Internet Marketing Tools - Ezine Basics
Part nine of ten
By Shelley Lowery
One of the most powerful marketing tools used on the
Internet is the ezine. An ezine, also known as an email
magazine, online publication or electronic newsletter is
simply a newsletter available via email and/or online. There
are hundreds of thousands of ezines on various subjects
available on the Internet free of charge.
Publishing an ezine is a great way to build an opt-in list
of potential customers. Not only will it enable you to share
your expertise, but it will also build your credibility.
Developing a trusting relationship with your subscribers is
the key to your ezine's success. You must have a sincere
desire to assist your subscribers to the best of your
ability. Provide them with helpful information that will
teach and inform in regard to the subject matter.
Although offering your ezine to your subscribers free of
charge may seem to be a waste of time, you have to look at
the entire picture. This publication will enable you to have
a direct line of communication with your subscribers. Your
subscribers are not just subscribers -- they're actually
targeted potential customers. When they subscribed to your
publication, they were letting you know they have an
interest in your ezine's focus. This provides you with the
opportunity to advertise your products or services, and
provide them with recommendations.
Once you've developed a trusting relationship, your
recommendations will be very effective. However, you must
only recommend a product or service that you truly believe
in, as your professional reputation is on the line.
If you've been marketing on the Internet, then you know it
may take several contacts with a prospective customer before
closing a sale. What better way to make those contacts. In
addition, you can eventually make a nice income selling
sponsor advertising and classified ads.
If you're not publishing an ezine, you really should be. The
Internet offers a wealth of quality information and
resources to assist you.
Tutorials:
Learn everything you'll need to know in order to begin
publishing your ezine.
How to Publish an Ezine
http://www.thewritemarket.com/ezine.shtml
The Handbook of Ezine Publishing
http://www.e-zinez.com/handbook/index.html
A Beginner's Guide to Ezine Publishing
http://www.epdigest.com/beginner/
Ezine Tips
http://ezine-tips.com/
If you'd like a head start in writing your ezine, the
following sites will provide you with some ezine templates:
How to Use A Template to Create Your E-Zine
http://www.e-zinez.com/handbook/template.html
Ezine Success
http://www.websuccesscentral.com/ezinesuccess/part1.html
You can publish your ezine completely free. Free list hosts
will provide complete email list subscription management
including list hosting, subscribes, unsubscribes, mailings
and more. They will place a small ad within each message
sent to your group. This is a small price to pay and well
worth the great service they provide.
Free List Hosts:
Yahoo! Groups - http://groups.yahoo.com/
Topica - http://www.topica.com/
Smart Groups - http://www.smartgroups.com/
Fee based mailing list hosts provide complete email list
subscription management including list hosting, subscribes,
unsubscribes, mailings and more for a fee.
Fee Based Mailing List Hosts:
SparkList - http://sparklist.com/
Email Factory - http://www.emailfactory.com/
Lyris - http://www.lyris.com/
L-Soft - http://www.lsoft.com/
If you'd rather take care of your own list, there are a
couple of different options:
- Use a software program that resides on your computer
- Use a script that resides on your server
Mailing List Software:
Mailloop
http://www.web-source.net/cgi-bin/t.cgi?l=ml
This outstanding program will enable you to have complete
control over your lists including:
- Automatically filters your email
- Completely run your newsletters
- Import your leads or orders into a database
- Automatically email your personalized customer database
- Send out an unlimited amount of autoresponses - and more.
Group Mail
http://www.web-source.net/cgi-bin/t.cgi?l=gm
Another outstanding software that will enable you to send
highly professional formatted messages that are personalized
for each of your recipients. You can manage an unlimited
number of lists with an unlimited number of recipients in
each and much more.
If you're using a software program like Group Mail, you'll
also need a good form processing script to enable your
visitors to subscribe:
Master Form
http://www.web-source.net/cgi-bin/t.cgi?l=wm2
This form will enable you to have the results of your form
emailed to you or to a specified address. It can write your
information to a database file and you can even have a
personalized thank you page. In addition, you can even have
multi-page forms with no limit on the number of pages.
Alien Form
http://cgi.tj/scripts/alienform/
This powerful script will enable you to have the results of
your form emailed to you and any additional addresses you
specify. It can write directly to files, allowing you to log
every time the form is submitted, or to store order or
subscription details securely on your server.
Mailing list scripts will enable you to run your mailing
list completely online via your web browser.
Mailing List Scripts:
OptIn Lightning
http://www.web-source.net/cgi-bin/t.cgi?l=oil2
A complete list management system including pop-up
subscription request alert, email subscriptions, follow-up
autoresponders, SQL database, supports large databases,
personalization features, automatic removal links and more.
@News Wizard
http://www.web-source.net/cgi-bin/t.cgi?l=nw
Complete list management including unlimited lists, list
import/convert function, duplicate check, HTML or plain text
newsletters, customizable auto-personalization of messages
and more.
Although a quality ezine should contain some original
content, it is completely acceptable to use articles written
by other authors.
Free Content:
Article Announce Groups - Articles that may be freely
published delivered to your email each day.
http://www.web-source.net/articlesub.htm
Ezine Articles - Article Directory
http://ezinearticles.com/
Marketing Seek - Article and Ezine Directory
http://www.marketing-seek.com/
Idea Marketers - Article Directory
http://www.ideamarketers.com/
Author Connection - Article Directory
http://www.authorconnection.com/
Internet Wire - Offers broad, real-time dissemination of
company press releases and material news.
http://www1.internetwire.com/iwire/home
If you're not collecting your visitor's email addresses,
don't wait another day to start. Opt-in lists are one of the
most powerful marketing tools on the Internet.
Copyright © Shelley Lowery 2002.
About the Author:
This article was adapted from the highly acclaimed ebook
series, Web Design Mastery. Web Design expert and author
Shelley Lowery's latest ebook is an in-depth guide to
professional web design that is rapidly becoming known as
the "Bible" for professional web design.
http://www.webdesignmastery.com
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