Ezine Ads vs.
Article Writing
A comparison of
two popular on-line promotional tools
As
ezines continue to grow in popularity, the business of
ezine advertising has become a major topic of discussion
amongst on-line business owners. Ezine advertising is
highly focused and delivered to an on-line audience,
making it a good vehicle to promote your on-line
business. In contrast, other Internet gurus will tell
you that advertising is a waste of money, and you should
focus your efforts on writing articles for ezines in the
hopes of having them published, giving you access to a
market of thousands of potential customers.
In
the face of such conflicting advice, what should a small
businessperson do to promote their on-line venture? The
answer: take a balanced approach to promoting your
business through ezines. There is a place for both
advertising and publication in your business plan.
Consider the following comparison to determine what’s
right for you:
Time
Investment
Advertising
requires very little time investment. Most ezine ads are
just a few lines long, eliminating the need to develop a
load of copy for your ad. A catchy headline and an
intriguing one-line ad will do the trick. The ezine
publisher will do the rest.
Article
Writing requires a much greater time investment. Ezines
generally prefer articles of about 500 words in length,
considerably longer than the 30-word ad that you could
place in the same ezine. Generating topics, writing and
editing your article, and distributing it requires a
considerable effort.
Cost
Advertising
is not free in the on-line world. Any ezine with a
decent subscriber base will charge you a placement fee
depending on the size of the ad you place. Solo ads in
which you get an exclusive top line ad placement are the
most expensive, down to the inexpensive 3 line
classifieds that appear at the end of most ezines.
In
contrast, article writing and publication is generally
free. There is no cost to you to have one of your
articles published. In exchange for your valuable
article, ezine publishers will place a resource box at
the bottom of your article, with a brief description of
your business and a link to your site. That link can be
very valuable, as ezine readers that find your article
interesting can visit your site with one click of their
mouse.
Placement
Ad
placement is guaranteed. If you pay for ad space, you
will get it. This allows you to track your advertising
results, as you will know exactly where your ad is
running and when.
Articles
come with no guarantees. While most article banks
encourage publishers to contact the author when they use
one of your articles, this does not always happen.
Without knowing where and when your article might be
used, it’s very difficult to determine which articles
are working for you and which aren’t.
Results
Advertising
can be highly successful if targeted to the right
audience and if the ad presents the reader with a
compelling reason to visit your website.
Articles
published in ezines carry a high level of credibility.
Readers believe that the author is an expert on the
subject due to the quality of information put forth in
the article. So ezine readers will regard a small
business marketing company that prepares an informative
article about search engine placement as an expert on
the topic. These potential customers may click on the
URL at the bottom of the article to learn more about the
company’s expertise.
Clearly,
a balance is required between these two promotional
tools. The immediate guaranteed placement and ability to
track results make advertising a popular choice.
However, the cost effectiveness and credibility of ezine
article writing also offers benefits. The best approach
is to focus on article writing and use advertising as a
traffic driver to promote special events on your website
such as a sale or the launch of a new product.
One
last word about combining an ad and an article…don’t
do it! If you look to some of the countries largest
marketers, you’ll notice that they never place an ad
anywhere near an article that mentions their business.
The reason: credibility. Placing a paid ad in an ezine
above or below your article gives the impression that
you somehow “bought” the article space. It reduces
the credibility of your article, as readers may believe
that your article was selected not on the basis of its
quality, but rather in exchange for your ad placement.
If you receive an offer from an ezine publisher who
wants you to buy an ad in exchange for publication, buy
an ad in the next issue of the ezine and NOT in the
issue that will feature your article.
