As I learned more about internet marketing, I kept hearing
that I needed my own 'in house' mailing list. This is a list
of visitors who are interested in what my site has to offer.
I could try to capture information on my visitors (ie: email
address) but somehow this just didn't seem ethical to my way
of thinking.
I decided the way to build a list was to publish a newsletter.
The advantages of publishing a newsletter are many. It is a
great way to help establish your internet presence. It helps
to build your credibility online. It's also a terrific way to
get to meet a lot of people. Once your readers have become
comfortable with your presence, and gain confidence in your
knowledge and abilities, they are very likely to become life
long customers at your website.
I thought about this for a long time before I actually did it.
I knew it was going to be a lot of work, and I wanted to be
able to do a good job. So I thought about what makes an ezine
(newsletter) worth reading. I determined that its the same
thing that makes a website worthwhile. Content! I needed to
have content that people wanted. I knew I could find plenty of
content on the internet. But I also knew that I would have to
create some original content of my own. So I started writing
articles.
It had also ocurred to me that I could sell ad space in my
newsletter once I had a decent number of subscribers. People
would want to run ads in my newsletter because it was a
targeted audience for their ads. This is far superior to just
placing classified ads on general ad sites.
I also had determined that my 'targeted' readers would be
interested in some of the things I was promoting through my
affiliate programs. So my newsletter gave me an avenue by
which I could tell my audience about these products. And, when
they purchase these products, I make a commission. What a
great way to reach masses of people without spamming!
I already knew I did not want to manage my own list. One of
my fears was losing my ISP. I had heard horror stories about
people getting kicked off their ISP's because they sent out a
large volume of emails. ISP's generally don't ask questions
first, they just get rid of you if you appear to be a spammer.
So, I opted to use one of the many list servers that are
available on the internet. Some are free and some are not. It
only takes a little research to find the one that will work
best for you.
How do you find subscribers? There are many directories of
newsletters where you can list your newsletter. Most of my
subscribers found me in these directories. You should also
create a web page specifically for your newsletter. Then this
page can be promoted and even listed in the search engines.
By far, the quickest way to gain subscribers is by word of
mouth. If your readers are impressed with what you are doing,
they will tell their friends and you will have more readers.
Then they tell their friends........
All in all, publishing a newsletter is a very gratifying
experience. I receive wonderful emails from my subscribers
telling me what a wonderful job I am doing. This tells me
that I am establishing a credibility that can only serve to
make my other online endeavors a huge success.
About the Author
windsong is the webmaster/publisher at Marketing Resources,
where you will find marketing and promotional resources.
http://marketing-resources.com/
Subscribe to windsong's free e-zine:
All About Web Profits!(tm) Send a blank email to:
mailto:AllAboutWebProfits-subscribe@onelist.com