When you decide to have an opt-in list, it is not just a matter of sending your subscribers your promotional newsletters or catalogs. There are many things to consider in avoiding many complications. While there are so many ways you can make people subscribe to your list, there are also some things you must do to avoid subscribers from wanting to get off from your list. Aside from that, you also want to avoid any problems with the law and your internet service provider or ISP. There are now many laws and rules that are applied to help protect the privacy of the internet users from spamming and unwanted mails. With the popularity of the electronic mail
as a medium for marketing because of the low cost, many company’s have seized the opportunity and have flooded many people’s e-mail accounts with promotional mail.

But, with an opt-in list, you avoid this annoyance because people subscribe to the list; they want to receive the newsletters and promotional materials. They have consented to being on the list by subscribing themselves, just don’t forget to put an unsubscribe feature everytime in your opt-in list so that you avoid any confusion. There may be times when an email account was provided when the real owner didn’t want to subscribe.

It is essential that you keep your list clean and manageable. Arrange it by using the many tools and technologies available for your opt-in list. Do not worry; your investment in this marketing strategy is well worth it with all the coverage you will get which will likely be converted into sales then to profit.

Keep yourself and your business out of trouble and potential run-ins with the law and the internet service providers. Keep your operation legit and clean. Your reputation as a legitimate businessman and a legitimate site depends on your being a straight and true marketing strategist. As a tip, here are three things to avoid when emailing your list.

1) Take notice of your unsuccessful sends. These are the e-mails that   bounce. Bounced emails, also known as undeliverable messages, are those messages that, for whatever reason, were not successfully received by the intended recipient.

There are bounces that happen or occur because the server was busy at that time but can still be delivered in another time. There are also bounces because the inbox of the recipient is full at that time. There are those bounce messages that are simply undeliverable ever. The reason for
this is that it may be an invalid email address, a misspelled email address, or an email address that was abandoned and erased already.

Manage your list by putting markings on those that bounce.  Erase an email account from your list so that you have an accurate statistics and records as to how many are actually receiving your mail. You may also want to check the spellings of your email addresses in your list. One common mistake is when an N instead of an M is placed in the .com  area.

2) Always provide an unsubscribe feature in your site and an unsubscribe link in your mails. When someone in your list files a request to be unsubscribed, always take that request seriously. If you don’t take them off your list and keep sending them your e-mails, you are now sending them spam mail.

When you are reported as a spammer, you and your business can get into a lot of trouble. You can be reported to the authorities and maybe blacklisted by many internet service providers. You will lose a lot of subscribers this way and many more in potential subscribers.

3) Do not provide pornographic or shocking and disturbing content in your newsletters. It is hard to decipher the age of the recipient and many complaints may stem from these.  Controversial issues also are to be avoided to not be branded by your subscribers. Stick to the nature of your site and business.

Always remember these tips in this article so that you can have a healthy relationship with your subscribers as well as be kept within the boundaries of what is allowed in sending mails to an opt-in list.
==============================
Copyright © 2006 Mary Jo Adams
Publisher of: www.OnSwitchSolution.com Specializing in
Work at Home and Internet Publishing
==============================
I grant permission to publish this article, as long as the bylines are included, with a live link, and the article is not changed in any way.

I get many e-zines in my inbox every week, and they all offer useful information. But there are some I enjoy more than others.

What do the ones I love have in common?

They feel like they come from a REAL person. These publishers put some heart-and-soul into their e-zines. They share information about themselves. And because I FEEL like I know them personally, I’m more likely to buy from them at some point.

In the traditional sales world, they call this the “know, like, and trust” factor — I abbreviate it to “KLT”.

I was amazed to find that once I began sharing a bit about ME (the real Ali) in my e-zine, my response rates increased dramatically. More readers wrote me back, more clicked on my links, and more bought my products and services.

So, how can YOU put more you in your e-zine? Very easily. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

What’s Going on With YOU?

Quick: Think of three things going on in your life right now that you could share with your readers. Have you won an award? Were you mentioned in a national newspaper? Did you pull a hamstring doing Tae Bo? Are you teary-eyed because your daughter’s wedding is right around the corner? These are all events your readers can relate to and will appreciate you sharing.

One e-zine I used to get a real chuckle out of was Dave Balch’s “Big Bucks in a Bathrobe.” (His business has changed, so unfortunately he no longer publishes it.) In each issue, Dave not only shared useful information on running a profitable business, but also hysterical stories about “life on the ranch.” Dave and his wife own many animals, including horses, dogs, and “the parrot that just won’t die.” Whenever I saw Dave’s e-zine in my mailbox, I read it right away because I knew it would brighten my mood.

Reach Out for Help

Have a question you’d like answered? Why not ask your readers for help? Example: In 2005 I bought a new VW Beetle Convertible, and in my e-zine I asked my readers who had owned convertibles to share their tips on how to care for them.

You wouldn’t believe how many people wrote me back, telling me about their own cars, how much they love them, even sending me photos, and giving me some great tips on “topless” driving! I was delighted with the response.

Readers also love quick polls that allow them to give you their opinion. For multiple choice answers, I have used www.SurveyMonkey.com. It’s free for up to 100 responses, and reasonably priced for more. For a single question and open-ended answers, use www.AskMyEzine.com.

Give Us the Picture

Photos help your visitors and your e-zine readers feel closer to you instantly — it’s as if they know you better than before.

Unless you’re ugly as a toad, a decent photo will only help your sales. (Remember you’re building the KLT factor.) If you publish an HTML e-zine, put your photo in your top banner if you have room.

Also don’t be afraid of sharing photos of your family, pets, business associates, etc. (I post mine at a personal blog which is FREE to create at www.blogger.com.) You’ll be surprised how often your readers will click-through to see them. Example: “Click here to see me in action at my first swing dancing competition!”

After taking my course, one client of mine decided to share a photo of his pet pug, and he said his readers went NUTS! They wrote him back with photos of their dogs and it opened up a new level of communication for him with his subscribers.

Don’t Be Afraid to Have Opinions

Real people have real opinions. So voice yours, and people will perk up. I’ve found that my readers often respond best when they’re provoked and encouraged to see things in a new light.

If some don’t agree with you (and some won’t), their response can lead to a brand new discussion or article topic. Remember, if someone takes the time to write you back to disagree with anything you’ve said, be happy. It means they’re actually reading your e-zine!

Where, and How Much?

A great place to put this personal information is at the beginning of your e-zine in an “editor’s note” or “welcome message.” This welcomes the reader with a warm greeting from you and is the perfect spot to share these positive, personal tidbits.

Once you get the hang of giving more YOU to your readers, you’ll come to enjoy the art of sharing and the increased reader-interaction it brings. Just make sure that it doesn’t take over your e-zine. The bulk of your content should still be your main article, list of tips, etc.

Think of your personal information as the introduction that leads up to the main event!

Online entrepreneur Alexandria K. Brown, “The E-zine Queen,” publishes the award-winning ‘Straight Shooter Marketing’ weekly ezine with 21,000+ subscribers. If you’re ready to jump-start your marketing, make more money, and have more fun in your small business, get your FREE tips now at www.EzineQueen.com

Have you been publishing an e-zine for at least six months but still aren’t seeing real results (read: revenue) from it? Don’t fret — you may just need a tune up. Here are five ways to kick your e-zine income into gear this year:

1. TOOT YOUR OWN HORN MORE

The adage goes, “If you don’t blow your own horn, someone else will use it as a spittoon.” If your focus is providing your readers with useful information that enriches their lives and businesses, bravo! That SHOULD be your focus. But now I want you to look out for yourself as well: Take at least 25 percent of your e-zine space and make it all about YOU.

Give promos for your services, products, books, workshops, etc.
List raving testimonials from clients and customers who LOVE you.
Weave your business success stories into your articles and tips.
Share something funny about your weekend that makes me feel closer to knowing you personally. (For more self-promotion tips, see my article “7 Ways to Self-Promote Within Your E-zine.” (http://www.ezinequeen.com/7ways.htm)

2. MAKE ME AN OFFER I CAN’T REFUSE

Let’s suppose I’m one of your subscribers. Even if I realize you offer am^zing products and services, I may need a kick in the pants to make a move. To entice me, offer me a special, limited-time deal. Examples: three months’ of consultation for the price of two, a 20% d1scount on your latest book or newest service, or
one of your usual offers with a few exciting bonuses thrown in.
Make the offer obsolete within a few days or by next week. By putting a time limit on it, I’ll be more apt to act now instead of later.

Don’t overlook how powerful this tactic can be. Some of my most profitable weeks have resulted from running a limited time, special pr0motion of this type in my e-zine.

3. PACKAGE IT AT A L0WER PRICE POINT

This is a super strategy for service professionals such as consultants and coaches. As your subscriber, I know the way to get the BEST service from you would be to hire you one-on-one, but perhaps I can’t afford that right now. BUT consider that I
may likely be interested in lower-priced options such as group coaching, teleclasses, online seminars, or a manual/e-book.

This is exactly how I became an author. When I started my first e-zine, my main business was writing corporate communications.
After I gained a few thousand subscribers, I realized that my readers were mostly small business owners and entrepreneurs. So I began creating products and services geared toward them. And now I profit more from those each month than I did from my corporate work. (And I’m having more fun, too!)

4. PROMOTE A PRODUCT/SERVICE THAT COMPLEMENTS YOURS

Do your readers and clients often ask you about a certain topic that’s related to — but not exactly — what you offer? Then resell a resource that you heartily recommend and would put your reputation behind.

For example, while my specialty is e-zines, I get many questions about creating and selling e-books online. So I continually research credible resources on this topic to share with my readers. Many of the creators of these products offer a handsome
commission on any sales I refer to them. (I do this myself by paying up to 35 percent commission on any referred sale.
(http://www.ezinequeen.com/affiliate.htm)

NEVER recommend any service or product to your readers that you haven’t personally tried and wouldn’t back 100 percent. Otherwise you’ll blow the trust that you’ve worked so hard to build up in your readership.

5. SELL AD SPACE AS IT SUITS YOU

E-zine ads won’t make you r*ch, but they can make for some handy extra cash. (I call it my “margarita money.”) Most e-zines offer one sponsor ad at the top and several “classified” ads at the bottom. Sponsor ads typically cost three to five times more than the classified ad, but you’ll see the ranges vary greatly.

Start by offering ad specials to your own readers. Then also list your e-zine in the many e-zine advertising directories on the Web. These services help match advertisers with appropriate publishers just like you. (Need help? My manual gives step-by-step instructions on how to accept and profit from ads in your e-
zine.)

Remember that you have every right to be selective about the type of ads you accept. While your readers know these ads don’t represent YOUR business, their quality will indirectly influence their perception of you.

REMEMBER THE SILENT BENEFITS OF YOUR E-ZINE

Keep in mind that even if you aren’t getting direct business from your e-zine at this time, it’s still delivering many benefits that may be less obvious. Your e-zine is helping to establish you as an expert in your field. It’s giving you massive online
exposure. You’re gaining further credibility with your current clients and customers. And it’s forcing you to package your knowledge into concise articles on a regular basis, which you can recycle for many other marketing uses.

(c) 2002-2003 Alexandria K. Brown

Keywords: ezine, e-zine, email, e-mail, sales, marketing, online,
Internet, newsletter, promote

About the Author
Alexandria Brown, Marina del Rey, CA
alexandria@ezinequeen.com
http://www.ezinequeen.com
Online marketing coach Alexandria K. Brown, “The E-zine Queen,” is author of the award-winning tutorial package, ‘Boost Business With Your Own E-zine.’ To learn more about this step-by-step program, and to sign up for FREE how-to articles and FREE teleclasses, visit http://www.EzineQueen.com/

Newsletters are as personal as the individual writing them. No two should be alike, however, if your newsletter follows a simple format or guideline, the reader will always know where to find expected items in your newsletter.

Subject Line This should be a captivating Introduction to the interior of your newsletter. Topic and keyword guided, this line directs your customer to read the rest of the message.

Greeting This can be either a general greeting or a personalized form greeting where each reader is addressed by name. I personally prefer the general greeting when I receive a message. I feel that a form letter addressing me by my first name is redundantly underhanded. But, each person has his own opinion of this matter.

What’s in the message? This is a Bulleted List of what’s inside the newsletter. It should have a lead in title for each topic in the contents, including a reference to links outside the newsletter if they are part of your content.

Content The most important part of your newsletter is “The News”. Without news in your newsletter, what purpose does it serve? A newsletter is about informing our customer of information that will benefit them, offering them a proposal, giving them choices to revisit your website or purchase your products and services. Be sure you give more than you expect to get from your customers. Free information leads to a need to know, and you can satisfy their need.

Call to Action Every Newsletter should have a Call to Action. Your newsletter’s purpose is to market your website, business, products, or service. Be honest. Tell your reader what you want them to do.

Opt out policy Due to obnoxious spam that floods our email daily, we occasionally need a rest from the domination of news overload. Out of kindness, leave a means of opting out of your ezine, for those who need a respite. If they find value in your ezine, they won’t opt out, if they don’t find value – honestly, you don’t want them there anyway.

Building a credible ezine requires trust between you and your customer, establish this trust early by giving them valuable information in EVERY message.

If you’re like most e-zine publishers, you subscribe to other e-zines. I subscribe to over two dozen. Call me an info nut if you’d like, but I like to stay informed. And I do read them.

But lately, I’ve been scanning and have even unsubscribed from a few publications. There’s a nasty trend from certain publishers to sell products without offering any valuable information in return. It seems the subscriber is no longer important.

In a typical list-building scenario, the publisher places ads or conducts a few joint ventures to build her database fast. Then she sells information about how she built it so fast hoping to continue building faster. Then she writes a book about how she did it so fast to her growing list.

Do you notice a diabolical pattern here? People buy into the sizzle and never get to bite into the steak. They’re led to believe the sizzle is the steak.

I’m left wondering if I’m not just a credit card number to them.

If you publish an e-zine, you don’t want to appear like a door-to-door salesman in a cheap suit. Where the housewife opens the door and he’s already started his song and dance. And all she can think about is how to get rid of him. You don’t want to be caught dead wearing a cheap suit.

Let’s look at seven deadly e-zine killers you absolutely must not have in your publication:

Killer #1: Itsy bitsy content.

This is the mother of all killers. You open an e-zine and you get a few remarks about some program, teleseminar, or discounted item. And then three links to a squeeze page or sales letter page.

There’s no priming the pump. They hit you right away with their pitch. They brag about their success and how you can duplicate their success by purchasing their product or program.

Excuse me, but there are a lot of smart subscribers out here who don’t want to be sold. Or taken.

They want to be swept off their feet. They want value, rich content, and to experience a magic carpet ride. They don’t want to be treated like a piece of meat.

You may be a master product pusher, but some day your clients are going to wise up and leave because they’re tired of you trying to sell them the world. Don’t sell just for the sake of making a buck. Marry your database with good content so they will remain with you through thick and thin.

Killer #2: Annoying ads.

I don’t read them. I don’t have the time. They’re distracting. I skip them. Most subscribers do the same because they know they will be solicited for money. So I have trained my brain to tune out those annoying ads.

There’s nothing worse than breaking the flow of your content with ads. If you want to publish them, organize them in a separate section. This way your message stays indelibly fresh in your reader’s mind.

Killer #3: Sounding like a smartass.

There are some marketers who have been successful at building huge lists. They continue to make joint ventures deals to grow more lists. Now they’re beginning to sound a little pompous and arrogant.

That’s unwise and unfortunate…

Because they may be geniuses at selling Girls Gone Wild DVDs to the Jerry Springer crowd, but talking down to their subscribers insults a more sophisticated crowd. It’s best not to belittle your audience.

Killer #4: Rampant reminders.

You sign up for a teleseminar and receive a confirmation. One day before your call you get a friendly e-mail reminder with the telephone number and access code. On the actual morning, you get another reminder. Two hours prior, you get another reminder.

Please!

We are not a bunch of forgetful little children. Quit clogging up our e-mail with your insecurities. All this does is increase the possibility of your server being blacklisted by our servers.

I understand sometimes that e-mails don’t get through, but if it doesn’t get through with reminder number one–it usually won’t get through any better with reminder number five.

Killer #5: Stagnant subject line.

If you want your e-zine opened and read, you must give your subscribers a good enough reason to click on it. Adding the name of your e-zine (Body Building Basics Issue #17) just won’t do the trick anymore. Unless you are content-rich and they’re addicted to each issue.

In today’s online climate, everyone I talk with is annoyed with spam. Their e-mail accounts are flooded with all sorts of nonsense. Their mouse finger is itching to delete all junk e-mail.

To avoid becoming a victim, create a compelling subject line. Something that intrigues your readers so much, they’d have to open it or else they’d lose sleep. Avoid boring your audience. There’s nothing worse than boring your subscribers.

Killer #6: Dead links.

Sounds simple enough. But even the most careful publishers get caught with their pants down. The answer to this is to test, test, and test prior to each broadcast.

Killer #7: Consistently inconsistent.

You get in a groove writing some great issues. Rich in content and full of useful information your subscribers are grateful for.

Then you get busy…

So you write some short tips and ideas instead of your usual composition. Some maybe not pertaining to your topic. You begin to sway.

Each issue weighs like an anchor around your neck. What seemed easy to do has become a burden. So you do a rush on the next publication.

Big mistake. Because people will begin losing interest. And take you for granted.

But what can you do?

It’s wise to stay two or three issues ahead. When you find some extra time, write two or three articles in advance and then plug in the extra sections later. That way, you’ll continue with rich content and not worry about people becoming bored.

Another idea is to announce a vacation for a certain number of issues. People understand the importance of rest. Let them know ahead of time.

Or you can ask an associate to fill in for a few issues. Edify that person to your database. You may also be asked to fill in for them someday. Which can benefit the both of you.

About the Author

Tommy Yan helps business owners and entrepreneurs make more money through direct response marketing. He publishes Tommy’s Tease weekly e-zine to inspire people to succeed in business and personal growth. Get your free subscription today at TommyYan.com

If you have a website and are looking to improve your ranking on search engines, or if you just have something to say and want to get it out there, then Ezine publishing is probably for you. Although an Ezine may seem like a strange tiger, it is indeed simply what its name suggests – an online magazine. Publishing a magazine might seem daunting, but when you put it online, it suddenly becomes much more manageable, and much less costly. No paper, no printing, no distribution, no subscription, just a webpage, content and design. So what are the first four steps to Ezine publishing? Read on.

1 Content. If you want to publish an Ezine, you need to have an idea for what you want in it, and who you want to contribute. Like it or not, writing a whole Ezine yourself probably isn’t the way to go. Getting contributions from people that you want is the first step to excel at Ezine publishing.

2 Layout. How will you arrange your content once you have it? This is an important step in traditional publishing, and it is equally important in online publishing as well. If you want to create a useful, informative or creative Ezine, make your structure and layout match your purpose.

3 Media. The best part about online publishing, as many agree, is the choice you have to include audio-visual content as well as text. In a traditional magazine, you can’t embed a video or an audio track. In an Ezine, you can. So if you are going to take advantage of this, figure out how, where, and what sort of media you will include.

4 Market. If you are creating an Ezine, chances are you want people to read it. So get out there and tell people about it. Use Podcasting, article marketing, forums, links, whatever you can in order to get the word out about your new and amazing Ezine.

The fortune is in the list.

If I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard that said, well, I’d already have a fortune!

However “broken-recordish” it may sound, it is a truthful statement. The fortune REALLY IS in the list.

Fact is, if you possess the knowledge of how to grow and profit from opt-in lists, you can pretty much write your own ticket.

And, if you’ll read the remainder of this article, I’ll pass that knowledge right on to ya.

It comes down to getting folks to do four things…

1. REQUEST. First things first, you need to convince people to “opt-in” to your list. That is, get them to join your list of their own free will.

Usually, this involves giving away a mini-course, report or newsletter from your web site. All you need is..

- An Attention Grabbing Title. (I could have chosen “4 Keys to Successful Email Promotions” for this article, but is that as attention-grabbing as “How to Pull in As Much Profit As Your Wallet Will Hold From Opt-In Lists”?)

- A Handful of Bulleted Benefits. (A short list of 4-6 desirable things subscribers will learn if they join your list.

Think “what’s in it for me?”)

- An Opt-In Submission Form. (Your autoresponder system will provide this for you.)

NOTE: The BEST way to get folks to join is to embed the above mentioned items DIRECTLY in the most prominent place you have your site visitors’ attention. Usually this is 3-5 paragraphs into your sales letter or 1/3 of the way into an ezine article.

2. RECEIVE. After visitors to your site have “requested” information by joining your list, it’s critical that your emails be delivered successfully to their inbox. With all of the filters in place (among other hazards) this can be quite a chore.

One thing you’ll want to do for certain is check your SPAM rating to make certain it’s in an acceptable range. Again, most of the better autoresponder services offer this feature for you.

You can also do things like…

- Get your subscribers to “approve” mailings from you.

- Authenticate yourself as a legitimate mailer when you receive a “response challenge” from protection services such as Spam Arrest.

- Use alternative formats of your email messages such as “downloadable email messages” in PDF format.

3. READ. When your emails successfully arrive at the inboxes of your subscribers, another task awaits – getting them to actually open your message and read it.

This is going to depend upon your “subject line”. It is paramount that your subject line be intriguing enough to convince your readers to stop what they are doing and take a look inside.

One way to get this done is to create a swipe file of email subject lines that have convinced YOU to read the messages and then modify those subject lines for your own use.

Ex. I received an email that had the subject line of “This affiliate tip is almost too easy” that caught my attention and forced me to read the associated message.

This subject line could easily be used in a variety of different niches…

- This dieting tip is almost too easy
- This time management tip is almost too easy
- This marriage saving tip is almost too easy

4. RESPOND. When you have convinced your subscribers to open your email message and read its contents, the only remaining “task” is to get them to respond.

You want them to take action. Click a link. Go somewhere. Ultimately, spend money with you.

The only way you’ll be able to do this is follow a simple catch phrase I’ve been teaching for years: “useful, but incomplete”.

It simply means this: your messages must provide content that is useful to your subscribers (otherwise, they’ll unsubscribe faster than you can say “oops”!), but is also “incomplete” in that there is some additional offer that could enhance or maximize that content.

Ex. You might write an article that shares “7 Ways to Profit With Autoresponders” to send to your list. That’s “useful”

information to those who are interested in that particular topic. It’s also “incomplete” because they need an autoresponder service to put the information into action. That’s your cue to promote your recommended autoresponder service.

See how it works?

If you want to pad your wallet with profits by using opt-in lists, this is how you do it:

Get people to do these four things

- Request
- Receive
- Read
- Respond

This is a system that has never failed, will never fail. I’ve used it. Others have used it.

Now, it’s your turn to use it.