The Reality of Newsletter Advertising

In our quest for ways to promote our businesses, most of us have likely come across the opportunity to place an ad in an email newsletter, or "ezine".

Often, though, people who have tried ezine ads come out frustrated. They expect that the money they spend will result in sales. Unfortunately, it doesn't always result in enough sales to cover the cost of the ad, let alone to make a profit.

Ezine ads sometimes appeal to people who are seeking what they think of as an "easy" way to reach a big audience quickly. And let's face it, some of the ad sales pages are pretty good, and can conjure up visions of sales notifications swamping your in-box in the hours after your ad runs.

It's just not that easy.

Even if someone else highly recommends an ezine, that doesn't mean you're going to get the same results. The success of an ad depends on numerous factors, including:

• The "fit" of your product or service with the ezine's audience. An audience consisting of dog agility enthusiasts aren't likely to be interested in the latest ad tracking software. Even different pet products won't have the same appeal -- for example, they're more likely to be interested in a "tennis ball launcher" than in a ramp for disabled pets.

• The strength of your ad copy. A poor ad won't do well, regardless of how great your product is.

• The responsiveness of the audience. Keep in mind that the number of subscribers an ezine has is not a good indicator of its quality.

  For instance, one ezine may have 50,000 subscribers but on average only 200 people ever bother to open the issue, and even fewer bother to read it. A different ezine may have 1000 subscribers, but most of them eagerly await it and read it from start to finish.

• The day the ezine goes out -- are you competing with a bunch of other ezines, all published on the same day? Holidays, or holiday periods, will work better for some types of businesses (such as those that sell gift items) and much worse for others (such as those that sell business-to-business products or services).

• How many ads and of what type the ezine runs. Most people don't like to be inundated with ads... and the more ads they receive, the more immune they become to them -- the "delete" key becomes a favorite way to clear out the mailbox without being forced to read advertisements.

Consider this: many ezine editors won't sell advertising -- why would they, when they can run their own ads and make much more money?

That isn't to say that all ezines that offer ad sales are poor quality. Obviously that's not true. Some businesses prefer the more stable income from ad sales.

Do your research prior to choosing an ezine. One site that offers a small selection of ezines that are auction off ad space to the highest bidder is EzineAdAuction. They list primarily business and marketing ezines, but occasionally you'll find others as well.

[Note: although some of the ads are quite cheap, don't force it if it doesn't fit! You're not getting a "good deal" if the readers' aren't interested in what you're offering]

Make sure the ezine you're considering collects their subscribers ethically. That means no harvesting of email addresses or other questionable methods. A double opt-in method is preferred (it forces people to confirm their subscriptions prior to adding them to the list). Subscribe yourself, to see how it's handled and to read a copy of the ezine.

To combat the risk of losing money on an ad that doesn't work, there are alternatives you can try:

• Barter for ad space if you have your own ezine. If you don't, you can trying bartering ezine ad space for web ad space.

• Write an article and offer it for reprint. Include a link back to your site in your resource box. This has the advantage of building your credibility while promoting your business.

• Offer a complimentary copy of your product or service in exchange for a review from the editor.

Use your imagination! Promotion doesn't always come down to parting with dollars... there are other ways to earn publicity without out-of-pocket expenses.

Ezine ads may be an affordable way to reach a large audience quickly, and often relatively cheaply.

However, print publications still tend to have more credibility than an emailed publication. Why not try your hand there? Print ads are another topic for another time, but just briefly:

• Start small. Many print publications offer relatively cheap classified ads, or business card-sized ads. Run a few and monitor the response. Like it? Then figure out whether the cost of a larger ad (or a color ad) is worth the expected increase in response.

• Approach smaller or new publications. Many are just starting their search for an advertising base, and you may be able to negotiate a discount. Some may even be open to a barter arrangement, ie. an ad in their publication for some ad space on your website (assuming you have the traffic to support it, of course).

If you need artwork for a print publication, Rent-A-Coder is a good place to look.

Generally speaking, there are still some good values to be had in terms of ezine advertising -- but you have to be willing to put in the time and effort to find them, and back it up with the funds to experiment.

A big problem lies in whether or not the ezine actually gets read. People get so much junk mail these days that the delete key is their friend. Assuming that the ezine even makes it past their email filters, they may not recognize it immediately and accidentally delete it. There are lots of reasons why an ezine may not be read. That's why print media is something to consider in order to supplement your online marketing efforts.

This article may be reprinted on your website or in your opt-in newsletter, provided that it is reprinted in its entirety and without modification, and the following resource box is left intact:

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Angela operates the Online Business Basics website, which offers free marketing tips and articles for beginners to the 'net. Visit www.onlinebusinessbasics.com for more tips on how to effectively market your business on a limited budget.

Originally published August, 2004