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4 Strategies That Will Help You Develop An Effective Action Plan
1. Your goal Planning a career move is much like mapping your route for a road trip. If you don't know where you are going, you can't decide how to get there, but if you do know where you are going, you'll get there faster. Goals like "Go back to...
Marketing Your Articles and Newsletters!
In the last year I have learned more about marketing, than I did in 2 years of classes. I'm not sure if they have started yet, but our higher learning institutions should have specialized courses just for marketing on the internet, if not ezine...
Part #1- "Easy Steps to Creating Your Very Own Ezine"
It seems like everyone and his dog is publishing an ezine these days...and from what I've seen, the dog's may be better than most. So why -- if there are so many ezines out there -- do you need to publish one? The answer is simple: If you have a...
The Write to Link Popularity
Using writing as a means of boosting your link popularity can be a turnoff for many webmasters, when in fact it can lead to a wealth of links.
I first learnt about link popularity while researching about many different methods that I could...
Turn your FREE eZine into a moneymaker, Tip #1
Almost every online business, that's serious about their marketing effort, has their own eZine. Out of the hundreds of thousands of eZines on the net, only a handful make money for their publishers. Does your eZine make you money? Here is a...
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20 Ways to Improve Newsletter Conversions
We’ve all seen them.
They come in various sizes, and though they look innocent enough, they’re really a mysterious black hole leading to something even more puzzling.
A newsletter!
Hard to believe, but it’s true. A newsletter signup box can be that easy thing you stick in a corner, yet you come to realize it’s not earning its keep. People aren’t signing up. Not long ago I did some troubleshooting for a company who couldn’t figure out why there were so few subscribers to their newsletter. After they received my report, they wrote back,” To be honest, we put that up because we were told its good to have a newsletter.” Nobody told them it takes a lot more than putting up a little signup box on a web page.
Here’s a rundown, in no particular order, of things to consider if you want to present a newsletter or any type of subscription-based publication (such as news updates, sales promotions) that requires asking for someone’s email address and their name. The idea behind the list is to increase conversions, reduce signup abandonment and inspire interest in your subscription offering.
1. Are there too many opportunities for signup? Some web sites appear desperate. There may be a text link in the global navigation and footer, plus a box placed on every single web page. Some web sites have two boxes – one above the page fold and a duplicate below the fold.
2. Did you extend a polite invitation during conversational content somewhere? There are many ways to invite signups, such as when introducing yourself or company, in a form return page when you direct visitors back to the homepage or somewhere of interest, or as an item in the About Us content. Link to a page containing information about the newsletter, which also has a sign up form on it.
3. Does the box contain scan words such as “Free”, “Sales”, Special”? (Ex. “Subscribe to our free newsletter.”)
4. Did you study your target market to learn if there is a need for your type of newsletter? Who are your intended readers?
5. Be careful. Some forms are confusing, such as when they ask for a mailing address for an EMAIL only newsletter. Why do you want to know where they live? (If you have a good reason, it’s best to clearly state what that is.)
6. Is the newsletter intended for an International audience? If there is a reason to ask for personal information, make sure the form is designed for International users to fill out.
7. Link to a privacy policy at or near the top of the sign up form. This explains exactly what will happen to the subscriber’s email address and any other information they’re asked to give. If they don’t trust your motives, they may refuse to sign up.
8. A simple newsletter sign up box should request a user name and email address that will accept the email. Instructions near or inside the box, or in the newsletter information page, explaining they’ll
receive a confirmation email verifying their information will increase user confidence.
9. Always link to a sample issue. Otherwise, they have no idea what they’re signing up for. Always refer to the title of the publication. I’ve seen signup requests for publications with no name!
10. Provide free archives. A history of a newsletter indicates if it’s new, or an established publication. The latter hints at authority on the subject matter. If new, note somewhere that archives will be provided. In this way, you offer a second chance to sign up later, once the prospect has an opportunity to see the product.
11. Have you seen this? I have. Some newsletters ask for content suggestions and ideas, but they don’t have an issue available, or archives online, making it difficult to understand what they cover, or what was previously written about.
12. How often does it arrive? Make sure this is indicated on the informational page.
13. Is it HTML or text based? Do you offer a choice?
14. What are the benefits of subscribing? Does it teach? Offer discounts? Accept advertising?
15. How good is it? Provide testimonials and reader feedback, with their permission. This is especially helpful in competitive industries.
16. If your publication is monthly, here’s an idea from magazine publishers. In your information page, list the topics to come in the next year beforehand. This is great for fee-based publications too. Keep the reader interested by what you plan to cover.
17. Offer referral incentives. This may make more sense for fee-based publications, but be creative. If you’re a consultant, and want to drive up readership, is there something you can offer such as free 15 minutes of your time, or a give away ezine, or discount on future services?
18. Announce upcoming issues on your homepage, and the publication itself. Some newsletters come the same day, every week. If for some reason they will NOT be delivered, make sure to warn subscribers in the previous issue. Otherwise, you may be bombarded with “Where’s my newsletter!” emails.
19. Avoid relying on a simple box signup alone. Place a “View information” text link inside it that invites your visitor to learn more, gain trust, and get excited about your publication. Place a “Tell a friend” box on the information page too, for fast and easy referrals to your newsletter.
20. For more ideas on how to promote and present a newsletter offering, study the techniques used by Successful-Sites. There’s information on the writers, pictures, archives, topics, resources, and more!
About the Author
Usability Consultant, Kimberly Krause Berg, is the owner of UsabilityEffect.com, Cre8pc.com, Cre8asiteForums.com and co-founder of Cre8asite.net. Her background in organic search engine optimization, combined with web site usability consulting, offers unique insight into web site development.
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Ezine Article Submission - Submit Your Best Articles For Massive ... |
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ezinearticles.com |
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The Ezine Directory |
The Ezine Directory lists thousands of the best email newsletters available on the internet today. Search, browse, or add your ezine for free! |
www.ezine-dir.com |
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e-zine-list: John Labovitz's e-zine-list |
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www.meer.net |
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BME: Body Modification Ezine - The biggest and best online bod-mod ... |
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Ezine Publishers & Email Marketers Promote Their New Email ... |
Submit Your Ezine To New-List For Massive Free Exposure - Grow Your Ezine - Ezine Marketing Made Easy By New-List.com. |
new-list.com |
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Ezine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
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en.wikipedia.org |
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News & Ezine Strategies For Email Newsletter Publishers ... |
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emailuniverse.com |
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Best Ezines - Email Newsletter Peer Reviews & Ezine Awards For ... |
Email Newsletter Publishing Award Site: Fellow Ezine Publishers Review The Best Email Newsletters. |
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Ezine Directory |
Home | Sign-up for your Free listing | Link to us Code | TOP 100 Ezines. CATEGORIES ... ezine directory. link exchange with us ... |
www.ezinelisting.com |
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Browser based email list management, ezine hosting, and campaign software. Keep in constant contact with clients and potential customers. |
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OS/2 e-Zine - The Best OS/2 Reading Anywhere! |
Monthly magazine with reviews, articles, and discussion forums. |
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E-ZineZ - The Handbook of Ezine Publishing |
An ezine directory, free ezine builder tool, ezine tutorials including everything you need to know to start publishing an ezine or email newsletter. |
www.e-zinez.com |
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EzineUniversity - Free Online Training for Ezine Publishers |
EzineUniversity provides provides information, tools and products for ezine publishers. Featuring EzineUniversity Journal, EZU Tutor and FREE online ... |
www.ezineuniversity.com |
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Ezines |
E-zines directory with categories of free ezines, newsletters, email magazines and online publications. |
www.web-source.net |
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My Favorite Ezines - The Family Friendly Ezine and Email ... |
The best family friendly ezine and email newsletter directory providing education - motivation - inspiration and marketing support. |
www.myfavoriteezines.com |
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Tattoos.Com Ezine Front Page |
Historical information from the tribal art of Borneo to the wood block prints of Japan. Alphabetical listing of studios around the world, events, ... |
tattoos.com |
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Welcome To Ezine.Com! |
Welcome To Ezine.Com! Welcome Page For Ezine.Com ezine online magazine electronic magazine zine e-zine ezines eziner ezining. |
www.ezine.com |
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Ezine Information |
What makes your ezine hot stuff? With literally thousands of ezines online ... We all have ezines that we love to read and learn from but that doesn't mean ... |
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Asian American Movement Ezine |
Asian American Movement Ezine is a radical and progressive zine on Asian American politics, art, history and culture. |
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