Baring
my soul
the mistakes and all, launch of an Ezine. A step-by-step guide Part 2.
ZERO to 500+ IN ONE WEEK. HOW DID I DO IT
WITHOUT A WEB SITE?
Easy!
No it wasn't. The truth is it took lots of hard work. I've spent hours and hours online
writing and answering e-mails, trawling the free classified advertising sites, promoting
myself in newsgroups, writing to publishers of other ezines, listing myself in
directories, etc, etc.
One thing I haven't done is spam the web by using an email address grabber and sending my
message to hundreds of thousands of people. The temptation's been there. And I can live
with a few flames, but I just don't like the idea of it. (for more on unsolicited e-mail
see a piece written
by Al Bredenberg, at the end of this article).
Also I'm after a targeted readership - like minded
people who are interested in working from home and building an online or offline business.
Sure I could build up my subscriber base rapidly by spamming half the e-mail addresses of
the world.
But I want ACTIVE AND INTERESTED READERS not just people who subscribe to everything
offered free.
I want to be around in this business for a long time. And I can see spammers being the
ruin of email marketing.
Spams, for instance, are ruining Usenet. I used
to frequent newsgroups regularly until about a year ago and the spams weren't too bad. I
went back last week and found that in some groups the majority of messages were cross
posted how to get rich quick spams.
This newsletter isn't about get-rich-quick. I wish it was.
I wish I could get rich quick, and you too. But things don't usually work that way, not
unless you win the lottery or a rich old aunt you didn't even know about dies and leaves
you a fortune. You, as a reader of this newsletter, should stop using get-rich-quick and
start using get-rich-slow. Because that's what you can do if you have the right product
and market it correctly.
You might not even get rich. I don't expect to get rich from this newsletter or marketing
on the Internet. ( though I'd certainly like to break even with "all the
secrets...", pay for my time) What I want to do is continue to make a living in an
interesting way. I want to have fun. I want the
challenge of carving out an income by doing something like this.
Besides, it's a lot better for my mind than watching TV.
I told you in part 1 where I was going to promote myself, so I won't list them all again
As I'd expected the biggest number of new subscribers came from New List. This is a
mailing list which informs people of new mailing lists and zines.
(NEW-LIST@LISTSERV.NODAK.EDU).
The second largest number from readers of my newspaper columns. And I only mentioned it
once. Thank you readers.
It just goes to show that the big press barons aren't finished yet. Newspapers and
magazines will still be around for a long time. (I hope so they help pay most of my
bills).
The third largest puller of subscribers came from marketing myself in newsgroups. Not an
easy task this. Every time you post in a newsgroup you will probably receive dozens of
spams. I've got so many that I've stopped reading them. They
were a novelty at first, but not any more. Any temptation I had to buy a bulk email
program and join the mob has gone.
Last week I gave a list of newsgroups you could freely advertise in. I discovered that the
list is not quite accurate. Some of the newsgroups listed are now moderated and turning
away outright advertising, which is all I've been placing. So check them out first to make
sure they are taking ads. Most of them still are. But long term you would be better off by
participating in the newsgroups which cover your area of interest and marketing in a quiet
way by use of your signature file. I'm going to start doing this next week. I've got to
find the time to participate properly in the business newsgroups.
Whatever your target market chances are there is a
mailing list or newsgroup where the right people gather to discuss business, exchange
ideas, and find answers to relevant questions. A quick keyword search through Yahoo using
the name
of your market's category and the words "mailing list" and/or
"newsgroup" will often uncover the appropriate list for you to join and - most
importantly - participate in.
Next on the list of subscribers were people responding to brief mentions in a few other
ezines. This is where I see most future subscribers coming from. I read lots of ezines and
I think we should all help each other out. We're not rivals, we're all
in this together the way I see it. I'm going to be writing for, and advertising in, the
better marketing ezines. If they'll have me that is. Incidentally this article, and all
others written by me and published here, are available for publication in your
online newsletter. Just ask me.
The least number of new subscribers came from placing adverts in free classified sites.
These places exist by the hundreds, by the thousands really, and you can promote your
product and get exposure without any cost to you.
But I found them a pain in the bum. I've got more to do with my life than hang around
them.
If you are more patient than me, here's a list that someone spammed me with. They claim
they the 10 best classie sites on the net and that I'll make a fortune for free by using
them.
Now I've got no doubt that they'll work for you in a small way. If you post your ads to
all of these sites on a very regular basis, you'll have a steady stream of inquiries. But
not flood.
1. Internet Yellow Pages
http://www.ebp.com/cgi-win/classent32-1.exe?
2. Gateway Classified Ads
http://www.gatewayads.com/class.html#6
3. CVC Business Opportunity Ads
http://cvcprod.ca/west/busoport.htm
4. Best Mall Classified Ads
http://www.bestmall.com/class/submit.html
5. Business Classifieds
http://www.bizclassifieds.com/
6. Hitch Hikers
http://www.hitchhikers.net/classifieds/index.phtml
7. Business Solutions Classifieds
http://www.bizsol.com/
8. Five Star Classified Ads
http://www11.pair.com/vw/5starads/
9. Classifieds 2000
http://www.classifieds2000.com/
10. First America Mall
http://www.1second.com/addad.htm
So what comes next? I've got to find time to keep promoting heavily next week. I've also
got hundreds of names to enter into Netmailer, which is the mailing list program I'm going
to be using (and indeed did use to send last weeks ezine to some of you).
The Australian distributors kindly sent me Netmailer for free so that I would write about
it in one of my columns. It's good to have that kind of pulling power. Most of my software
arrives unasked for in my mailbox. In a later issue I'll show you how to get your own
computer column. If you can write a bit that is.
by Phil Wiley
Al Bredenberg has some good stuff to say,
about unsolicited e-mail, in I-Sales Digest 513.
(reproduced here with Al's permission)
From: Al Bredenberg <ab@copywriter.com>
Subject: Targeted Unsolicited E-Mail
Rather than looking at the question of direct e-mail
marketing as a black-or-white issue, I've been thinking
of it in terms of *risks*. I do think ethical issues
enter into the picture, but practically speaking many
marketers won't evaluate a promotional method based on
whether it's ethical or whether it conforms to standards
of etiquette and courtesy.
I've been writing and consulting about e-mail promotions
and recently started speaking on the topic. I've come up
with this maxim:
The risks of direct e-mail marketing are directly
proportional to the number of people who don't want to
receive your message.
The risks can include such consequences as loss of Internet
access, flames, mailbombs and especially damage to the
company's reputation. Risk to reputation was evidently the
reason for Barnes and Noble's hasty retreat from spamming
earlier this month.
Various methods of e-mail marketing can result in a greater
or lower level of risk, depending on how many people don't
want to receive your message (and how vehement they are
about it). Here's a chart that I call "The Direct E-Mail
Hierarchy of Risk":
HIGH RISK
* "Rented" bulk e-mail spam list (from a spam
provider)
* Homemade spam list (addresses harvested yourself)
* One-time spam (letting recipients know this is a
one-time mailing)
* Cold prospecting (one-by-one unsolicited personal
contacts)
* "Rented" opt-in or voluntary list (from a provider
such as PostMaster Direct)
* In-house opt-in or voluntary list (developed
yourself from customers, Web site visitors, etc.)
LOW RISK
Hiring the services of a bulk e-mail spam outfit engenders
high risk because your message goes out to many people who
don't want it and the practice is so widely hated. Using an
opt-in list is less risky, although I couldn't say the risk
is always zero. Some people will forget they signed up; or
someone may forward the message to a friend who doesn't
know where it came from.
Sending targeted unsolicited e-mail might present medium
risk, but the risk can be reduced, as many I-Sales members
have pointed out, by more careful targeting and
personalization.
I personally think spamming is not only risky but unethical.
I recommend this simple policy for companies that want to
advertise by e-mail: No one should ever be placed on an
e-mail list without their permission. No one should have to
ask to be removed from an e-mail list they never asked to be
on in the first place.
Regards,
Al Bredenberg
Editor, The Direct E-Mail List Source
Web directory of e-mail media
Advertise by e-mail without spamming!
http://www.copywriter.com/lists/
ab@copywriter.com
GET LISTED!
In this fast paced Internet environment, it seems that
people change ISP's more often than their socks! Many times people lose valuable contacts
in the process. With this in mind, here are a few URL's to jot down.
Although there are plenty more, we've listed some of the
services that allow you to search AND list your business for
FREE. When you need to find a business you've lost contact with, now you have a great
place to start.
WED World Email Directory. Estimated access to more than 12 Million email addresses and
more than 140 Million business and phone numbers worldwide! http://www.worldemail.com/
The Global On-Line Directory. A "Yellow Pages" Guide to the Internet.
http://www.gold.net/gold/gold2.html
555-1212.com is an easy way to find telephone numbers, area code and country code
information, e-mail addresses, and website locations. http://www.555-1212.com/
Yellow Pages Online, Inc. More than 18 Million Listings Of
U.S. businesses "Search by category, keywords, company name and associated brand
name. http://www.ypo.com/
If you're business is on the net, not only should you save
these URL's, it's a good idea to take a few minutes to visit
these sites and list your company. You never know when one of your valued customers will
need to find you. Heck, one of them may be jotting down those URL's right now!
This tip courtesy of JDD Publishing, Home of "The BizWeb
E-Gazette!" For a free lifetime subscription,
Mailto:Subscribe@JDD-Publishing.com
For free information on low cost, effective Internet
marketing, send Mailto:infoFree@infoback.net
or visit http://www.bizweb2000.com
IMPACT OF AD BANNER PLACEMENT
If you think that a banner ad placed at the top of a web page is the best place for
impact think again.
It might be one of the first things people see on the page, but many people (me for one)
won't want to click on it and leave the site they've come to look at. I tend to read
through the site's contents and then rarely get back to clicking on that top placed
advert.
And a survey, by graduate marketing students from the University of Michigan, has
confirmed my thoughts.
The students found that ads next to the right scroll
bar (in the lower right corner of the first screen)
generated a 228 per cent high click-through rate than ads at the top of the page.
The survey also found that ads placed a third of the way down the page generated 77
percent higher click-through rates than ads at the top of the page.
But results from placing two ads on a page, for example one at the top and one on the
bottom, were inconclusive.
The following 4 marketing tips are from Jim Daniels great book Insider Internet Marketing,
and reproduced with permission. To read more on this this book, or place an order for it please click here
The Power Of Email Marketing!
There is no question that the internet is developing into the most
powerful marketing medium since television! So, what’s the most powerful marketing
tool born from the internet? That’s simple! It is without a doubt, EMAIL!
Many predicted the World Wide Web would be the biggest marketing
advantage born from the internet. Although a great web page can be a very effective tool
for online marketing, without email the web would be far less effective for business!
From an entrepreneurial standpoint, internet email is the glue that
holds every online marketing aspect together! Moreover, it accomplishes this feat
seamlessly and tirelessly! Can you think of any other way to reach someone on the other
side of the globe in seconds, twenty-four hours a day? All the while doing it for free?
Not a chance! Nothing in marketing has ever come close to the power of email!
Absolutely anyone with an email address can market their service or
product at a minuscule cost compared with traditional rates!
There are a few very big factors to weigh in your decision to market
via internet email. First of all, you must keep in mind that some products and services
are great for the net while others are not! The bottom line is this. If you have a product
or service that could serve a national or global marketplace effectively, you can use
email to market it. Keep in mind however, you must also be able to deliver the goods!
On the other hand, if your product or service is geared to local or
regional customers (like a small landscaping service for instance) you would be better off
sticking with more traditional marketing strategies. (At least until more than the current
10% of American households connected to an online service increases dramatically.)
If you DO have a product or service that fits the internet
marketplace, what are you waiting for? Get in on the action! Save precious time and
countless dollars! Start you email marketing campaign today!
"Get Listed!"
In this fast paced internet environment, it seems that people change
ISP's more often than their socks! Many times people lose valuable contacts in the
process. With this inmind, here are a few URL'S to jot down.
Although there are plenty more, we've listed some of the services
that allow you to search AND list your business forFREE. When you need to find a business
you've lost contact with, now you have a great place to start.
WED World Email Directory. Estimated access to more than 12 Million
email addresses and more than 140 Million business and phone numbers worldwide!
http://www.worldemail.com/
The Global On-Line Directory. A "Yellow Pages" Guide to the
Internet. http://www.gold.net/gold/gold2.html
555-1212.com is an easy way to find telephone numbers, area code and
country code information, e-mail addresses, and website locations.
http://www.555-1212.com/
Yellow Pages Online, Inc. More than 18 Million Listings OfU.S.
businesses "Search by category, keywords, company name and associated brand name.
http://www.ypo.com/
If you're business is on the net, not only should you savethese
URL's, it's a good idea to take a few minutes to visit these sites and list your company.
You never know when one of your valued customers will need to find you. Heck, one of them
may be jotting down those URL'S right now!
"Your Internet
Marketing Campaign Should Revolve Around This One Principle!"
Just this week, a newcomer to internet marketing asked me a question
we all should consider carefully. Her question was this, "Being new to this marketing
medium, I'd like to know what you see as the "big picture" or a constant I
should stay focused on?"
It took about 3 nanoseconds for the answer to pop into my head! My reply was as follows...
"The number one reason people are online in the first place is to find information.
Specifically, FREE information."
Which bears out the following, "Net marketers who provide
valuable content will keep people coming back. Keeping people coming back, is one of, if
not the most important factor in any marketing campaign. It dramatically increases the
chances of someone actually purchasing your wares."
So there it is. The big picture. A focus. No matter what
you're marketing, you probably know plenty about it. Share
your knowledge. Create a FREE report and give it to anyone who's interested. Start a FREE
electronic newsletter about the subject. Submit articles to other newsletters. Create an
information rich website.
These are just a few of the many ways to offer free info
online. And remember, not only will you be helping your
fellow netizens learn, you'll be running an effective
marketing campaign!
The Do's of Net Marketing
We'd like to pass along some net marketing do's today. We'll stay positive and forget
about the don'ts. If you're marketing on the internet, consider each of the following ...
DO- Give away free information. The number one reason people are on the net is access to
information! Even if your goal is to sell something, focus on offering some valuable
information to your prospective customers.
DO- Submit articles and press releases to online AND traditional newsletters and magazines
at least once a month. FREE exposure just can't be beat!
DO- Visit NewsGroups as often as you submit press releases. Post some helpful information
and you may learn a thing or two in the process.
DO- Keep the amount of graphics on your web pages to a minimum. Web surfers seem to be a
very impatient lot. Text loads much faster than gifs and jpegs. Most won't wait more than
15 seconds before clicking that stop button and moving on!
DO- Write down ALL of your new ideas! Are you constantly brainstorming? Don't let a single
idea slip away. Keep a running list. Review and act on the best ideas without delay!
DO- Take a few hours every week to just surf the web. Focus on learning something new each
time. Knowledge is the #1 key to success!
"Tell The Real World!"
Internet Marketing takes on many faces. When promoting your business, not only is it
important to focus on your fellow netizen, your campaign must cross over into the
"Real World" as well.
Most of you already realize that the best way to get free
exposure in the real world is by submitting articles and press releases.
Using Newspapers and Television Stations as a primary focus in this area can work wonders.
If you have something "newsworthy", your local media may be very interested. In
addition to your hometown press, media outlets in your birthplace and any other town you
may have lived in may be interested as well.
Many marketers agree that the hardest part in doing this is obtaining
all the necessary contacts. NOT ANY MORE! Thanks to Gebbie Press: The All-In-One Media
directory, this valuable information is now a few clicks away!
Simply visit http://www.gebbieinc.com/presto.htm and Presto! USA
Weekly papers and TV stations broken down by state. Simply save the file, open with a word
processor (created using MS Word 6.0) and print! They're even formatted for instant Avery
5160 type labels!
Gebbie Press also offers a complete TV database, a gratis, as well as
1,000 plus emails for Radio and about 400 emails for TV stations, also for free at their
site. In short, some terrificresources for publicity, at NO cost.
They also have e-mails and toll-free's for about 575 Daily papers,
but these are on disk only, and not posted to the website. Another low/no cost publicity
avenue.
Visit http://www.gebbieinc.com today! I can assure you I'll be there.
With my new book coming out late this spring, I feel like I've stumbled upon a gold mine
of information!
* Articles courtesy of JDD
Publishing, Home of "The BizWeb E-Gazette!"
For a free subscription, Mailto:Subscribe@JDD-Publishing.com today!
Get the details on their book about low cost effective internet marketing,
Mailto:InfoFree@infoback.net. Want some FREE online marketing help?Visit JDD Publishing on
the web at http://www.BIZWEB2000.com
MARKET WITH
WEB CARDS.
If you only market your web site online you're
missing out on a lot of business.
For years people have handed out business cards to
potential clients, now you can attract new visitors to your site by handing out Web Cards.
Web Cards are printed, full-color postcards with an
image of a web site on one side and a custom message
on the other.
"all the secrets...: subscriber Nicole Abramovici,
Director of Marketing at www.printing.com says
" We market on-line, capture images directly from a client's
Internet site, post "proofs" to our site for a client to
approve, and do most communication on-line.
We sell all over the world and have done cards for Disney,
the Empire State Building, and NATO."
This is a very useful tool for announcing your web site
to the public. What a business card is to a phone number,
a Web Card is to a web site. You can mail the cards
to your mailing list, media list, and give them away at
trade shows. Mail them to anybody who needs to know about your web site.
It's a good business building idea. Check Web Cards out at
http://www.printing.com
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