forezineowners

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For E-zine Owners: Ensuring Guaranteed Hits

By Shahnaz Rauf

Leads, traffic, sales, follow up, mailing list, e-zine or newsletter. Yes that is the standard order of progression for e-business. Every e-business whether it is just starting, on the go or already near the peak strives to maintain a mailing list and a regular newsletter. Advertisements are the main stay both for the e-zine owner and the advertiser. However ensuring guaranteed response is a daunting challenge.

As a regular subscriber and reader of over 50 e-zines, I Usually do a quick flick through and read only if something really grabs me. Considering the consistency of human nature and the inherent state of perpetual motion of the web surfer, I will safely assume that more than 95% of the subscribers are like me.

Why do I subscribe in the first instance:

- Because the publishers/editors were successful enough in convincing me that I cannot survive on the web without their particular piece of work;

- Because I had some business dealings with the advertisers/publisher;

- Because I am trying to establish myself on the internet and simply need the advice, support, forum, advertisement etc;

- In the rare case, I was totally fascinated by the content.

Who are the advertisers: They are all subscribers like me looking to expand their business, increase traffic, and make sales and profit.

Yes profit, the lifeblood of the business and the newsletter/e-zine as well. So how do you ensure a cycle of profitability for both? A win-win situation for all: The advertiser advertises, gets guaranteed traffic, if his salesmanship is good enough, makes some sales and is happy; The editor/publisher establishes his credibility by providing guaranteed hits, gets more ads, makes a profit and is happy. To enable this idyllic state, some of the methods currently in vogue are:

- Distributing words through the body in several issues And organizing a find competition with a classified/top/solo Ad as an incentive.

- Distributing the ads in between outstanding articles.

- Telling the advertisers to send in their new free Ad of the Week only after the preceding one has been published.

These methods do not induce the subscribers to visit Other sites. Here any traffic, which ensues, is simply a measure of the ‘pull’ of the advertisement itself. So the Challenge still remains.

For those ezine owners who truly wish to make their publication unique and irresistible, here are 10 methods of Ensuring guaranteed hits to advertiser sites:

1. Spotlight a site. Highlight its special technical features Of construction, sales copy, product, popularity etc. Pique the curiosity of the readers to make them visit.

2. Spotlight the personality of the site owner. A well written struggle/success story is sure to grab attention and ensure a hit.

3. Organize quiz competition asking questions about a site and giving a free solo/top ad to winner.

4. Give an editors recommendation for a site. Use a glowing description to generate curiosity, intrigue etc.

5. Run a regular course for site development using ad sites as example and pointing out their special features

6. Include a ‘your comments section’, in which subscribers are given a site and asked to send in their comments, with the best letter being published and given a ‘best letter writer’ award of the week/month.

7. Encourage the winners to ‘defend’ their titles. Turn it into a kind of championship.

8. Run an ad campaign instead of regular ads- over a period of issues; use psychological triggers to induce visits.

9. Do a critical analysis of the business advertised from point of view of credibility etc. Make it extremely profitable for yourself by entering into partnership/affiliate program of the business.

10. Make your newsletter/e-zine highly interactive. Get Your readers involved actively through letters to editor, Quiz competitions etc. Make the content interesting.

Make your subscribers want to read each issue from end to end.

The above will require a lot of input from the editor. Remember, if used constructively you can turn your e-zine into your most profitable online venture. Etch yourself into each subscriber’s heart and mind and get a loyal subscriber base. Then you can even introduce a token subscription fee!

Your e-zine is your most important asset. Make your subscribers love it and you will love it.

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