WEB MEDIA SCHOOL session - 73
There are some brilliant e-zines out there with a huge membership of quality readers who actually read the e-zines and by placing ads in these e-zines, you are sure to get a response. But there are also thousands of e-zines. To get the most response with not too much effort, without costing you any money, you need to inspire your buyers, get them as excited about your product. Explain what it is, how it can help others, how it helped you, why it is needed, etc., but don't make it sound like an ad.
When you've written your article, be sure to include your resource box at the end with a link to your site. When my first article was published, I received more traffic than I usually do in the average month. By having an article published you are perceived as an expert in your field. People like to buy products from people who know what they are talking about!
There are hundreds of places on the Internet where you can submit your article.
http://www.EzineArticles.com
http://www.ideamarketers.com
http://themestream.com
http://www.marketing-seek.com
http://www.onlinemarketingtoday.com
You can submit your article to e-zines directly. Many e-zines have an address within them to send original articles to.Next time an e-zine arrives in your e-mail box, take a look and start subscribing to e-zines you believe have a readership that would be interested in your product. You can find the best Ezine Directories at http://www.wadesworld-usa.com/ezines.html..... Holly Janion is the webmaster ..... from webpronews
My question was this: Should I be using my URL, or my email on direct email? . AR's made much more sensefor two simple reasons: They allowed me to do less work and my prospects received my sales letters almost instantly, . When I finally migrated to the World Wide Web and had a URl I immediately "upgraded" to allow people to find my new web site. I figured why bother with autoresponders any longer when I could show them color, sound, and graphics.
The simplest way to gather names is by simply asking your site visitors to sign up for updates. However, the more casual or merely curious shoppers will most likely not be encouraged to give their information to you.
To sweeten the deal, add a contest or sweepstakes to your site, and devise an entry form which contains an area for registrants to sign up for your newsletter. If you want to risk it, you can automatically place your registrants on the newsletter subscription list; in this case, you had better make sure that there is a statement on the entry form informing registrants of this policy and reminding them that they can cancel the subscription at any time. Display an "unsubscribe" email address for their convenience, both on your entry page and on your actual newsletter. After all, why would you want to waste time and money sending newsletters to uninterested and/or annoyed parties?
Now, you have to devise content for the newsletter. Of course, you could make your newsletter a mess of extensive advertisements, mindless hype, and self-serving promotion, but this approach ignores the fact that you are trying to draw your visitor's loyalty. Through your newsletter, you are trying to express a sense of community, of shared interests, of an accessible, customer-oriented company. Instead, try to think like your visitors. Wouldn't they like to read something a little more useful, a little more fun, a little more attuned to their lifestyles? If you give them the content that they want to read, they will remember your company's name. They will remember that you care about entertaining and informing them.
Announcements: There are ways to announce new web site content, sales, and upcoming contests without sounding like a pushy ad. Emphasize the benefits of promotions by naming prizes that can be won from your site. Subtly highlight discounts and new product lines without resorting to a hard-sell.
News: Find interesting tidbits or news regarding your retailing sector. For example, if you have a skiing newsletter, you could include a short, fun history of the sport. Make it informative and different.
Links: Give links to helpful and/or site-related information, or choose a "Link of the Month." For extra exposure, trade newsletter links with another partner site!
Polls: Ask your readers a question, and then print the results in the next newsletter. For best results, pick a well-known topic and allow your readers to send in simple responses. If you want deeper insights, make a contest out of it and give a prize to the most interesting and/or well-stated opinion.
Various fun stuff: Anything goes, as long as it is entertaining, cool, and has at least a tenuous relationship to your site. Recipes, famous quotes, funny anecdotes, jokes, and riddles are all good ideas.
Now you've got a web site newsletter chock full of fascinating information that your visitors will actually want to read. Be creative, be informative, and above all, be remembered.
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