| |
| |
|
Ezine Publishing Information |
|
|
|
21 Questions to Ask Any List Service Before You Sign on With Them
If you publish an e-mail newsletter, or "e-zine," you'll need to sign on with a list service (or "listserve") to manage your subscriber list. There are many types of listserves out there, so here are some guidelines to help you choose one that's right for you. You'll need this if you want to publish an HTML newsletter. Otherwise you'll have to send out multiple versions for users who can read HTML, users who can't read HTML, and users on AOL. If you're new to the game and/or technologically challenged then you'll appreciate any type of help they offer for new clients. Are they prompt to get back to you via e-mail? Can you call them if you have a problem? Are they available more than standard business hours? What about weekends? Contact them and see how long they take to get back to you -- if it's longer than 24 hours, definitely keep looking. If so, how, and how quickly? Or even better, client references? Contact some of these folks to see how their experiences have been. If most of their clients are large corporations, small businesses like yours may not get the attention they deserve. Meaning is it easy for you to setup and launch each issue of your e-zine. They should offer a demo or let you access the 'mission control' area that you'll be using to test it out. Sometimes you'll need to do this, so you'll want the answer to be "yes" -- especially if you're moving over a list you've already collected. How and how often? You'll want to know on a regular basis how many subscribes and unsubscribes you've had since the last issue. You want it to be YOUR name if possible. Some spam filters screen out e-mail that does not appear to come from an individual person. You want it to be the person's name if possible. Along the same lines, some spam filters screen out e-mail that does not appear to be addressed to the individual person. Anytime you hand over your customer list, you're taking a risk. You don't want your service or anyone else using your list for spamming purposes. These are also called "bounces" or "bounce-backs." You don't want them to automatically remove names for "soft bounces," which are due to temporary conditions like full mailboxes. Do they have to visit a Web page or can they do it via e-mail (best if both options are available). Is the process single or double opt-in? (Double is better for more security - the user has to respond to a confirmation e-mail before she's added to your list.) Is the process kept simple? This means messages like your subscriber welcome and goodbye messages. (You'll definitely want to be able to do this, since the prewritten messages many list services use are horribly cold and confusing.) Not necessary, but a very nice feature. For example, if your e-zine came to me, it would start off with something like, "Hello Alexandria!" It should be at least once every day. Also ask if you can download your lists to back them up on your own, as a backup to their backup! You'll definitely want this because it's the best way to see how your e-zine looks on the recipient's end, do a proofread, and check all your hyperlinks. If you publish in HTML, you should be able to see how many people - and even exactly who - opens your messages. Some services will archive your e-zines at their site, others can configure it so they're archived at your own site (which is better). If so, it may mean they've been reported for allowing spammers to use their network. You don't want to work with any list service that's been blocked anywhere, because it means that your e-zine won't reach all of your readers. (c) 2002 Alexandria K. Brown ABOUT THE AUTHOR Alexandria K. Brown, "The E-zine Queen," is author of the award-winning manual, "Boost Business With Your Own E-zine." To learn more about her book and sign up for more FREE tips like these, visit her site at http://EzineQueenTutorial.com/
MORE RESOURCES:
Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
The Magic Button That Earns $3,546 or more Ever wonder how a "guru" earns $3,546 or more just by pressing a button?The first thing a newbie learns when landing on the Internet is that it is full of hype. Hype this. The Future of Email Newsletter The future of email Newsletter - Llando Ford 07.28. Some Things I Have Learned About the Exciting World of Ezines 1. Don't ever stop advertising for new subscribers. Plagiarism on the High Seas More and more companies are finding the value in informational advertising. Giving away information to the world. Managing Internet Addresses in Your Email Newsletter Web and email addresses pose a special challenge for writers and publishers of email newsletters and ezines.I don't know about you, but I find it frustrating when I have to copy and paste an address into a browser, or into a separate email window. Where And How To Get Information For Your Newsletter And Ezines With the rapid expansion and diversion of commerce, manufacturers, career seekers and even hobbyist move into more and more specialized areas of endeavor, there is an increase need for more information. Newsletters and ezines are the high profit way to cash in on that market for specialized information. Future of Electronic Publishing UNESCO's somewhat arbitrary definition of "book" is: "Non-periodical printed publication of at least 49 pages excluding covers".The emergence of electronic publishing was supposed to change all that. Email Newsletters: The Header Managing Subscriber addresses: At the top of your email message you see the header, where you insert addresses and a subject heading. It all looks simple enough, but there are some tricks and tips you should know, and one very important warning. Newsletters - Keeping Your Customers Informed Many businesses use email newsletters to introduce themselves to new customers and to maintain contact with existing and past clients. By sending useful and relevant information on a consistent, regular basis, you maintain constant contact without the risk of irritating and alienating your customers. Are You Getting The Most Out Of Your Ezine? There are two reasons to publish an ezine. 1. 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. Increase Your Website Popularity with 500 Words Are you looking to increase your relevancy in the search engines? You probably have heard that increasing the links to your site has an impact on your listing. But did you know you can do it without waiting, or asking other sites to link to you themselves?If you can write a 500-1000 word article about your business, you can increase your links in 24 hours. 5 Tips for Catching Errors in Your Manuscript What is your worse fear as a self-publishing writer? For many, it's finding mistakes after publication.Imagine receiving boxes of books from the printer only to discover a glaring typo. Top 3 Steps to Success Building the Relationships Marketing is a broad business subject that encompasses a range of activities including advertising, public relations, sales, promotions and building relationships.Building relationships-often called networking-is a vital foundation for the building of a strong business of any size. Word Newsletter Templates - How to Easily Create Them You can use Word newsletter templates for both Word and PDF newsletters. PDF is one of the most popular newsletter formats because it is easy to read and user-friendly. Are We Dating or Married? You've convinced me that I want to sign up for your newsletter. Now that I'm ready, what do I do? I go to thesignup box on the current web page and complete the form. Top 10 Tips to Give Your Newsletter Impact! There are thousands of email newsletters or "ezines" produced every week, and most of them have great material and are written by passionate people who want to share valuable information. Unfortunately, very few of them have many subscribers. Who Should Offer an Ezine? If you are a professional, consultant, coach, speaker, seminar leader, author or small business person, you need to develop and offer one of the most powerful Online marketing tools around-the eNewsletter, otherwise known as the ezine. Your ezine's purpose is two-fold: 1 - It should give your clients and potential product buyers something that benefits them-tips, feature articles, resources and special offers. Gosh, What Am I Going to Put in My Email Newsletter THIS Month? So you decided to put out a monthly newsletter, because "that's what smart marketers do." This is a terrific idea! After all, really good content is the way to your readers' hearts, and everyone loves to receive presents in the mail (or, email in this case). 5 Keys To A Successful Ezine There are 5 basic keys you need for your ezine to be successful and here they are though not necessarily in this order.1- HostingYou need good reliable hosting for your website.
|
| Article List | Index | Site Map |
|
All logos, trademarks and articles on this site are property and copyright of their respective owner(s).
The comments are property of their posters, all the rest is Copyright © 2006 CanadaSEEK.com - All Rights Reserved. |
