Writing

Newsletters are becoming ever more popular. Not surprising ? since all editors know that they are a tried and tested method for both disseminating information and subtly (and quite frequently blatantly) promoting any product or service. In short, newsletters work for their owners.

IT’S A CROWDED WORLD OUT THERE.

But the Internet and Email (as well as lower print production costs) have meant that the number of newsletter Titles is growing at breakneck speed!

And with new Titles being published by the hour - covering just about every subject under the sun - the market is getting pretty jam-packed out there.

So how are you going to ensure that your newsletter doesn’t get crowded-out? How will you guarantee that your publication gains and develops a truly loyal readership, when they could so easily be distracted by your competitors’ newsletter offerings?

The answer?

YOU’VE GOT TO GIVE YOUR PUBLICATION A TON OF “NEWSLETTER PERSONALITY”.

Or to put it more accurately, you actually need to allow your own personality the space to shine through and dominate your written publication.

Newsletters, or ezines, can be extremely effective marketing tools for your business. They put your name in front of your potential clients, regular clients, and peers while showing your expertise and professionalism. They are an excellent means to both market and grow your business and also show your existing clients your creative abilities. Now the only drawback is to ensure your newsletter is worthy of being read. I subscribe to a lot of newsletters, but find I regularly only read a few upon their arrival. When I decided to create my own newsletter, one of the first things I did was to look at those newsletters I regularly read and determine what it was about them that made me want to read them. What sets them apart from the rest?

One of the most important things I discovered was that they provided me with valuable information to help me in my business and which in turn helped me make a greater profit. They often provided information I didn’t already know. For example, some newsletters provided tips on search engine optimization, new affiliate programs, PR resources, or software shortcuts. Since I’m always looking to grow my business, this information is valuable to me. You normally have knowledge in a given field that others don’t. When preparing your newsletter, think about what expert knowledge you have or can obtain that would interest your targeted market. Now that’s what you want to add to your newsletter.

Advertising in ezines is possibly the most effective way of generating fast sales. Ezine advertising also consumes very little of your time. However, ezine advertising does consume your money and can consume it very quickly if you’re not careful. Here are 8 things, which if you think carefully about, will ensure that ezine advertising does not cost you more than you earn.

1. Who is your target audience?

Be sure to identify this early on. Do not make the mistake of thinking that everyone will be interested in your product. Your target audience are those people who would benefit from your product or service because these are the people who are most likely to make a purchase. Advertising to a targeted audience will result in a great amount of interest and a lot of sales.

2. Which ezine should I advertise in?

Choose an ezine which is made up of subscribers who fit in with your target audience. The closer your targeted audience and the ezine subject, the more sales you will make. Also, if you are looking to advertise in a particular ezine, subscribe to it. Do some research on how often subscribers purchase from the publisher’s recommendations because this will give you a good idea of how effective it is to advertise in this particular ezine.

If you publish an email newsletter, do you convert the issues to HTML and archive them on your website? If you haven’t been doing so, you should start now, today.

“But the free mailing service I use already archives them.” you say.

That’s great! That means the search engines will find that many more links to your site online. But it is worth the effort to put them on your website also. You can do it simply and quickly.

First, here are three good reasons why you should take the time out of your busy schedule:

1) It shows your subscribers and potential subscribers that your newsletter is a vital part of your service to them. Isn’t it worth preserving for posterity?

2) Your newsletter will contain many keywords — those subjects for which people and consequently search engines often search. If you submit them to the search engines, they’ll draw traffic to your website. You can create an index page for them and put them all in their own directory, or even put them on their own domain, and submit it to the search engines and directories as a stand-alone online business resource.

The wizard in Wizard of Oz and the guy behind the curtain pretending to be him have different personalities. Which one would you rather listen to? The wizard comes across as bigger than life and unreachable. The little guy hiding behind the giant green face is one of us, a person.

Companies that publish newsletters without a name or a voice feel cold and untouchable like the wizard. Give a voice to one person and you put a face on the company. Readers respond to a person better than an invisible entity. Think of an email newsletter that provides a wealth of information and over time becomes a victim of its own success. You used to look forward to receiving the newsletter, but it has turned into a big commercial.

This has happened to award-winning newsletters. At the time of receiving the award, the newsletter provided powerful stuff, helping it achieve success and earn its large mailing list. Once it reeled in readers, the material changed and not for the better. When working on something for a long time, falling into a rut happens. But there is a difference between falling into a rut by turning the newsletter into a news release and providing readers with something of value. Read on as I alert you to the pitfalls of this rut and give you ideas for keeping your readers satisfied.

If you’ve just started publishing your own ezine then you’ll soon discover that getting visitors to subscribe to your ezine is not as easy as you might think. If you already publish your own ezine, it is likely you have already discovered this. Besides getting more traffic to your site, here are 8 tips that have been proven to boost ezine subscriber rates.

– Give a free bonus away to anyone who subscribes to your ezine. This will give your visitors an initial reason to subscribe. With the amount of spam going around the internet today, people are becoming less forthcoming about giving their email address away and so make sure your bonus is a worthwhile one. I recommend using an ebook because they cost nothing to produce and are very easy to distribute.

– Promote your ezine in a signature file at the end of every email you send. If you wish to be a successful webmaster, you should be sending at least 10 emails a day and so a large number of people who will be interested in what your ezine has to offer will see. Try to keep your e-signature short and sharp; giving information about how your ezine benefits its readers.

Newsletters, or ezines, can be an extremely effective marketing tool for your business. It puts your name in front of your potential clients, regular clients, and peers while showing your expertise and professionalism. It’s an excellent means to both market and grow your business and also show your existing clients your creative abilities.

What’s an ezine? It’s short for electronic magazine. It’s those e-mail newsletters that you receive on a regular basis. If you are not sending one out now, seriously consider doing so. It can make a big difference in both your business and your bank account. For example, I know one life coach who sends out regular ezines. Lately she acknowledged that she started getting 30+ people signing up every day! When you think about those 30+ new potential clients a day, doesn’t it make sense to utilize this as a regular part of your marketing?

Do you do public speaking? Then you’ve got an automatic list machine!

Remember that in business, your fortune is in your follow-up. And publishing an ezine is the easiest, most automatic, and least expensive way to do this for you. The key is getting as many prospects on your list as possible — ethically.

Whenever I’m the featured speaker at an event, I make sure to give the audience members an easy way to sign up for my ezine. There are generally three ways to do this:

1. The Signup Sheet

Mention your fabulous ezine and all the good stuff it will do for them. Then pass around a signup sheet to collect their names and e-mail addresses. At the top of the sheet, give an attention-getting headline, a 25-word ezine description, and your privacy policy.

It’s amazing what peer pressure will do — it’s rare you’ll see someone pass on your sheet without adding their name and e-mail! I even had someone who was already on my list sign up on the sheet at an event. She told me later she didn’t want to look like she was the only one holding out.

If you don’t have a list of your own then take advantage of someone else’s to increase web site traffic!

What if I told you that there is a cost effective way to increase web site traffic and get your ads in front of an audience of 10,000, 15,000, 20,000, or even 50,000 targeted, eager-to-buy, people?

Would you be interested?

I thought you would be?

The answer is not that hard; in fact it is pretty simple. It is one of the most effective ways to advertise on the internet. The little secret is utilizing ezines to promote your product, service, or newsletter.

You see, there are thousands of ezines and newsletters on the internet that will allow you to advertise in them. This is a powerful tool that can increase web site traffic and get your ads in front of thousands of people. Best of all these are people that have an interest in your niche! Because they have willingly signed up to receive the ezine that you are going to place an ad in.

Our last three newsletters have covered the hot topic of email newsletters and their importance: Keeping Your Customers Informed, How to Build Your Subscriber List, and How To Write Your Newsletter. If you’re new to our newsletter or have missed out on any of these editions, to view the complete series see the link at the end of this article.

So having accepted the importance of producing an email newsletter, you’ve begun to establish your subscriber list and have started writing, or gathering content for it, how are you going to improve and make money from your publication? This month we are going to tackle Ways to Improve and Make Money from your Newsletter.

Getting Your Newsletter Delivered

The first issue is to make sure that your subscribers are opening your newsletters. It may sound obvious, they’ve subscribed to receive this free but valuable information of course they’ll open and read it, right? Wrong! There’s a whole host of delivery issues that can stop them.