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The Add Me! Newsletter *** ISSUE #55 ***
"Free tips for promoting your website and business"
Add Me, Inc http://www.addme.com
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...THIS WEEK'S ARTICLE...
>> How To Start Your Own Opt-In Electronic Newsletter <<
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August 27th, 1999 *** ISSUE #55 ***
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.....THIS WEEK'S ARTICLE.....
How To Start Your Own Opt-In Electronic Newsletter
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By Chris Small
An effective method of communicating regularly with your
visitors/prospects/customers is crucial to any successful
web marketing campaign. Virtually all of the "successful"
marketers use a newsletter or ezine to stay in touch with
their visitors.
Here's how you should start:
Find a subject that you personally have some knowledge in
(or at least a strong interest) and that would be appealing
to large numbers of people. Generally it should be related
to the theme of your web site and/or what you are selling.
Determine how you will present the information. This can
take the form of a single tip every issue or it can become
a full blown magazine or newspaper type of publication with
multiple articles, interviews, product reviews, related
news stories, etc.. Initially simple is definitely better.
I have seen some very successful ezines that simply send
out a joke or inspiring quote every day.
You will also want to find several sources of information
for your newsletter. Ideally it's best if you can write
your own material, but many marketers choose to reprint
other peoples works. This is fine and can save you a lot
of time. Just make sure that you receive the original
authors permission before publishing it. Most writers
will be glad to let you use their material in exchange
for a simple byline at the bottom of the article.
NEVER promote somebody else's work as your own! That is a
sure fire way to develop negative publicity for you and
your ezine. We all know about the power of "word-of-mouth"
advertising. Well it can work in reverse twice as fast.
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Eventually you will want to get your own list server to
deliver the newsletter and administer the list. There are
several Free ones available, but they do come with a caveat.
Most of them place THEIR advertising in YOUR newsletter, or
add YOUR subscribers to THEIR ezine list. For some marketers,
that is a small tradeoff. Most serious web marketers will
find this very distasteful and choose to buy, rent or lease
their own. Contact me if you need help finding a good list
server.
While you are starting out and don't have a large subscriber
base it is simple enough to use your email program. You will
have to set it up so that your subscribers names (and
addresses) are not visible to the other recipients. This
could be as simple as using the BCC (Blind Carbon Copy)
feature. It will get rather cumbersome after more than 30
to 50 subscribers though and you will find yourself pining
for a proper listserver.
Now for the big question: How do I get subscribers to
sign up for my ezine?
Certainly the first place to start is at your own web
site. The top left corner of the main page is an ideal
place to put a link to your sign up page or a sign up
form. This spot is best because the eyes of your readers
are already trained to start looking there. Another
excellent spot is the lower right corner of the page.
Depending on the type of site that you have, it would not
be unreasonable to put a link or small sign up form on
every page. Some marketers even set pop up subscription
windows to jump out at the visitor when they enter the
main page. This might be annoying to some, but they claim
that their sign up rate is at least twice what they were
experiencing before installing them.
You may also want to advertise your ezine on other peoples
websites and in their ezines. Some will demand payment,
but most will engage in an ad swap with you. Bear in mind
though that if the person you are trying to swap with has
a subscriber base of several thousand and you only have a
few hundred they may not be inclined to do a one for one
swap. You might have to sweeten the offer with several
ads in your ezine for one ad in theirs. This is still a
great way for you to get some exposure that doesn't cost
you a cent.
There are of course the Free Classified sites and the
Free For All (FFA) pages. While they are slowly losing
their appeal, people still do use them and respond to
good offers. Many ezine publishers will offer a free ad
to entice subscribers.
Most of the readers of this article are on the Internet
because of the opportunity that it offers to reach
thousands - and potentially millions - of people. Give
yourself a boost in the right direction and start your
own ezine. A year ago one web site owner exhorted me to
do it and I am so glad that I did. It was the wisest
marketing decision that I have made so far. A few weeks
ago I sent him a thank you note.
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Chris Small is a cyber entrepreneur and host of the
very successful 'World Deal Center'. His main website
is http://www.WorldDealCenter.com/
Chris invites you to sample his ezine The "World of
Deals" for FREE. To receive your copy just send an
email with "Subscribe World of Deals" in the subject
to mailto:webmaster@worlddealcenter.com
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