3 Tips
for Advertising with ezines
We’ve all heard
the buzz on ezine advertising. It’s highly focused,
targeted, and delivers results. In reality, it’s
because of the high focus and narrow target that ezine
ads are able to deliver those results. Many on-line and
even some offline businesses are now considering
investing in an ezine advertising campaign to drive
traffic to their websites. Here are some tips to help
you build a winning campaign using ezine ads.
Start
Small – Ezine ads can start
as a low as $10 and run as high as a few hundred dollars
each. Start with the small ads, and work up from there.
Your main objective in running small ads is to test the
response rates you receive for different ad copy. For
example, this week you might run an ad offering your
product in combination with another offer. Next week,
you might alter your offering to include a reduced price
on your primary product offering. Measure the response
that you receive to these ads to help direct you as to
which copy you should lead with when you launch your
broader campaign in the larger ezines.
Go
Big (or go home) – With some
successful copy under your belt, you can now evaluate
the cost of placing your ad in larger ezines. The
challenge here is to maintain a focus on your target
audience while getting your message out to enough people
to generate some significant sales. Small ezines can
deliver a very specific market segment (such as Labrador
retriever owners), whereas larger ezines might cater to
a broader market (such as Dog owners). You must evaluate
every ezine and ask yourself the question “Will dog
owners buy my product, or is it only Labrador Retriever
owners who will be interested?” Do that before every
ezine ad purchase to ensure that your product offering
will be a good fit with the subscribers to the ezine.
Save
Money – Advertising rates
are almost always negotiable, especially if you are
willing to commit to more than just a one week
advertising purchase with an ezine publisher. You can
also visit websites like www.ezineadauction.com,
where ezine publishers offer advertising in their ezines
through an auction format, which enable you to land a
better deal than simply approaching the publishers
directly.
The highly focused
subscriber base of an ezine can yield some significant
sales for your business. As you move your campaign into
the larger ezines, be sure to constantly evaluate the
fit between the larger audience and your product. And
remember, there is always an opportunity to negotiate a
better deal for your business, either through a multiple
ad discount rate or through online auctions sites. By
combining these three tips and making them a part of
your next campaign, your business can take full
advantage of the power of ezine advertising.
Article
contents © 2004 by marketingyoursmallbusiness.com
Will
Dylan is the Author of “Small Business Big
Marketing” a powerful e-book for small businesses
available through his website www.marketingyoursmallbusiness.com
. You can contact Will at askwill@marketingyoursmallbusiness.com
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