so on), you'll see an offer that says something like "Click this button to receive instant updates direct to your desktop."

Click the button and you'll download a small, customized "reader" application that lets your computer receive messages from the company.

It's all made possible by a hot new technology called "RSS," which (depending on who you ask) stands for either "Really Simple Syndication" or "Rich Site Summary." Basically, RSS gives you a way to take the content from your web site or e-mail newsletter and send it directly to a small "reader"
application that your customers install on their computers.

1. What are the Advantages of "Direct to Desktop"?

Direct-to-desktop publishing lets you send HTML messages directly to your customers' desktops -- instantly, reliably, and electronically -- without having to wrestle with e-mail filters, bounce backs, or competition.

Once customers sign up, they don't have to check their e-mail or visit your web site to get your latest news or updates. A flashing desktop icon alerts them as soon as they receive a message from you -- and all they have to do is click to read it.

It's brilliant. The system doesn't use e-mail, yet it is 100% opt-in -- subscribers simply turn off the program if they wish to stop receiving messages.

Here are just a few of the major benefits of direct-to- desktop publishing:

• 100% Delivery rate. With direct-to-desktop publishing, you get guaranteed delivery of every message to 100% of your subscribers. Every subscriber who downloads your "reader" application will receive every single message you send. No spam filters, no bounce backs, and no blocking by ISPs.
  
  
• An exclusive channel with zero competition. When your subscribers receive your messages, they won't be distracted by all the newsletters, personal messages, and spam in their overflowing inboxes. Your messages appear in a separate window that acts as an exclusive one-on-one communication channel -- so you don't have to compete with anyone else for your subscribers' attention. You can even customize the window with your company logo and graphics!
  
  
• Professional Formatting. Direct-to-desktop messages are created in HTML, so they can contain full-color text and graphics, javascripts, and even audio and video. Unlike e-mail messages, which can look different depending on what e-mail software your subscribers are using, you have total control over the look and feel of each message you send. And because any attached files are "embedded" within your message, you won't ever have to worry about your subscribers seeing "broken" image links -- even if they're viewing your messages while offline!
  
  
• Instant Delivery. Your messages are delivered instantly to each subscriber's desktop, so you can grab their attention before your competitors do -- they'll see your message even before they open their e-mail browsers or download e-mail.
  
  
• New Subscribers. Getting your existing customers to use this red-hot new technology should be a breeze -- because if they're not already clamoring for it, they will be soon! And the possibilities for ways to get new subscribers to sign up are just about endless. You can offer them up-to-the-second information... exclusive offers... access to your "inner circle" of privileged subscribers... or any other "exclusive" privilege you can think of!
  
  
• Managing "unsubscribes" is hands free. Direct-to-desktop is 100% opt-in. If a subscriber doesn't like the messages a company is sending, they don't have to bother sending a "please unsubscribe me" e-mail -- they simply click a button to stop receiving the company's messages.

... It's a win-win situation for everyone involved: Subscribers receive messages only from companies they trust. No spam, no pop-ups, no third-party ads... just legitimate messages from a sender they want to hear from. And companies get to deliver their messages without ISPs or e-mail filters getting in the way.

2. The Right Technology at the Right Time

If you're currently marketing your business online, you know how important it is to reach your customers through a variety of channels: search engines, e-mail marketing, and so on. And with all the upheaval and change in the industry over the last year or so, it has become more important than ever to take advantage of every channel available to you...

Putting all your eggs in one basket leaves you at risk of losing *everything* if there is a sudden industry change or buyout.

For example, do you remember how badly some business fared a few months ago when Google made adjustments to its algorithms and dumped thousands of #1-ranking web sites out of sight?! Businesses that relied 100% on search engine traffic suddenly found themselves with no traffic -- and no sales!

Even e-mail marketing is getting more and more complicated. While e-mail is still a powerful marketing tool (Proof: I used it to make more than $2.4 million last year, and I'm on track to do the same again this year), these days you need to work harder than ever to keep in touch with your list of customers and subscribers. Here's why:

• Subscribers change their email addresses, leaving you without a way to contact them.
• Your legitimate messages get wrongfully trashed by overactive junk mail filters.
• People's free e-mail accounts fill up quickly, causing your messages to bounce back.
• And even when your e-mail makes it into a subscriber's inbox, it can get lost in a sea of newsletters, personal messages, promotions, and spam if you don't know what you're doing.

For these reasons, many marketers are looking for opportunities to use this new direct-to-desktop technology as a "partner" tool that works hand-in-hand with their e-mail and advertising campaigns. Unfortunately, there are still a few problems with it...

3. The "Big Boys" Have Cornered the Market

Right now, the Fortune 500 companies have cornered the market on direct-to-desktop publishing. And for good reason -- they've been the only ones who could afford it!

These companies have paid huge sums of money to have software developers convert their company materials into RSS- compatible content. They've hired professional designers to come up with attractive, customized "reader" applications they can send to their subscribers. And they've put tons of money into developing flashy graphics, streaming audio, and video clips to send out.

There is a tremendous opportunity for marketers to be at the very front of the curve, taking advantage of this red-hot new technology to get secure, direct access to the desktops of your customers... But unfortunately, it's next to impossible for the average person to get set up with direct-to-desktop technology right now.

You need to know a programming language like XML to create your content "feed." And unless you're willing to hire some expensive software developers, your subscribers will have to use a generic "newsreader" application to receive your messages.

Now, these newsreaders are decent applications for reading things like news headlines, but the problem with them is that they give you no control over the way your message looks, so you can't customize your subscribers' experience with your company name and logo.

Plus, generic newsreaders can be used like e-mail inboxes to view messages from a number of different companies... meaning that your message can once again be lost among messages from your competition!

4. Where This New Technology is Heading

The current situation of direct-to-desktop publishing reminds me of the way things looked on the Internet five years ago, when most companies didn't have web sites yet. Only a few highly funded Internet start-ups (remember the dot-com boom?) had the money, software, and skills to develop a professional site.

Then a few companies started looking at how to make web design accessible to the public -- and now, user-friendly web design software has made it easy for anyone to create a professional- looking e-commerce web site in minutes!

The same thing happened with e-mail marketing. At first, it was just a few entrepreneurs testing the water to see if there was a way to avoid paying postage for direct mail promotions -- and now, thanks to e-mail automation software like Mailloop, it seems like every company is using e-mail to distribute their promotions and newsletters.

And now, the same situation has come up again.

Back in early 2003, I saw this coming... And I just don't think it's fair that Fortune 500 companies are the only ones that can afford this technology, while marketers like you and me have to settle for inferior, stop-gap solutions.

So I'll let you in on a little secret... My team and I have been quietly working on a solution that's going to allow "regular" home business owners start using "direct-to-desktop" technology -- for a fraction of the cost that these Fortune 500 companies are paying.

I don't want to say too much about it right now... But I will tell you that it's going to contain all the features I've mentioned in this article -- plus we're making sure you have customization, branding, and tracking tools BEYOND what these $10,000+ solutions typically offer.

That's all I want to say about it right now ;-)

But keep an eye on your inbox over the next couple of weeks, because we're nearly ready to make it public. It's going to be huge, and for the first time *ever*, I'm going to let you start using it at the same time I do -- before our competitors get wind of this!

Like I said, this technology is really hot right now. I want to give you a leading edge by making sure you reach the market with this FIRST!