The definition of insanity has been said to be, "doing the same things and expecting different results." Yeah, I can see that. Especially when it comes to internet marketing. If really doesn't matter if you're and affiliate marketer, service provider, infopublisher... or whatever. It doesn't matter if you sell ice cubes, llama products, homemade candles, or an ebook of poems. You need to publish an ezine. Period. I've been in great coversations with clients about the importance of an ezine and then I've been, like just recently, involved in arguments with clients who were dead set against me writing any type of ezine for them. "I don't need one because my market doesn't call for it." Excuse me. Any market, no matter what it is call for, no... demands, an ezine. Insane Internet Marketing Day after day I receive emails from people that insist they get great traffic, but just aren't making any sales. They have great search engine rankings, have decent inbound links, and have several JV partners actively promoting their site. But, they still don't have a lot of sales. "Do you have an ezine?", I ask. "Nope", is the most recurring answer. Doing the same thing and expecting different results. With the new blog revolution that's in full swing, a lot of people don't see room for a regularly published ezine. That's unfortunate. An ezine can do so much more for an online business than most people realize. And it's about so much more than just sending an email message. Ezines Build Your Business Through Repeats Ezine publishing is all about getting people to come back to your site without having to spend more on advertising. An ezine is a built in advertiser. When people visit your site for the first time, or maybe even for the second time, they might not come back and eventually forget about you. But, with a regularly published ezine (weekly is best) you have the opportunity to keep in contact with your web visitors for as long as they will have you. This brings not only repeat visitors, but also repeat sales. Sales through your own products present and future products and via affiliate links. You can't get repeat exposure to the same person, without spending more, any other way. Ezines Build Relationships That Turn Into Dollars One of the biggest forms of turning any visitor into a buyer is through relationships. When I'm putting together a new advertising campaign for people I'm very intentional about the relationship factor. Everything is a relationship builder... and that goes triple for an ezine. People will buy from people they know. Not necessarily like, but know. Relationsips will also keep people subscribing to your ezine longer than those that don't know you. I find this true of the ezines I subscribe to. The ones that make an effort each week to make it personal instead of sterile I will stay subscribed to. The Internet is a huge place, but when you start building relationships with people through your ezine, it gets smaller. And more profitable. Ezines Promote Your Expertise. One of the things that had a tremendous impact on my business was the fact that the information I published in my ezine presented my "expert" status to my subscribers. I started to receive more projects as a result. Having a way to show people what you're about and what you know, without them actually buying anything, always results in a sale. Expecting Different Results Don't expect different results with your marketing unless you do things differently. That means don't underestimate the power of ezines. If you do have one, keep on it... build those relationships, show your expertise, and keep the repeat visits to your site. If you don't have one... start one. |
