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| | The Ezine Publishing Cafe Network is not currently active and cannot accept new posts | | Generating Business Through Ezines | Views: 1532 | | Mar 15, 2006 4:36 pm | | re: Generating Business Through Ezines | # | 
Lynn Colwell | | Hi Anne,
Great question. While I do credit my newsletter with quite giving me quite a few clients, I think it's really important to remember that few successful people rely on any one PR or marketing strategy to bring in all their business. It is the MIX that does it.
At the same time, if you have not had a single customer as a result of your newsletter over such a long period, it's probably time to take a look at your newsletter content in relation to the readers. If you have many readers who are not customers, you could survey them to find out why they receive the newsletter and why they haven't migrated. What are you missing? Be sure to look at this question from THEIR perspective, not your own. Assumptions about why people behave the way they do often--not always :)--prove wrong.
I'm sure you'll receive many other responses to your query and I have other thoughts but don't want to go on and on here. If you want to talk further about it, feel free to email me.
Warmly,
Lynn
www.bloomngrow.netPrivate Reply to Lynn Colwell | | Mar 15, 2006 8:46 pm | | re: Generating Business Through Ezines | # | 
Regina Baker | | Hi Anne,
Great topic. It works. That is according to your audience and their needs. It took me a couple of years to understand how to "tap" into my subscribers however, it's finally working.
I no longer post resources that I'm intrigued with. Remaining focused on the "purpose" of the newsletter while providing resources pertaining to the content, has paid off.
Blessings for continued success!
_____________________________
Regina Baker, Host & Co-Founder
http://ChristianBusinessTalkRadio.com
"where Christians TALK business!"
Private Reply to Regina Baker | | Mar 15, 2006 10:27 pm | | re: Generating Business Through Ezines | # | 
Anne Thornley-Brown | | Well I am interested to see if other responders agree with the two of you. My perception of ezine subscribers is that they come to get freebies. I hope that I am wrong and that there is something I can do to stimulate migration to other services. Private Reply to Anne Thornley-Brown | | Mar 15, 2006 11:58 pm | | re: re: Generating Business Through Ezines | # | 
lisa micklin | | Great topic, Anne, thanks for bringing it up.
To me, unless you are in a very specialized niche with very specialized products and services, *stop* trying to sell via your ezines! Crazy? Maybe, but here's what I've seen work with both my own ezines and my clients' publications....
Get out of the mindset that you are building a list to create immediate sales. Instead, get into the mindset that you are building a *network* of relationships with your subscribers. Bunches of studies (can't quote any here) suggest that word of mouth (e.g. referrals) is the number one source of sales. Where do those referrals come from? Existing relationships!
How do you build these relationships via your ezines? There's lots of ways:
~ Engage your subscribers. Surveys, questions, contests, invitations, etc.
~ Offer valuable and relevant content.
~ Get personal. Show them who you are, be real.
~ Be the expert so when they're looking for the expert they think, "oh yeah, Anne who went to Guatemala with her kids (the personal stuff), the one who always has valuable things to say to me, the one who knows what she's talking about," etc.....
These are just some ideas off of the top of my head. The point being that from what I've seen strong relationships with your list IS the value of your list, way more so than the sale to the person you're never going to hear from again. The quality and depth of your subscriber list is more valuable than the quantity/size of your list.
Just one perspective,
lisa
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Start Your Ezine Now
http://StartYourEzine.com
Ezine Hosting in a Spam-Free Environment
http://EZezine.comPrivate Reply to lisa micklin | | Feb 14, 2007 7:24 pm | | re: re: re: Generating Business Through Ezines | # | 
Bob Prentice | | I have always thought of our weekly e-newsletter from a number of perspectives.
First as a marketing tool for capturing new people off of the Internet who happen to stop by.
Secondly, as an aftercare program for those who have participated in my seminars.
Thirdly, as a tool to help me in writing my book one article at a time.
Finally, as a resource for my clients.
It drives business (Cash Flow) to me each week via my champions who read it.
I could not imagine my life without it.
Bob
"My Friends call me, Mr. Attitude!"
http://www.mrattitudespeaks.com
http://www.prairiebeaconradio.comPrivate Reply to Bob Prentice | | Feb 24, 2007 11:00 am | | re: re: Generating Business Through Ezines | # | 
Maria Marsala | | I have two marketing funnels. On the bottom of Funnel 1 are ezines, then a free class I teach. And yes, freebie seekers abound, which is why I changed my subscribe form to have them add more information. I find that I get fewer subscribers... and those that are subscribing are taking advantage more of my products. They're also more serious about their businesses. And those who put junk in some of the fields, I just remove them.
What I have found, is that when it comes to service businesses, it's quality of the subscribers, not the quantity.
My Funnel #2 is different. On the bottom of it, is attendance at a class or TeleSeminar they pay for. Then they get my ezine ;) Funnel #2 has a higher chance of paying for other things, and sooner than Funnel #1.
Like most marketing processes, ezines are about building relationships. They are a very cheap way to reach lots of people. They are a very cheap way for someone who has been on your website to get to know you better. And they're a cheap way for many feebie seekers to learn. I have no problem placing resources and ads in the same ezine or sending out ads between newsletters. I even know that when I send a solo ad out, I'm going to get 20-30 people leaving my ezine. And that's AOK with me!
Serious business owners "get" that busineses make money... ;)
Cause on the other end are situations like I had last night... when someone walked up to me at a networking event and thanked me for my ezine. He's been on it more than 7 years, since he know that he wanted to start a business and has been learning a little at a time! He's just starting to grow his business, and has "take one of my classes" on his list of to dos for this year.
Another relationship growing.
Maria Marsala
Helping women business owners focus on what's important to their business.
http://www.ElevatingYourBusiness.com
Private Reply to Maria Marsala | | Feb 24, 2007 12:25 pm | | re: re: re: Generating Business Through Ezines | # | 
Janet Barclay | | Maria,
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this subject.
I've been publishing my ezine for four years now, and often wonder if it's worth the time and effort. Your points are excellent, and remind me that it's a great way to reach a lot of people very inexpensively, and that even if some of the subscribers aren't actually reading it, those who are most likely to become clients probably are.
There have been a number of times I've met someone at a networking event, and they've told me they read my ezine, so it's definitely an effective way of getting (and keeping) my name "out there".
Janet Barclay, MVA
Organized Assistant
Maximizing Your Time and Space
Web: http://www.organizedassistant.com
Blog: http://www.janetbarclay.com
Private Reply to Janet Barclay | | Feb 24, 2007 3:01 pm | | re: Generating Business Through Ezines (sub quality vs. quantity) | # |
lisa micklin | | I commend you, Maria on embracing the concept of "quality over quantity" in regards to ezine subscribers. I'm always amazed at how few people get this.
What's the point of having 20,000 "subscribers" when only 2000 are actually reading your ezine? What numbers like this really say is "I have 18,000 zombies and 2,000 readers."
Since we force folks to re-opt-in their lists in order to use the EZezine software, I run into this issue a lot. The publishers who "get it" are willing to clean their lists and find out how many readers they actually have. Those who are attached to the quantity of subscribers go else where for their hosting.
While the quality of one's list increases by keeping a clean database, there are other affects as well including a decreased likelihood of getting blacklisted, or in our case keeping our whole server (and all of our members' ezines) from being blacklisted!
Best,
lisa
EZezine Live! Discussion Forum for Ezine Publishers
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