The Beginnings of a New Report - Ezines
I am in the process of putting together a report on all aspects of Internet Marketing aimed at providing relevant, easy-to-understand information for the beginning marketer. Any comments you may have would be greatly appreciated. I can be reachec through email at start@fundamentallybusiness.com
A Changing Email Environment.
Emailing has become a complex form of communication with all the technological, social and regulatory measures affecting the patterns of delivery and the content of the messages. The speed with which the medium changes is almost mind boggling, where changes to today's "best practices" are literally just around the corner. For example Blogs and RSS are considered to be new wave but there are newer methods lurking on the horizon.
But, there is still plenty of opportunity and money to be made by sending out Ezines or Newsletters, whichever you prefer to call them. And Blogging has proven to be a good way to increase your Web Site ranking.
One of the most attractive features in sending your messages by Email are they are inexpensive to produce and distribute. That fact still remains true today.
Effective emails do come with a cost. You must put the effort and resources together to produce quality messages in order for them to be read. And that is much harder to do with the clutter that invades everyone's inbox. You must keep your messages free from fluff, filler and hype and give a direct benefit.
To begin with creating and publishing a regular newsletter (or ezine) requires careful thought and planning. On my Web site I discuss the options available to you, supply creative and technical perspectives and recommend resources where you can find further specific information. There is no shortage of different products and services being offered on the Internet. So much so it becomes a bit overwhelming as to which ones are being best suited for your individual situation.
Here are two products you should have a look at, they will give you basic, practical information on how to start and write an Ezine (Newsletter). They are Easy Ezine Toolkit and Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Ezines.
You can rest assured that the ideas and recommendations I put forward will have been researched and are supplied by reputable businesses. As you will learn, or may already know, a business is always in a state of change. You're always making adjustments, testing and targeting. The history of marketing, and in particular direct marketing, is full of false starts, failed attempts and sudden changes. Email is no different and is changing to counteract some formidable challenges. Such as, Spam which has emerged as a threat to an exciting and highly effective marketing tool. The backlash against spam, through blocking and filtering, is becoming problematic as overzealous blocking is hindering legitimate messages.
You need to be aware of what is going on around you. What are the industry trends, new technology, the competition's strategy, and most importantly, listen to your customers.
The planning stage, in my opinion, is critical and will save you a lot of time, money and frustration. Doing your homework will enhance your chances for success given the fact that 80% of new businesses fail in their first year of operation.
What is an Ezine?
An Ezine is a newsletter that is distributed via email or online. It is also known as an Email Magazine, Online Publication or Electronic Newsletter.
Companies use ezines to keep in touch with their customers, inform them of new products, special offers, and are usually published free of charge. When your mailing list reaches a certain number, say around 4000 you can consider selling advertising space in your Ezine.
The usual way to subscribe to an Ezine is by signing-up on a web site and sending a blank email to a subscribe email address. Anther method is through Web Directories.
Why should I publish an Ezine?
Staying in touch with your customers and potential customers is a key reason to publish an Ezine.. It can overcome one of the challenges to business on the Internet, and that is the trust factor. Ezines enable you to build relationships and create an online identity.
For example, someone is interested in buying a product you offer, but is hesitate because they don't know you, or have any history with you. Plus.. There is no face to face interaction and they can't talk to you directly. If, however, your messages have been clear, concise and straight forward and are willing to help me, this reinforces your competency and potential customers are more likely to buy from you. Ezines provide the perfect vehicle with which to accomplish this.
An important side benefit to publishing an Ezine (newsletter) is it allows you to notice trends in your business, so that you can improve your customer service and ultimately improve your bottom line.
Consider this?
What is one of the first tasks you undertake when you arrive at the office? Chances are you read your email. Email use is rising fast. According to Forrester Research, over 35 percent of Internet user time is spent with email. What is most interesting is that we even check our work email while on vacation and during the weekend. It has become a part of our every day lives.With people spending so much time on email, there is an enormous opportunity to market to them and build solid customer relationships. Email has emerged to become one of the most profitable and economical ways to manage customer relationships, presenting marketers with many opportunities and benefits.
Opportunities
Low Cost - Email advertising is the most cost-effective way to reach customers. When you consider how much money you spend on traditional marketing vehicles, the value of email marketing is evident. For instance, you do not have to worry about production, the use of materials or postage - as you do for direct mail. What is most attractive is that you market to an audience that will receive your message and likely respond to it because they have provided permission to accept it
Targeted and Qualified Audience
When you create your own email list (as opposed to buying it) it means you follow a process whereby you contact your intended audience and gain permission to use their email address for future communications from your company. No list is more targeted or qualified. Because these individuals have agreed to accept a message from you, it is likely that they will read the message and take part in a particular action, whether it is to simply visit your site or make a purchase. This type of marketing is very effective – particularly when you consider direct marketing or other forms of traditional advertising where you spend large amounts to reach an audience that may never receive your message.
Fast, Efficient and Effective
Developing an email campaign is not as resource hungry as other marketing activities. You simply develop the message, identify your audience and send the message. There is also the flexibility to alter the message for different audience groups. For example, you may send a message informing recent buyers about a sale you are having. Then, you may add a coupon to this message for customers who have visited your store but have not yet made a purchase. This flexibility is not available with other marketing vehicles, which require various resources to implement. Email marketing also generates immediate responses since the call to action is within the message and provides an easy response mechanism for customers. For example, all they have to do is click on a link.
Personalized Communication
Email marketing is a proactive medium to maintain contact with customers and build relationships with them. Leveraging information from past interactions, you can identify where your customers are in the buying process and engage them with regular communication that is tailored to their needs with personalized messages and timely information. You can deliver information that provides the most satisfaction to them and is most profitable to you.For instance, you may remind customers about a sale you are having, invite them to a customer appreciation night or alert them with new product notifications. By personalizing the customer experience you can maximize existing relationships and turn prospects into long-term, loyal and profitable customers.
Easy to Track and Evaluate
Traditional marketing campaigns can take months to plan, implement and evaluate. For instance, to roll-out a direct mail campaign it would take weeks to develop the content, organize production and mail the promotion. Then, there is a period of time when you wait and see if your campaign brought any results. Have people visited your web site? Have they visited your store? Have they made a purchase? What exactly is the return on investment? Measurement of the effectiveness of the campaign is limited. Email marketing campaigns can be executed within days and results tracked immediately. Using various software packages, you can determine how many customers received the email, how many opened it and how many bought a product because of your message.The low cost, efficiency, and personalized nature of email marketing provides substantial opportunity to reach all your marketing objectives, whether it be to increase sales, improve brand awareness, or drive site traffic.
Increase Sales
In addition to providing an easy means to send out coupons, discounts and other promotions, email marketing enables you to provide a solid call-to-action to a specific offer, which is easy to take advantage of. If you want to increase sales, a strong offer is central to the success of your email campaign. It’s also effective to include e-commerce functionality within the email to shorten the sales process.
Improve Brand Awareness
Email provides an easy medium through which to gain the attention of a large audience, particularly if your message is entertaining, compelling, or unique. The trick is to improve the association of your message with the branding of your company. For instance, if your audience is primarily young and have a carefree attitude, you may provide a promotion to win an outdoor adventure vacation.
Drive Site Traffic
If you want to increase your site traffic, email marketing provides an easy and effective avenue through which to entice people to your site. Attract attention to your site with a sample of the benefits your business provides. Provide content that will attract the audience’s attention and encourage customers to check your site for more information. Entice them with free offers, humor, or entertaining tools.
Challenges
The biggest challenge with email marketing is the collection and maintenance of email addresses. To have a successful email campaign you need to qualify your email addresses and ensure you have your customer’s permission to use their address - otherwise the long-term costs could negatively impact your business success.
Qualify
How can you ensure an email address on your list belongs to a particular person? How can you ensure the email address is correct? When you compose a list of email addresses it is necessary to qualify each one. There are many techniques to test the quality of the addresses you gather. For instance, you may send an automatic email telling the customer that they have been added to your mail list and ask them to confirm their acceptance. Or, you can have the customer provide their address twice to reduce entry mistakes.
Inform and Gain Permission
Adding email addresses to your customer files requires that you inform customers on how you plan to use their address and obtain permission to do it. If you do not follow this process, the long-term results could result in lawsuits, and wasted marketing dollars trying to reach people who do not want to receive your messages. You may also be labeled a ‘spammer’, which can affect your business reputation and image.
Maintain Lists
Email addresses are perishable pieces of information. What may be the correct email address for a customer one day may be different the next. According to NFO Research Group (2000), 32 percent of consumers change their email address each year. Therefore, it is important to ensure you maintain contact with customers and provide then with easy methods to update their address. It is also important to re-establish email purposes. For instance, if the customer has agreed to accept information on product sales, this does not mean they are open to accepting other forms of communication, such as a newsletter. You will need to re-affirm what your customers have agreed to accept so you do not anger them or risk jeopardizing your company image.
What will it cost to publish my Ezine?
The cost of producing an Ezine varies widely; depending on how much of it you do yourself and how much you rely on outside sources. Discounting the cost of Internet connection and web hosting you should be able, at the outset, to keep the costs to a bare minimum. You can always add services as you progress and learn more about the processes and start fine tuning your program.
There are three basic methods to manage your list and mail your Ezine.
1. Do It Yourself - here's a source to check out
E-ZINEZ.COM
2. Use a Free ListServer Service
YahooGroups -eGroups/OneList
3. Hire a Professional List Host
Vertical Response
Mailloop
Topica
My Ezine's Name and Focus
The name of your Ezine is one of the most important decisions you will make. Try to create a simple, but easy to remember name. One that will reinforce the subject matter you are going to write about and promote. Many Ezine publishers create a “slogan” or “catchy phrase” to capture potential readers’ attention. While this has its benefits don’t get too cute. You don’t want to confuse people and leave them unsure as to what it is you are writing about and what benefit it will be to them to read it. Always keep in mind there hundreds of thousands of ezines published so you have to make yours stand out to be noticed.
When you have chosen a topic, research your competitors to see what they offer. And also research what it is your target audience wants to know. Talk to you customers to find out what they really need; don't just assume. Whatever you write your email newsletter about, it must absolutely and clearly benefit your customer somehow; otherwise, it'll be dropped into the email trash can quicker than a promotion for Viagra.
With this information you can then create subject categories and list them chronologically in a reader-friendly format. People won’t search too long for information. If it is not readily available they will move on. And you’ve lost them.
Knowing what particular theme you are going to feature makes you content search a little easier. Even if you feature multiple categories in your Ezine there are literally thousands of sources on the Internet to find relevant articles. Of course writing your own articles is important as it will create and identity and promote your own credibility. Most importantly you want to develop a trusting relationship with your readers. This is the sure way to a profitable online business.
Your ability to solve a problem for someone or to meet a need is of prime importance. Will it save them time? Make them money? Entertain them? Or, inform and educate them?
Again, the strategy for writing an Ezine is no different than for starting a business. What you write needs to be something that your competition is not doing, or is significantly better than your competition. You must deliver a "Unique Selling Position."
Use the search engines to start researching your content, look up the highest rated keywords and start assembling information. Bookmark the sites of interest and create a file to keep all your information together in one place.
After a while you’ll be amazed at how much information you have gathered. Read it and filter through it to compact it into clear, concise, to the point content.
Don’t rely solely on the Internet for your research and information. Take a look, depending on your theme, at what is around you. It may be medical, educational, social or associations that can supply quality case studies, research, experiment or repots that you can incorporate in your articles.
The bottom line is to write an email newsletter that delivers substantial value to both your customers and your company.
How You Write is Important
Equally important as to what you write is how you write it. You could choose the best topic in the world, have the best design and promote it relentlessly, but if your style of writing doesn't go over well with your email newsletter subscribers, you'll be spinning your wheels. For more information on choosing the best style for your Ezine (newsletter) and one that effectively meets your goals is available with this free Ebook download at 10 Ways to Profit from an Email Newsletter
The Easiest Way to Write Anything!
By "Mr. Fire" Joe Vitale
You've got something to say. You know it. Your associates knowit. But you don't regard yourself as "a writer."
How are you going to express your wisdom? How will you communicate your thoughts?
Yes, you can follow the path of J.Paul Getty, Lee Iacocca, andDonald Trump and hire someone to write your words. That works.
But there is an easier way.
I call this the "two step" because that's all there is to it. Here's the secret in a nutshell:
Step one is state your principle. Step two is illustrating it.
Pretty simple dance routine, right? Yet you can use this methodto write ANY type of nonfiction---whether it's your life story, a school paper, an executive brief, or a full length scholarlybook. (Actually, the scholars sorely need this method. They'retoo stuffy!)
I was reminded of this method while reading a book from the1940's. I noticed that throughout the book the author would makea statement and then illustrate it with a story. The more Ithought about it, I felt this was the easiest way to writeanything.
Here's how it works:
1. Make a list of the ideas you want to communicate. Pretendthese are laws, rules, insights, commandments, theories, orwhatever will work for you. What you're looking for is a list ofmessages. For example, I was working with a Houston body-mindtherapist and I told him about this method. I said, "One of yourmessages is that people can have whatever they want, as long asthey aren't attached to how they get it." He nodded. "Anothermessage of yours is that the energy we put out is the result weget." He nodded again. "Those are your key points," Iexplained. "Write those down. That's easy. All you do is pullout a sheet of paper or turn on your laptop, and just jot downthe ideas you want to get across."
2. Now all you do is illustrate every point with three stories.This is what I liked about that book from the forties. Theauthor made a statement, and then illustrated it with a story thatmade the statement come to life. "You have all kinds of storiesto share," I reminded my therapist friend. "For every point youmake, support it with a story. Maybe tell how someone achieved abreakthrough following your main point. This reinforces yourpoint and makes it easier to understand."
That's it!
Principle-story, principle-story, principle-story. You can take ANY subject and break it down this way.
You're making it easier on the readers, too. They don't have towade through a long involved tale. With this method, you cutright to the point. You say, "Here's what I believe," and thenyou use a story to explain why you believe it.
The book from the forties that I'm referring to was "How toDevelop Your Executive Ability" by Daniel Starch. I'm using itas an example of this two-step formula, and not necessarilyurging you to run out and find a copy (it's out of print, anyway).
I just pulled the book off the shelf and opened it at random.I'm looking at the chapter titled "Putting New Ideas to Work."It begins with a statement: "Write them down at the time theycome to you."
It then spends four paragraphs giving lively quotes fromTolstoy, Darwin, and Robert Louis Stevenson about the importanceof writing down your ideas when they come to you.
If you just write down your message or key point, it will sit onthe page in a lifeless, very un-hypnotic way. If you want peopleto remember the message, if you want them to install the messagein their skull, then tell a story that illustrates it.
Your stories don't have to be classics of literature. A relevantquote can bring a statement to life. Stories from other peoplecan bring your message to life. But most powerful and memorableof all are the stories from your own experience.
I just flipped open Starch's book to chapter twenty-four, on"Turning Bad Breaks Into Opportunities." Right off the batthere's a statement: "Resolve not to be downed by failure."
And then follows a page and half of stories about people whowere in accidents and went on with their lives, including aquote from Cervantes and John Bunyan. This supportive materialawakens your message in the reader's mind.
You might notice that I just used this very technique to writethis chapter. I told you there was a two-step formula forwriting anything. Then I illustrated the two steps with storiesfrom my clients, and with a story about the book that gave methe idea.
This "two-step" works!
The next time you have to write something, remember: principle-story, principle-story, principle-story.
It's the easiest way to write anything!
Joe "Mr. Fire!" Vitale, regarded as one of the world's most powerful copywriters, is a best-selling author of marketing books and courses. Here's a listing of some of his products:
Hypnotic Marketing - techniques to publicize your emails and web sites
Hypnotic Writing - "hypnotic" tricks to get people to read your messages
Hypnotic Selling Tools - how to write for results
How often should I publish my Ezine?
The frequency with which you send your messages affects the format of your Ezine in terms of length and form. If you email less than once per month that normally won't be enough to positively impact your customers. A better frequency would be to send ezines on a weekly basis as that seems to be the optimum between not overwhelming your readers with information and maintaining a strong relationship with them.
What time of the day and what day of the week your Ezine is published can also impact on the response to your email newsletter. In this area there are a lot of theories and basically you'll have to test your messages to see what time works best for you.
The following is one such theory with the reasoning given:
.Email newsletters between Tuesdays and Thursdays between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. ET. With the reasoning being:
1) People are usually extremely busy on Mondays and don't have time to read;
2) People are distracted on Fridays as they are getting ready for the weekend;
3) Sending in the meat of the day ensures that people will be at their desks -- after they have processed emails they have received the previous night but before they get ready to go home. Again this is not the case in all scenarios. You'll do best by studying your readers' habits.
Thank you for your time and assistance
Douglas Mackie
Riverbank Traders Inc
St. Catharines CANADA
A Changing Email Environment.
Emailing has become a complex form of communication with all the technological, social and regulatory measures affecting the patterns of delivery and the content of the messages. The speed with which the medium changes is almost mind boggling, where changes to today's "best practices" are literally just around the corner. For example Blogs and RSS are considered to be new wave but there are newer methods lurking on the horizon.
But, there is still plenty of opportunity and money to be made by sending out Ezines or Newsletters, whichever you prefer to call them. And Blogging has proven to be a good way to increase your Web Site ranking.
One of the most attractive features in sending your messages by Email are they are inexpensive to produce and distribute. That fact still remains true today.
Effective emails do come with a cost. You must put the effort and resources together to produce quality messages in order for them to be read. And that is much harder to do with the clutter that invades everyone's inbox. You must keep your messages free from fluff, filler and hype and give a direct benefit.
To begin with creating and publishing a regular newsletter (or ezine) requires careful thought and planning. On my Web site I discuss the options available to you, supply creative and technical perspectives and recommend resources where you can find further specific information. There is no shortage of different products and services being offered on the Internet. So much so it becomes a bit overwhelming as to which ones are being best suited for your individual situation.
Here are two products you should have a look at, they will give you basic, practical information on how to start and write an Ezine (Newsletter). They are Easy Ezine Toolkit and Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Ezines.
You can rest assured that the ideas and recommendations I put forward will have been researched and are supplied by reputable businesses. As you will learn, or may already know, a business is always in a state of change. You're always making adjustments, testing and targeting. The history of marketing, and in particular direct marketing, is full of false starts, failed attempts and sudden changes. Email is no different and is changing to counteract some formidable challenges. Such as, Spam which has emerged as a threat to an exciting and highly effective marketing tool. The backlash against spam, through blocking and filtering, is becoming problematic as overzealous blocking is hindering legitimate messages.
You need to be aware of what is going on around you. What are the industry trends, new technology, the competition's strategy, and most importantly, listen to your customers.
The planning stage, in my opinion, is critical and will save you a lot of time, money and frustration. Doing your homework will enhance your chances for success given the fact that 80% of new businesses fail in their first year of operation.
What is an Ezine?
An Ezine is a newsletter that is distributed via email or online. It is also known as an Email Magazine, Online Publication or Electronic Newsletter.
Companies use ezines to keep in touch with their customers, inform them of new products, special offers, and are usually published free of charge. When your mailing list reaches a certain number, say around 4000 you can consider selling advertising space in your Ezine.
The usual way to subscribe to an Ezine is by signing-up on a web site and sending a blank email to a subscribe email address. Anther method is through Web Directories.
Why should I publish an Ezine?
Staying in touch with your customers and potential customers is a key reason to publish an Ezine.. It can overcome one of the challenges to business on the Internet, and that is the trust factor. Ezines enable you to build relationships and create an online identity.
For example, someone is interested in buying a product you offer, but is hesitate because they don't know you, or have any history with you. Plus.. There is no face to face interaction and they can't talk to you directly. If, however, your messages have been clear, concise and straight forward and are willing to help me, this reinforces your competency and potential customers are more likely to buy from you. Ezines provide the perfect vehicle with which to accomplish this.
An important side benefit to publishing an Ezine (newsletter) is it allows you to notice trends in your business, so that you can improve your customer service and ultimately improve your bottom line.
Consider this?
What is one of the first tasks you undertake when you arrive at the office? Chances are you read your email. Email use is rising fast. According to Forrester Research, over 35 percent of Internet user time is spent with email. What is most interesting is that we even check our work email while on vacation and during the weekend. It has become a part of our every day lives.With people spending so much time on email, there is an enormous opportunity to market to them and build solid customer relationships. Email has emerged to become one of the most profitable and economical ways to manage customer relationships, presenting marketers with many opportunities and benefits.
Opportunities
Low Cost - Email advertising is the most cost-effective way to reach customers. When you consider how much money you spend on traditional marketing vehicles, the value of email marketing is evident. For instance, you do not have to worry about production, the use of materials or postage - as you do for direct mail. What is most attractive is that you market to an audience that will receive your message and likely respond to it because they have provided permission to accept it
Targeted and Qualified Audience
When you create your own email list (as opposed to buying it) it means you follow a process whereby you contact your intended audience and gain permission to use their email address for future communications from your company. No list is more targeted or qualified. Because these individuals have agreed to accept a message from you, it is likely that they will read the message and take part in a particular action, whether it is to simply visit your site or make a purchase. This type of marketing is very effective – particularly when you consider direct marketing or other forms of traditional advertising where you spend large amounts to reach an audience that may never receive your message.
Fast, Efficient and Effective
Developing an email campaign is not as resource hungry as other marketing activities. You simply develop the message, identify your audience and send the message. There is also the flexibility to alter the message for different audience groups. For example, you may send a message informing recent buyers about a sale you are having. Then, you may add a coupon to this message for customers who have visited your store but have not yet made a purchase. This flexibility is not available with other marketing vehicles, which require various resources to implement. Email marketing also generates immediate responses since the call to action is within the message and provides an easy response mechanism for customers. For example, all they have to do is click on a link.
Personalized Communication
Email marketing is a proactive medium to maintain contact with customers and build relationships with them. Leveraging information from past interactions, you can identify where your customers are in the buying process and engage them with regular communication that is tailored to their needs with personalized messages and timely information. You can deliver information that provides the most satisfaction to them and is most profitable to you.For instance, you may remind customers about a sale you are having, invite them to a customer appreciation night or alert them with new product notifications. By personalizing the customer experience you can maximize existing relationships and turn prospects into long-term, loyal and profitable customers.
Easy to Track and Evaluate
Traditional marketing campaigns can take months to plan, implement and evaluate. For instance, to roll-out a direct mail campaign it would take weeks to develop the content, organize production and mail the promotion. Then, there is a period of time when you wait and see if your campaign brought any results. Have people visited your web site? Have they visited your store? Have they made a purchase? What exactly is the return on investment? Measurement of the effectiveness of the campaign is limited. Email marketing campaigns can be executed within days and results tracked immediately. Using various software packages, you can determine how many customers received the email, how many opened it and how many bought a product because of your message.The low cost, efficiency, and personalized nature of email marketing provides substantial opportunity to reach all your marketing objectives, whether it be to increase sales, improve brand awareness, or drive site traffic.
Increase Sales
In addition to providing an easy means to send out coupons, discounts and other promotions, email marketing enables you to provide a solid call-to-action to a specific offer, which is easy to take advantage of. If you want to increase sales, a strong offer is central to the success of your email campaign. It’s also effective to include e-commerce functionality within the email to shorten the sales process.
Improve Brand Awareness
Email provides an easy medium through which to gain the attention of a large audience, particularly if your message is entertaining, compelling, or unique. The trick is to improve the association of your message with the branding of your company. For instance, if your audience is primarily young and have a carefree attitude, you may provide a promotion to win an outdoor adventure vacation.
Drive Site Traffic
If you want to increase your site traffic, email marketing provides an easy and effective avenue through which to entice people to your site. Attract attention to your site with a sample of the benefits your business provides. Provide content that will attract the audience’s attention and encourage customers to check your site for more information. Entice them with free offers, humor, or entertaining tools.
Challenges
The biggest challenge with email marketing is the collection and maintenance of email addresses. To have a successful email campaign you need to qualify your email addresses and ensure you have your customer’s permission to use their address - otherwise the long-term costs could negatively impact your business success.
Qualify
How can you ensure an email address on your list belongs to a particular person? How can you ensure the email address is correct? When you compose a list of email addresses it is necessary to qualify each one. There are many techniques to test the quality of the addresses you gather. For instance, you may send an automatic email telling the customer that they have been added to your mail list and ask them to confirm their acceptance. Or, you can have the customer provide their address twice to reduce entry mistakes.
Inform and Gain Permission
Adding email addresses to your customer files requires that you inform customers on how you plan to use their address and obtain permission to do it. If you do not follow this process, the long-term results could result in lawsuits, and wasted marketing dollars trying to reach people who do not want to receive your messages. You may also be labeled a ‘spammer’, which can affect your business reputation and image.
Maintain Lists
Email addresses are perishable pieces of information. What may be the correct email address for a customer one day may be different the next. According to NFO Research Group (2000), 32 percent of consumers change their email address each year. Therefore, it is important to ensure you maintain contact with customers and provide then with easy methods to update their address. It is also important to re-establish email purposes. For instance, if the customer has agreed to accept information on product sales, this does not mean they are open to accepting other forms of communication, such as a newsletter. You will need to re-affirm what your customers have agreed to accept so you do not anger them or risk jeopardizing your company image.
What will it cost to publish my Ezine?
The cost of producing an Ezine varies widely; depending on how much of it you do yourself and how much you rely on outside sources. Discounting the cost of Internet connection and web hosting you should be able, at the outset, to keep the costs to a bare minimum. You can always add services as you progress and learn more about the processes and start fine tuning your program.
There are three basic methods to manage your list and mail your Ezine.
1. Do It Yourself - here's a source to check out
E-ZINEZ.COM
2. Use a Free ListServer Service
YahooGroups -eGroups/OneList
3. Hire a Professional List Host
Vertical Response
Mailloop
Topica
My Ezine's Name and Focus
The name of your Ezine is one of the most important decisions you will make. Try to create a simple, but easy to remember name. One that will reinforce the subject matter you are going to write about and promote. Many Ezine publishers create a “slogan” or “catchy phrase” to capture potential readers’ attention. While this has its benefits don’t get too cute. You don’t want to confuse people and leave them unsure as to what it is you are writing about and what benefit it will be to them to read it. Always keep in mind there hundreds of thousands of ezines published so you have to make yours stand out to be noticed.
When you have chosen a topic, research your competitors to see what they offer. And also research what it is your target audience wants to know. Talk to you customers to find out what they really need; don't just assume. Whatever you write your email newsletter about, it must absolutely and clearly benefit your customer somehow; otherwise, it'll be dropped into the email trash can quicker than a promotion for Viagra.
With this information you can then create subject categories and list them chronologically in a reader-friendly format. People won’t search too long for information. If it is not readily available they will move on. And you’ve lost them.
Knowing what particular theme you are going to feature makes you content search a little easier. Even if you feature multiple categories in your Ezine there are literally thousands of sources on the Internet to find relevant articles. Of course writing your own articles is important as it will create and identity and promote your own credibility. Most importantly you want to develop a trusting relationship with your readers. This is the sure way to a profitable online business.
Your ability to solve a problem for someone or to meet a need is of prime importance. Will it save them time? Make them money? Entertain them? Or, inform and educate them?
Again, the strategy for writing an Ezine is no different than for starting a business. What you write needs to be something that your competition is not doing, or is significantly better than your competition. You must deliver a "Unique Selling Position."
Use the search engines to start researching your content, look up the highest rated keywords and start assembling information. Bookmark the sites of interest and create a file to keep all your information together in one place.
After a while you’ll be amazed at how much information you have gathered. Read it and filter through it to compact it into clear, concise, to the point content.
Don’t rely solely on the Internet for your research and information. Take a look, depending on your theme, at what is around you. It may be medical, educational, social or associations that can supply quality case studies, research, experiment or repots that you can incorporate in your articles.
The bottom line is to write an email newsletter that delivers substantial value to both your customers and your company.
How You Write is Important
Equally important as to what you write is how you write it. You could choose the best topic in the world, have the best design and promote it relentlessly, but if your style of writing doesn't go over well with your email newsletter subscribers, you'll be spinning your wheels. For more information on choosing the best style for your Ezine (newsletter) and one that effectively meets your goals is available with this free Ebook download at 10 Ways to Profit from an Email Newsletter
The Easiest Way to Write Anything!
By "Mr. Fire" Joe Vitale
You've got something to say. You know it. Your associates knowit. But you don't regard yourself as "a writer."
How are you going to express your wisdom? How will you communicate your thoughts?
Yes, you can follow the path of J.Paul Getty, Lee Iacocca, andDonald Trump and hire someone to write your words. That works.
But there is an easier way.
I call this the "two step" because that's all there is to it. Here's the secret in a nutshell:
Step one is state your principle. Step two is illustrating it.
Pretty simple dance routine, right? Yet you can use this methodto write ANY type of nonfiction---whether it's your life story, a school paper, an executive brief, or a full length scholarlybook. (Actually, the scholars sorely need this method. They'retoo stuffy!)
I was reminded of this method while reading a book from the1940's. I noticed that throughout the book the author would makea statement and then illustrate it with a story. The more Ithought about it, I felt this was the easiest way to writeanything.
Here's how it works:
1. Make a list of the ideas you want to communicate. Pretendthese are laws, rules, insights, commandments, theories, orwhatever will work for you. What you're looking for is a list ofmessages. For example, I was working with a Houston body-mindtherapist and I told him about this method. I said, "One of yourmessages is that people can have whatever they want, as long asthey aren't attached to how they get it." He nodded. "Anothermessage of yours is that the energy we put out is the result weget." He nodded again. "Those are your key points," Iexplained. "Write those down. That's easy. All you do is pullout a sheet of paper or turn on your laptop, and just jot downthe ideas you want to get across."
2. Now all you do is illustrate every point with three stories.This is what I liked about that book from the forties. Theauthor made a statement, and then illustrated it with a story thatmade the statement come to life. "You have all kinds of storiesto share," I reminded my therapist friend. "For every point youmake, support it with a story. Maybe tell how someone achieved abreakthrough following your main point. This reinforces yourpoint and makes it easier to understand."
That's it!
Principle-story, principle-story, principle-story. You can take ANY subject and break it down this way.
You're making it easier on the readers, too. They don't have towade through a long involved tale. With this method, you cutright to the point. You say, "Here's what I believe," and thenyou use a story to explain why you believe it.
The book from the forties that I'm referring to was "How toDevelop Your Executive Ability" by Daniel Starch. I'm using itas an example of this two-step formula, and not necessarilyurging you to run out and find a copy (it's out of print, anyway).
I just pulled the book off the shelf and opened it at random.I'm looking at the chapter titled "Putting New Ideas to Work."It begins with a statement: "Write them down at the time theycome to you."
It then spends four paragraphs giving lively quotes fromTolstoy, Darwin, and Robert Louis Stevenson about the importanceof writing down your ideas when they come to you.
If you just write down your message or key point, it will sit onthe page in a lifeless, very un-hypnotic way. If you want peopleto remember the message, if you want them to install the messagein their skull, then tell a story that illustrates it.
Your stories don't have to be classics of literature. A relevantquote can bring a statement to life. Stories from other peoplecan bring your message to life. But most powerful and memorableof all are the stories from your own experience.
I just flipped open Starch's book to chapter twenty-four, on"Turning Bad Breaks Into Opportunities." Right off the batthere's a statement: "Resolve not to be downed by failure."
And then follows a page and half of stories about people whowere in accidents and went on with their lives, including aquote from Cervantes and John Bunyan. This supportive materialawakens your message in the reader's mind.
You might notice that I just used this very technique to writethis chapter. I told you there was a two-step formula forwriting anything. Then I illustrated the two steps with storiesfrom my clients, and with a story about the book that gave methe idea.
This "two-step" works!
The next time you have to write something, remember: principle-story, principle-story, principle-story.
It's the easiest way to write anything!
Joe "Mr. Fire!" Vitale, regarded as one of the world's most powerful copywriters, is a best-selling author of marketing books and courses. Here's a listing of some of his products:
Hypnotic Marketing - techniques to publicize your emails and web sites
Hypnotic Writing - "hypnotic" tricks to get people to read your messages
Hypnotic Selling Tools - how to write for results
How often should I publish my Ezine?
The frequency with which you send your messages affects the format of your Ezine in terms of length and form. If you email less than once per month that normally won't be enough to positively impact your customers. A better frequency would be to send ezines on a weekly basis as that seems to be the optimum between not overwhelming your readers with information and maintaining a strong relationship with them.
What time of the day and what day of the week your Ezine is published can also impact on the response to your email newsletter. In this area there are a lot of theories and basically you'll have to test your messages to see what time works best for you.
The following is one such theory with the reasoning given:
.Email newsletters between Tuesdays and Thursdays between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. ET. With the reasoning being:
1) People are usually extremely busy on Mondays and don't have time to read;
2) People are distracted on Fridays as they are getting ready for the weekend;
3) Sending in the meat of the day ensures that people will be at their desks -- after they have processed emails they have received the previous night but before they get ready to go home. Again this is not the case in all scenarios. You'll do best by studying your readers' habits.
Thank you for your time and assistance
Douglas Mackie
Riverbank Traders Inc
St. Catharines CANADA
posted by dgmackie at 4:41 AM
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