Ezine Advertising - The Fastest Way to Affiliate Profits

By Derrick VanDyke

If you're on a tight budget or want to get started quickly without a website or a list of your own, then ezine advertising should be your number one choice.

Ezine advertising is the perfect solution for beginners who want to test a market and get into profit fast. Here's why:

• It's highly targeted. People subscribe to ezines to receive information about specific topics. You just need to find ezines that cover topics related to the product your are promoting.
• It's cost effective. You can find ezines that sell ads for as little as $8 - perfect for testing a new product idea.
• It's a cheap way to test your ad copy. You can track several ads at the same time for next to nothing and find out which ad pulls the best.

What Is An Ezine?

An ezine is similar to a printed magazine except that it's delivered electronically via email. And instead of purchasing an ezine, people sign to receive it for free or a monthly subscription fee. Most ezines are published weekly, but some are published daily, monthly or bi-monthly.

Types of Ezine Ads

Classified Ads: the cheapest and the least effective ads you can buy. Classified ads are limited to two or three lines and placed at the end of the ezine. Some ezines even give away free classifieds as an incentive to subscribe. Unless you place a classified ad in an ezine with 30,000 subscribers or more, your chances of getting a response are very small.

Sponsor Ads: these are more expensive than classified ads, but will give you a much better response. Sponsor ads can be placed at the top, middle or bottom of an ezine issue. You can include more text in a sponsor ad so it's a good way to test your copy before going all out on a solo ad.

Solo Ads: this is the king of all ads because your offer is sent exclusively to everyone on the mailing list and gets full attention of the subscribers. No articles or other content is included. Solo ads can be expensive, but they can increase your response by as much a 100% over sponsor ads. You can usually expect a 20% - 30% response rate from a good solo ad.

In other words, if you purchase a solo ad for $100 in an ezine with 5,000 subscribers, you should expect about 1,000 highly targeted visitors.

Note: Solo ads can be purchased for as little as $10. You will get a much better response from a $10 solo ad sent to 500 subscribers than you will from a $10 classified ad sent to 5,000.

Here's your step-by-step guide to successful ezine advertising.

Step One: Subscribe to 10 or more ezines.

Subscribe to ezines that offer top sponsor and solo ads within your budget. Subscribing to ezines before you place your ads will allow you to determine the quality of the list and potential profitability of your campaign before you spend any money. You may want to set up a specific email address for your subscriptions and filter them into a specific folder in your mail program for easy access.

You can search Google for "ezine directories" and "ezine advertising to find quality ezines.

Step Two: Select three quality ezines.

Here are some guidelines for choosing a quality ezine:

1. Does the ezine have a domain name and website where you can subscribe and purchase advertising? This shows that the publisher runs a serious business and is not likely to take your money and run.

2. Is there an article archive? This shows you how long the publisher has been in business and how consistent the publication is.

3. Are subscriptions confirmed opt-in? After you subscribe, you will receive an email to confirm your subscription. This is a sign of a high-quality list. However, this should not be the only determining factor.

4. How often does the ezine owner publish? A weekly or bi-weekly publication is optimal. If you receive daily ads, that's a good sign that people may be desensitized to your message.

5. Does the publisher offer solo ads? A solo ad is one that is sent to the entire list all by itself and usually the most profitable type of advertising.

6. Do the solo ads display the advertiser's subject line? If the subject line is not personalized, results will not be as good.

7. Does the body of the message contain a lengthy disclaimer from the ezine owner that explains their SPAM policy and that they aren't associated with the advertiser and aren't responsible for the content? This is a red flag to me because it makes the reader less receptive to your ad.

8. Do you see the same advertisements multiple times? This is a good sign that the advertiser is getting a good response. One way to be sure is to contact the advertiser and simply ask.

9. Is there waiting period to run your ad in the ezine? A responsive list becomes popular fast and may have a waiting period of a month or more. If you find one, book your ads quickly and mark it on your calendar. It will be worth the wait when your ad finally runs.

10. Does the publisher respond personally to your questions? No response could mean that your mail was filtered. And if you mail doesn't get through, you can bet your ad won't either. Get a solid response before you pay.

Step Three: set up your ad trackers.

Never advertise unless you can track the response. You need to know how many visitors and sales you get for each ad you place so you can determine whether or not you want to run another ad in a particular ezine or upgrade from a sponsor ad to a solo ad.

This information is critical for determining how well each ad campaign does and how well you're converting visitors into sales. Sometimes you just need to tweak your ad copy and run the ad again for better results.

If you get good results the first time, run your ad again in a week or two. Not everyone will buy the first time around. And many who were "on the fence" the first time they saw your ad, may purchase the second time around.

You can find a good ad-tracking service on Google.

Step Four: write your ad.

There are numerous books on writing good copy that you can find by searching Google. But, the best way to come with ideas for good ads is to read the ads in other ezines.

Look for ads that catch your eye. Modify them to fit the product you are promoting and then add your own personal touch. You can include an exerpt from an ebook you are selling, a section from the sales letter, or your personal endorsement.

Step Five: place your ad.

This is the easiest part. You simply fill out a form with your ad copy and credit card information. After you process the order. You will receive a confirmation of when the ad will run. And since you are already subscribed to the ezine, you can verify it yourself. Don't rely on them to send you a "courtesy copy."

Step Six: put half your profits back into advertising.

Okay, sounds simple enough. But where do you put the extra profit?

That's why you track your ads. So you can make an informed decision and maximize your profits.

So if you were going to put half your profits back into advertising, where would you put it?

Let's say you're total profit was $400. Take two hundred and invest it back into the successful ezines and invest the other two hundred into two new ezines. And then multiply your profits from there.

The profit potential of this method is incredible. Once you tap into the strategy and see it working you'll see exactly what I mean. And until you do, you'll have a hard time understanding why I get so fired up about it.

Note: it can take up to two weeks (or longer) to get into some ezines. So it's important to get your spot as soon as possible.

Once you set this system up and find some good ezines to advertise in, you'll be making money completely on autopilot!

To learn more about this automated marketing system, download my free report "Three Steps to Affiliate Profits" at http://affiliatecashsecrets.com for tips on affiliate marketing. Derrick VanDyke - All Rights Reserved. Feel free to distribute this article in any form as long as you include this resource box. You can also include your affiliate link when you sign up at my Affiliate Cash Secrets website.

Writing for Dollars - How To Get Started

By Heidi Richards

When you provide good information from which readers can learn and profit, people are more likely to buy your products and services.

- Heidi Richards -

So just how do you get started? The first step, of course is to write the article. The second step is to find the right medium. I have a small business in the floral industry. So the floral community would be my first likely target. Industry experts are generally the most sought after writers for targeted publications. Since I write mostly about sales and marketing for small business, my second likely medium would be business-related publications, such as those published by Chambers of Commerce, small business journals and other retail industry publications.

I have also found that each type of media that has printed my articles has different criteria for submission. Some want you to send a letter outlining your ideas while others will allow you to submit the actual article. However, most editors prefer that you send a query letter first and include a paragraph about yourself. I also include a link to both my websites in case they want additional information. However, many ezines and online publications allow you to send the actual article. Visit your library, online or local bookstore or do an Internet search with the words query letters for the how tos of writing them.

It should go without saying that the article must be grammatically correct and free of spelling errors. A publisher is looking for quality content that will make her or him look better to the reader. The more unique your article, the better your chances of getting it published. Real-life, personal examples and stories have a much greater chance of getting published than do book reports. Make sure the article is yours! No plagiarism allowed. If you do copy someone elses work, not only will you open yourself up to all sorts of legal problems, you will destroy any credibility you hoped to establish.

Whether you write articles for print media or for online publications, follow these guidelines to increase your likelihood of getting them published.

Read the publication. Become familiar with the writing styles and content. It took several months, before one of my articles was accepted by Balance Magazine. It was an article on leadership, which they liked and found space to include. Because I was patient, tenacious and had developed a relationship with the editor, I was asked to be the South Florida Profile Editor and now write an ongoing series of articles called the PMS Principles. I interview successful women in South Florida and write their stories. What a great way to gain exposure! By the way, the PMS stands for Partnering, Mentoring and Service, which is also the title of a new book I am writing.

Send your article to the assistant editor when there is one. You will find her or him listed in the publication.

Ask the publication for their editorial calendar (often found on their website). An editorial calendar lists the focus or theme of each issue. This is a great tool to use when deciding what to write and submit.

Find out the submission requirements (writers guidelines). These will include length of article, format, number of words, dos and donts, as well as deadlines for submission. In some cases it will also include writers compensation, if and when they pay for articles.

Write about what you know. Its easier to sell and easier to write when you draw upon your own experiences and those of others you know. You could also write about a personal experience or a hobby you pursue (if it is newsworthy).

Keep it simple plain text, simple fonts, 12-point type are generally the most widely accepted format.

Use short paragraphs. Commercials use sound bites to keep the audiences attention. Short paragraphs have a better chance of keeping the reader interested.

Dont over-punctuate. By this, I mean the use of the exclamation point!!! or or ??? mark. Overusing punctuation will make your words have less impact over time. And if you are submitting your articles on the Internet, these are often flagged as spam and may never even be read.

Ask questions. Then answer those questions. This will keep the readers attention and interest.

Bullets can accentuate your points. Since people read in sound bites, bullets help the reader absorb the information in bite-sized pieces.

Use creative headlines to sell your message. Instead of How to Write Articles, use Writing for Dollar$ or something more enticing. Send me a note with Headlines in the subject line and I will send you the article on Headlines that sell.

Keep track and follow up. This gets more difficult over time, since your articles might be reprinted and you dont even know it, unless the publisher sends you the courtesy copy. Keep track of where you submit your articles, and follow up with editors to find out if and when they will be used. If editors dont use your work, ask for feedback. This will help you become a better writer. Create a record for yourself of the publication, the URL (web address) and the name and contact information of the person to whom you submitted your article.

You can submit your work online to some of these more popular places. Keep in mind, there are literally thousands of ezines out there, below are just a few sites to submit your work:

http://www.ezinearticles.com

http://www.netterweb.com/articles

http://www.goarticles.com

http://www.ideamarketers.com

http://www.articlecity.com

http://www.authorconnection.com

http://ezinelocator.com

Never give up! Be patient. As the saying goes, timing is everything, and editors and publishers are busy. If your content is good (and interesting) eventually someone will notice and you will get published. Once that happens, capitalize on the momentum and keep going. The purpose of writing articles is after all to get people to start talking about you. Oscar Wilde said The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about. Make writing a part of your marketing plan and who knows, several articles later, you could be the talk of the town.

Excerpted from The PMS Principles - Powerful Marketing Strategies to Grow Your Business 2005 - Heidi Richards

Heidi Richards is the author of The PMS Principles, Powerful Marketing Strategies to Grow Your Business and 7 other books. She is also the Founder & CEO of the Womens ECommerce Association, International Heidi@wecai.org.

Ezine Advertising for Home Based Business

By Willie DeJarnette

Have you ever considered ezine advertising for your home based business? If not, youre truly missing out on some valuable exposure to your business. Ezine advertising can be a powerful tool if you follow the right guidelines and you will be successful.

Always include quantifiable benefits when writing an ezine advertisement and actually tell the truth. For instance, if you say lose 5 pounds in 5 days, people will actually be interested in that and believe it is possible at the same time. Distorting the benefits wont help at all; it will make the advertisement look like a scam more than anything else.

When creating a solo advertisement, alter the copy so that it specifically portrays the product as a solution to a specific problem. Purchase several solo advertisements to test how well this version converts when compared to other versions. Testing is vital if you want to continually improve the conversion rate of your advertisements.

This is very vital for ezine advertising members to realize. Always look for word of mouth referrals for ezine before you place advertisements. In many cases, no matter how good your copy is, you will find that certain ezine simply will not be responsive to your email. This might be because the ezine isn't actually as big as the owner claims it is and it might also be because the owner hasn't promoted the list in a year.

Think on a professional level. Make sure you format your ezine advertisement correctly before you send in to a publisher. In most cases, you will have to format your advertisement to 60 65 words; and you may even want to perform a spam check. If the text isn't formatted properly, lines will be broken and wrapped unprofessionally; and if you don't perform a spam check, it may never even go through in the first place.

When creating a top sponsor advertisement, avoid making an attempt to sell anyone on anything. Instead, give something away completely free that will up sell the reader later, such as a subscription or a special report. Additionally, make sure you clearly communicate that nothing is for sale and that you simply want them to take action for free.

Become a software application provider for ezine owners. Ask ezine owners what software applications they need and then hire someone to create an application for you. Distribute this software to all of the ezine owners who have a use for it. Make sure there is some back-end component build in that will drive users to your site.

Now, moving from our last point about ezine advertising we will now discuss when outsourcing any work you are doing as part of an ezine marketing campaign, remember to carefully check for plagiarism and theft. This is definitely an unpleasant thought, but plagiarism has become quite rampant on freelancing sites. If you own several websites, you can use Copyscape to do this for you; however, each site will be limited to 20 scans.

Simply knowing what you read in this article isn't enough. You have to put it into action to be successful. To learn how you can do exactly that and to learn more about Willie DeJarnette business, SU, you will want to visit Willie's website at the following URL: http://www.success2thetop.com

Newsletter Pain or Pleasure?

By Glenn Harrington

Some businesses have an attitude of burdensome obligation about their newsletter. That leads to corner-cutting and a poorly performing newsletter that discredits the business and its clients.

For other businesses, producing a newsletter is a smooth, rewarding process, yielding a valuable tool that contributes to rising client loyalty, business, and profits.

Is a newsletter a waste of time or a goldmine? That largely depends on your attitude. A newsletters potential as an investment in a loyal, growing clientele is greater than many imagine. Like other ventures in marketing and customer relationship management, newsletter success begins with positive attitude.

Your attitude in the beginning is essential in shaping the newsletter that ends in your clients hands. This article points the way to newsletter success for those who recognize the potential for success and start with a positive attitude.

SUCCESS FOR READERS: You must communicate effectively with your clients and demonstrate your relevance to them.

A good newsletter focuses on client interests. Recognizing themselves in it, they feel involved. With intrinsic loyalty, they look forward to each issue, and pass it on with referrals. If they like your newsletter, then it should aid growth and profit.

Your newsletter is a reflection of your target-market profile and a barometer of your dedication to your brand.

OF BRAND ALIGNMENT: Your brand is how your market perceives your business. So, your newsletter should honestly convey the client experience.

A newsletter put together from content gleaned elsewhere cannot be truly yours. Nor is a generic, third-party newsletter with your logo pasted in. If authenticity is important, then either could compromise your brand.

As you compete with others who want your niche, the right style for your newsletter depends on the status you need to maintain among loyal, profitable clients. If, for example, your business thrives on a low-key, earthy reputation, then your newsletter should reflect that. Big-city style might confuse people. Be genuine.

Your success should be your own expressing your attitude, propagating your brand, following your formula. Indeed, your brand should permeate your newsletter formula.

DEVELOP AND TEST A FORMULA: Just as you can make endless batches of satisfying cookies by following the right recipe, so you can make a great newsletter by following a good formula. Your newsletter formula consists of:
style (look and feel)
content (articles and graphics)
medium (paper or computer screen)
frequency (issues per year).

Your brand is the cookie sheet. Your market is the oven.

A good newsletter formula trumps what style appeals to you or fits your budget. Indeed, you should look beyond the style that appeals to you, and beyond your current budget. From a good formula, appeal and affordability result.

START WITH A PROFILE: What clients do you want more of? What interests do they share? In developing your formula, look to your target-market profile to guide your decisions. Develop your target-market profile: age, gender, neighbourhood, occupation, household income, and other characteristics that typify good clients for you. Then, address their interests.

ON PAPER OR ON SCREEN? : Since this profile shapes your formula, be careful what you assume. If, for example, you target people who are very technology-oriented, you might assume that they want an e-newsletter. Yet, they might find a printed newsletter refreshing.

My research has found that a newsletter distributed by e-mail is:
less likely to be read entirely
more likely to be plagiarized
less likely to be read more than once.
more likely to be deleted without being read at all.

Moreover, people like to hold a newsletter in their hands and take it on public transit, to a waiting room, or a coffee table (where others might notice it incidentally). Each decision about your formula should be rooted in your brand and guided by your target-market profile.

WHY BOTHER: There are other ways to attract and retain clients. You can advertise, offer discounts, run incentive programs, and train staff in client relations. Your newsletter need not replace these. Rather, a great newsletter integrates marketing and client-relations economically. It should harmonize them.

GOOD FORMULA + GOOD ATTITUDE: No aspect of customer relationship management or marketing should be a burden or obligation. Bear in mind the low cost of intrinsically loyal clients and the high potential of a brand-aligned newsletter. With a winning attitude and a winning formula, you could replace newsletter pain with the pleasure of success.

Glenn Harrington is Principal Consultant of the Harrington Newsletter Company in Victoria. doctor@harringtonnewsletter.ca

Most Newsletters Dont Work - part one: Success and How to Monitor It

By Glenn Harrington

Some people think newsletters dont work. Often, theyre right. In a world where most newsletters dont work, it is common to be confused about how to define newsletter success.

Whats it good for?
Over the past ten years, I have paid attention to newsletters. I can tell you why most dont work. It starts with confusion about what newsletters are good for. Confusion about how to monitor success comes from that.

How many next-day phone calls?
Many marketers expect a newsletter to generate results as soon as it arrives. Most newsletters do. However, when the results expected are new sales and referrals following each issue, most newsletter issuers eventually conclude that newsletters dont work. By the way they gauge success, theyre right.

Check your perspective.
From a sales perspective, an ineffective newsletter should be canned. But first, consider other perspectives. For example, think from the perspective of the impression left on readers. What impression would it make on you to receive two or three newsletters, then none at all, from your accountant? your lawyer? your investment advisor?

What newsletters do
Because of mismatched expectations, many who issue newsletters conclude either that newsletter success is harder to achieve than they imagined, or that newsletters just dont work. Yet, I see something in these situations that often escapes people struggling with an unsuccessful newsletter: A newsletter shapes peoples perceptions of you.

Four Brand Effects
It can do other things, such as announce news and complement advertising; still, every newsletter is a reputation-shaping instrument of brand management. Any newsletter will:
*leave a first impression, or
*mould an already-formative impression, or
*validate a formed impression, or
*confuse a formed impression.

A newsletter makes an impression.
How does this fit into a context where more sales and good referrals are wanted now? Consider the following example.

Maintain meaningful contact.
There are people who receive newsletters from their credit union who would never attend a competing banks grand opening in their own neighbourhood. Theyre so loyal to the credit union that they dont want the banks cupcakes or door prizes. The credit unions newsletter refreshes their loyalty every three months. It maintains meaningful contact with them. Its a tool of client retention.

Effective at what?
The problems solved by the credit union newsletter in the example include:

*competition of extrinsic incentives (e.g. Free gift when you sign up!).
*vulnerability to client attrition.
*the cost of acquiring new clients.
*the opportunity cost of losing profitable clients future business.

Watch the numbers.
Watch-the-books managers should direct attention to:
*business per client segmented by profitability per client.
*referrals per client with a profile of clients providing referrals.
*client attrition with a profile of clients lost and why.
*net increase in clientele (including clients gained and lost by all means).

Monitor over time.
Review these metrics on a quarterly basis and compare each quarter. Use this review to set newsletter performance goals in tandem with business performance goals (even if your newsletter is not a quarterly). Why not measure newsletter success this way?

Steady, no spikes.
A good newsletter might not cause a spike in sales. It can prevent losing a client who is being wooed by competitors, though. What business problems do you want to solve? Is it reasonable to expect a newsletter to help solve them?

Client relations success
Newsletters shape market perception, first and foremost, and can help to maintain hundreds of business relationships with meaningful engagement. Those who accept this and apply it wisely can find great success with newsletters. Those who expect each issue to boost sales or to bring new customers are wise to consider other methods. A good newsletter as a client-relations tool improves business measurably over time.

Glenn Harrington is Principal Consultant of the Harrington Newsletter Company in Victoria, BC Canada.

doctor@harringtonnewsletter.ca

Freelance Copywriter Secrets: Nine Ways Newsletters Pull In New Business

By Charles Brown

Its hard to imagine any business, organization or professional practice that couldnt realize dramatic results from publishing a well-written newsletter (either in electronic or paper form). As a freelance copywriter, one of my favorite projects is writing a newsletter for a client that wants to generate new profits and new exposure.

Here are a few ways a newsletter can make wonderful things happen to your organizations bottom line:

1. A newsletter (actually any type of published information) positions you as an expert in your field. Given a choice, customers naturally take their business to the experts. Moreover, once you become perceived as an expert, business comes to you, so you have to spend less time pounding the pavements for new customers.

2. As an add-on to becoming perceived as an expert, a newsletter can enable you to charge higher fees for your services and endure less negotiations over how much you charge. People expect to pay more for an expert, especially when they approach you.

3. Assuming the recipient of your newsletter opted in or was referred by another reader, newsletters are a non-intrusive form of marketing. It does not create the annoyance of a cold call or the total disregard of most forms of ambush advertising.

4. A newsletter can often take on the characteristics of viral marketing, in which one reader prints or forwards your newsletter to an associate. This requires that you write quality material your readers will find useful enough to pass along.

5. Electronic newsletters cost nothing to produce except time.

6. Generally a newsletter is the follow up for leads you generate by other means, such as a free offer or an ebook, but it can also generate its own leads if you occasionally offer additional information on a subject you write about.

7. A newsletter can create a need for your services. Often your articles help readers to understand they have a problem they have never been aware of before. For example, if you are an attorney who specializes in estate planning, an article on how creditors can deplete your estate may cause a reader to realize a problem exists in his or her own estate and call you for help.

8. A newsletter keeps your name and business in front of your readers minds. It might be years before they actually have a need for your services, but when they do you will be the first person they think of.

9. The material your newsletter forces you to produce on a regular basis can later be recycled into articles for trade publications, booklets and even books. In every new form, the same material increases your exposure and has the potential to create new business.

Well-written newsletters are among the few marketing tools that never fail to set you or your organization apart from your competition. It places you on the top shelf of your potential customers minds and is a powerful way to pull in new customers and business.

freelance copywriter, freelance commercial writer

COPYRIGHT(C)2006, Charles Brown. All rights reserved.

Download your free copy of http://dynamiccopywriting.blogspot.com or contact him at 817.715.3852 or **charbrow@gmail.com**.

Marketing Your Home Business through Newsletters

By Paul Jesse

Newsletters are a wonderful way to market your business when on a budget. You can opt to write them yourself or hire a writer to do the job for you.

Newsletters do not have to be long and involved. They do not have to contain a specific number of pages. In fact, many readers prefer a newsletter that can be digested in a matter of a few minutes as opposed to one that is several pages in length.

When writing your newsletter, try to be basic, provide important, relevant information. While it is acceptable to include such content as humor pieces, puzzles, trivia or even recipes, remember the main purpose of your newsletter is to sell your product or service and to increase your customer base.

One of the most important elements of a newsletter is the title. Not only the main title itself but also the title of each separate news piece, as well. You want something that will peak your customers interest grab their attention.

There are many companies that offer low cost newsletter management packages, for businesses of all sizes. They are well worth the money when you consider the time you save when utilizing this service. Depending on the size of your newsletter (number of pages) and the number of subscribers that receive your newsletter each month, you can literally save hours of work with one of these packages.

Most of these budget newsletter services offer free trial periods, online tutorials and some form of live help, via either a toll-free number or live online option. They do their best to offer more, to ensure you will choose their particular service.

You should be able to find one of these services by doing a simple online search. Packages start at just $10.00 per month. Many offer a 30-day free trial, unlimited subscriber lists, unlimited email layouts and unlimited campaigns. Some also offer image hosting which eliminates the need to place newsletter images on your website.

Submit your newsletter information to various no-cost online newsletter directories or submit a press release. You will certainly notice an increase in subscriber numbers. You wont receive hundreds of subscribers overnight, but you will attract readers that probably would not have found you otherwise. Lets face it, every new subscriber is a potential customer and obtaining new customers is what you are striving for!

Newsletters do work. With a little effort on your part they will work for you, even if your marketing budget is a small one.

Copyright 2005 Paul Jesse

Paul Jesse is a retired government employee and author of numerous home business articles. http://www.breastfeedbaby.com