E-Power The E-zine Advantage

"Regular communication with your customers is essential to your success." - Heidi Richards -

E-zines - The alternative of choice for many companies is a great way to market your company. All you need is an e-mail account and permission from your customers/clients to send the e-zine. In fact, I have found e-zines to be so powerful that I write and produce 4 a month. And I am working on a 5th one.

They are:

Self-Marketing News www.self-marketingnews.com

PetalsNCents (a marketing newsletter for the floral industry) - www.petalsncents.com

Creating A Legacy (a newsletter for the nonprofit community) www.creatingalegacy.com

Ramblin' Rose (a newsletter for my customers) ? www.EdenFlorist.com

WECommerce News (a newsletter for members of The Women's ECommerce Association, International) ? www.WECAI.org

Since the whole topic of e-zine production can be overwhelming, I will just touch on the highlights to get you started.

1. The first thing you must do is collect your customers/clients e-mail addresses. We collect them when they call, come in the shop, answer surveys, or enter our contests. We ask for it every time we have interaction with them.

2. We tell them the benefits. The e-zine is filled with product updates, trends, surveys, special offers, testimonials, discounts and my favorite CONTESTS.

3. Make it easy to read and brief. Two to three pages max.

4. One of the most important things we had to deal with was when our lists started growing (beyond 250); we were very limited in sending through our original e-mail account (AOL). They have rules and sometimes will freeze an account if you send too many at once. The format would also get botched sometimes. The lists became unmanageable when we had to remove unsubscribers and duplicates. Finding the ones who wish to unsubscribe can be challenging. We switched to another service hoping they could send our newsletters and maintain our lists. It was a good service; however, we didn't like the look of our newsletter. It had limited capabilities (no bold or italic). Since I'm the creative type, I didn't want my e-zines to look like everyone else's. We have now found a program we are very happy with. There is no monthly fee, just a one-time purchase fee. It is called Group Mail Pro - Mailing List & Group Management Software. And it only costs $79.95 (and you own it).

If you plan your ezine right, give it a great title and offer your customers and clients benefits, your ezine will be a success!

PROMOTION

Have a subscription form on your website! Have a sign up sheet at the office. Promote it with postcards in your monthly statements. Tell anyone you think might be interested. Offer a free report when they sign up. Buy the URL with the title of your e-zine so you can easily direct traffic to subscribe.

Good things happen with e-zines; increased visibility, increased business and goodwill. Happy Writing!

Excerpted from The PMS Principles - Powerful Marketing Strategies to Grow Your Business © 2005 - Heidi Richards

Heidi Richards is the author of The PMS Principles, Powerful Marketing Strategies to Grow Your Business and 7 other books. She is also the Founder & CEO of the Women's ECommerce Association, International http://www.WECAI.org (pronounced wee-kī) ? an Internet organization that "Helps Women Do Business on the WEB." Basic Membership is FREE. Ms. Richards can be reached at http://www.HeidiRichards.com or heidi@wecai.org

---

American OverDrive - LCDs in LDCs

OverDrive - an e-commerce, software conversion and e-publishing applications leader... Read More

Email Newsletter Format: HTML or Text

An email newsletter is probably the most effective way to... Read More

How to turn your Newsletter into a Web Page...in 45 seconds!

Do you place back-issues of your Newsletter onyour website?There are... Read More

Are We Dating or Married?

You've convinced me that I want to sign up for... Read More

Ezines ? An Excellent Approach To Internet Marketing

What is an ezine? An ezine is an abbreviation for... Read More

7 Ways You Can Make a Huge Impression With Your Ezine Welcome Message

Many times I receive a Welcome Message from someone after... Read More

Ezines, Ezines Everywhere!

There are literally thousands of ezines being published online these... Read More

Create Your Own Ezine Traffic Machine

How would you like to reach millions of people with... Read More

Does Your Subject Line Do the Job?

It's proven that the FROM field of your emails is... Read More

How To Increase Your Sales From Your Newsletter

The first and most important thing you should know when... Read More

How To Write Effective Ezine Ads... And Then Some

When writing an ezine ad, there is a big mistake... Read More

Newsletter Design Ideas - How to Get Creative Ideas for Your Newsletter Template

If you want to have a successful newsletter, you need... Read More

3 Things You Need to Do to Turn Net Information into Cash

Although we are in the information age, very few people... Read More

Are You Getting The Most Out Of Your Ezine?

There are two reasons to publish an ezine.... Read More

Create An Ezine To Get People Back To Your Site

I know you've worked hard on your website. I know... Read More

Internet Marketing Idea: Publish an Ezine

Chances are if you surf the net much you have... Read More

EZines: Get from Adequate to Fabulous

If my in-box is any indication, most of the business... Read More

Publishing Special Reports And Ebooks At No Cost

So you'd like to start publishing special reports and ebooks... Read More

Finding the GOLD with Ezines and Google!

HiHow'd you go with your product search?Here's another way to... Read More

Publish Articles Online: Start With Your Own ezine

So, you want to publish articles online? It's really quite... Read More

Top 3 Steps to Success Building the Relationships

Marketing is a broad business subject that encompasses a range... Read More

Newsletter Software

Newsletter SoftwareWhat types of newsletter software can I use to... Read More

Putting the YOU in Your E-zine

I get many e-zines in my inbox every week, and... Read More

Email Filters Catch Dolphins Along With Sharks

What's the point in spending hours preparing a newsletter, message... Read More

How To Develope Content For Your Ezine Without Having To Write Your Own Articles

Do you struggle with creating content for your ezine? You... Read More

The Future of Email Newsletter

The future of email Newsletter - Llando Ford 07.28.2004 What... Read More

11 Quick (and Good) E-zine Content Ideas

Publishing an e-zine is the ideal opportunity to showcase your... Read More

Five Solid Reasons To Publish Your Ezine In a Blog!

Get Your Ezine 'Out There'!Placing your ezine in a Blog... Read More

Is It a Newsletter or Just One More Commercial?

When I purchased my very first computer, not too long... Read More

Increase Your Website Popularity with 500 Words

Are you looking to increase your relevancy in the search... Read More

E-Power The E-zine Advantage

"Regular communication with your customers is essential to your success."... Read More

How To Use Viral Marketing To Grow Your Opt In Email List

If you have read my article called "What is Viral... Read More

Tips on Using Constant Contact to Create Your Company Newsletter

If you run your own business like I do, you... Read More