Fool-Proof Advertising Tactics to Save You Time & Money

There are several ways in which F.A.T. can save you time and money. What? No, I don't mean the cellulite on the backs of your thighs, I mean "Foolproof Advertising Techniques" -- in ezines.

Whatever you're trying to promote online, ezine advertising is *definitely* one of the most effective ways to do it. But, you have to make sure that you're doing it right, or it'll flop ... just like any other poorly executed advertising campaign. But, before we get down to the nitty-gritty of ezine advertising, let's answer two of the most common questions

1. Why advertise in ezines?

Ezines are one of the best forms of advertising because of your ability to target who YOU want to read your ad. You don't have to hunt your prospects down -- all you have to do is make sure you target your market correctly. When I say "target," I mean to make sure that the people that you're showing your ad to have a DEFINITE interest in whatever you're advertising.

For example, advertising your website design service in a Web design ezine is *good.* You know that Webmasters reading that ezine are looking for ways to clean up their website, or their design skills. However, advertising your website design service in a business opportunity ezine is *bad.* Sure, some of the opportunity-seekers MIGHT have a website, and they MIGHT be looking for someone to design it for them ... but why take the chance?

Ezine advertising is also one of the FASTEST ways to get results. Within minutes of subscribers reading your ad, you can be making more sales, getting more traffic to your website, or getting new subscribers to YOUR ezine. Whatever your goal is by placing your ad, it can be accomplished almost instantly.

2. What kind of advertising budget do you need to advertise in ezines?

This varies. An ezine ad can cost as much as $275 an issue .. or as little as nothing. There are a lot of ways to get free ads in ezines -- you've just got to be a bit creative. But, for best results, DON'T expect much from advertising in ezines that offer free ads! Why? Because, these don't usually work! This means that the ezine publisher is either:
 

(a) Trying to build their subscriber database, which means that your ad won't get a lot of exposure anyway;

(b) Sending their ezine to a bunch of people that don't want it, like advertisers that posted to their FFA page; or

(c) Crazy! Why else would a publisher waste a chance to make a few honest dollars from selling their ad space?

-> TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT EZINE!

If you skip this step, there's no point in advertising at all. This is the single most important aspect of ezine advertising, aside from targeting your market well and, (of course), writing a quality ad. To choose a quality ezine, you'll need to take all of the following into account:

3. How many ads run in each issue?

If your ad is going to be competing with 20 or 30 others, it's not worth your time or your money. Your advertising dollars will get lost in the sea of advertisements -- just like your ad will. 10 to 15 ads should be the ABSOLUTE maximum number of ads you're willing to compete with, or you won't get any exposure.

4. Where are the ads located?

If all of the ads are stuck at the very end of the ezine after all of the useful information, forget it. I know that this is the standard place for ezine ads, but it's also the most overlooked. If the ads are at the end of the ezine, make sure there's a reason for the subscriber to scroll down that far. Is there advertising info, a contest announcement, etc.? If there's nothing there but the copyright info and disclaimer, you're in trouble!

5. How good is the actual ezine?

Before you advertise in a specific publication, request a sample issue. This is your last chance to make sure that you're targeting your prospects right, and to find out if the ezine is even worth the advertising dollars. If the ezine doesn't have any useful or interesting content, chances are, the subscriber won't be too eager to read it. And, they'll most likely skip right over your ad.

6. How many subscribers do they have?

This one isn't as important as the others, but you still need to consider it. If the first three rules are followed, this one won't make or break your ad campaign -- but, be cautious! If the ezine has 650 subscribers, excellent content, features three ads per issue, and puts the ads close to the top, more than likely, it's going to be a good investment. Just make sure that ad space is reasonably priced. Likewise, if an ezine has 10,000 subscribers, features 40 ads an issue, they're all at the bottom, and the content leaves more than a little to be desired, your ad results probably will, too!

7. Are there usually high-quality ads featured in the ezine?

If the editor of the ezine doesn't edit out things like spelling and grammatical errors, hype, and known scams, their subscribers probably skip right over the ad section. Careless errors make both the advertiser AND the publisher look bad, and readers may get annoyed by this carelessness, thus conditioning themselves to ignore those ads.

On the other hand, if subscribers have had positive experiences with the ads in a publication, and aren't given the impression that they're just a bunch of hype and scams, they're likely to continue to pay attention to them. This type of ezine is your BEST advertising choice.

8. How can you get FREE ezine advertising?

The easiest and most common way to get free ads in ezines is to run ad swaps with other publishers. This is when you and another ezine publisher both offer to run each other's ad in your respective ezines at no cost. BUT, if you don't have an ezine, this method could create a problem. :-) In this situation, you would simply barter for a free ad.

You can offer the publisher a service or product of equal or *greater* value in exchange for his or her ad. For example, if you run a submission service that usually costs $45, and you barter with an ezine publisher that charges $35 per ad, they'll likely take you up on the offer. You may want to offer them that's a little more valuable than what you're asking of them. This makes your proposal more attractive, thus making them more likely to accept it.

If you follow these "Foolproof Advertising Techniques" for choosing a quality ezine, your ezine advertising campaign should ALWAYS be a success. Of course, it takes trial and error when writing an effective ad and choosing the most suitable ezine to run your ad in. But, as with every important skill -- practice makes perfect. And, in this case, "practice" will definitely help pay the bills. ;-)