“Everybody” says websites must have an email newsletter for marketing. Freelancers can take advantage of ezine fever by marketing their services as a professional newsletter publisher. Take the burden off busy small business owners. Write and send their email newsletters for them—and get paid handsomely for doing it.

Getting ready. You need nothing more than good writing and research skills to start an email newsletter publishing business.

Profit potential. Charge a flat rate for designing each issue (using templates provided by the email newsletter service), and charge per each original article. Rates vary from $10 to $150 or more per issue depending on frequency and complexity; article rates may be by the word or by the article (10 cents a word, for instance, or $20 per article or more). Ensure a continuing stream of income by contracting with clients for weekly, biweekly, or monthly newsletters rather than one-time issues. In addition, charge clients the monthly fees for the email newsletter service provider—or better yet, have them sign up with their own credit cards and contract with them for management and production only.

Marketing your at-home email newsletter publishing business. Start with local small businesses where you can walk in the door and pitch the email newsletter idea directly to the owner, in person. Expand your potential client base by researching a familiar niche and pitching via direct email or telephone call. Online advertising will probably bring disappointing results, but article marketing may be effective if you focus on a particular niche and offer outstanding value.

Essential equipment and software. Email newsletters are designed and managed entirely online. Familiarize yourself with Constant Contact [constantcontact.com], AWeber [aweber.com], or other email newsletter service providers. Try to steer away from free providers as they often attach ads to your newsletters, which clients definitely wouldn’t like.

Possible pitfalls. You may get a client who loves to “proofread” your work (meaning they’ll tweak individual words or make endless critical suggestions). Keep the client’s vision clearly in mind and you’ll experience less emotional upheaval from the hands-on client. You may also find yourself with writer’s block at some point, or too busy to finish the newsletter before the deadline. It’s helpful to contract with other writers on an as-needed basis to cover these gaps.

Legitimate Sources for More Information on Email Newsletter Publishing

The ConstantContact learning center is filled to the brim with videos, demonstrations, articles, and FAQs on how to make the most of email newsletter marketing.

Get the Constant Contact Guide to Email Marketing (instant download PDF, $17.71).

AWeber’s knowledge base describes how the service works and how you can build an excellent email newsletter.

Visit the Stanford Publishing Courses for Professionals page for an archived list of free virtual seminars offered by Stanford Publishing. You’ll definitely want to bookmark this page!

Constant-Content is an article broker site with thousands of writers available to write on almost any topic imaginable. If you get stuck on what to write for your email newsletter, make a request any time.

Thanks for reading! Leave a comment below. Please keep in mind that content theft is both illegal and immoral. If you’d like to purchase reprint rights for this article, visit Evelyn Fielding on Constant Content: http://www.constant-content.com/docDetails.php?DocID=132481.

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Starting February 13, you can get involved in 12-week course that guides you step by step through developing a true marketing plan for your freelance writing career, from figuring out what to do for a living, envisioning your ideal client, honing copywriting skills and using social media to market yourself to exactly the right people. Please sign up right away, because the courses start on February 13! Get more information on the 5 Keys to Giving Your Gift to the Shift Self-Marketing course. Hope to see you there!

Here’s a quick tip you might not have considered. When running the same marketing materials in different online venues, track response by including a different email address or web landing page for each venue.

Let’s say you’re heavy into article marketing and post the same article on four different online content websites. Set up a separate email account for each content site’s author bio, and forward from that account to a more general one so you’re not checking multiple email addresses a hundred times a day.

Likewise, direct article readers to unique landing pages. You may have the exact same information on each page—simply add a different cue word at the end of the address, so readers begin their journey at a particular destination based on the content site. You don’t need to replicate your whole website—just replicate landing pages.

This trick works well for concurrent joint ventures. If you get four joint venture partners to send a blast email about your product or service, have each include a different contact email address and web address for customer response.

Track social media online marketing efforts in much the same way. When you set up social media accounts, assign each one a different email address associated with your domain. Keeping the accounts straight is incredibly simple and reduces clutter in your main email inbox.

In the end, you’ll be automatically organized. If you’re a smart online marketer, you compartmentalize efforts so you’re not always overlapping or repeating work you just did. Leverage the maximum number of email addresses available from your web host to save time, effort, and frustration. Use the power of parked domains and subdirectories to give you quick access to useful statistics as you see click through rates. Simple ways to track response to online marketing efforts!

Read the Truth About Email Marketing (instant download PDF, $11.39).

Thanks for reading! Leave a comment below. Please keep in mind that content theft is both illegal and immoral. If you’d like to purchase reprint rights for this article, visit Evelyn Fielding on Constant Content: http://www.constant-content.com/docDetails.php?DocID=129529.

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I just found out about this awesome opportunity for freelance writers! If you’re really serious about advancing your career and marketing your services in the most effective way possible, I highly recommend you check into this 12-week course offered through the Shift Network. Click this link to get more information on 5 Keys to Giving Your Gift to the Shift, and check back in a few days for a more detailed post on this course. Can’t wait to get started on learning how to market myself and my freelance writing services better!

It’s a new year. Find a new job at eMarketingSilo.com.

Post your resume for free. Employers take a look and if you’re a good fit for their company, they contact you for an interview.

Search job postings for free. These are real jobs for real pay, looking for real professionals. None of this fly-by-night spammer crap you see everywhere else.

Employers are seeking professional freelancers with any of the following skills:

• SEM (Search Engine Marketing)
• SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
• PPC/CPC (Pay Per Click or Cost Per Click advertising)
• SMM (Social Media Marketing)
• Email Marketing
• Editor, Writer, Copywriter, Communications
• Event Planner
• Marketing Manager or Marketing Assistant
• Public Relations
• Web Design
• eCommerce

It couldn’t hurt to post a resume, right? You might get a job offer later today, and get paid what you’re worth doing something you love. Great concept!

Check out my previous post on eMarketingSilo.com for more info. Start the new year right by looking for high paying work as a professional online marketer.

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Online marketing gurus often advise you to use classified ads in real-world magazines to market your information products. Great advice—now, how do you do it?

Finding Niche Magazines

Begin by searching magazine directories and filter results by niche. MediaPost.com’s directories are a good place to start. They list almost 6,500 business publications and more than 4,000 consumer magazines. There is also a comprehensive list of local and national newspapers. Media kits, contact names, and advertising rates are available with a click of the mouse.

Brainstorm which sub-niche might contain your pool of potential customers. Under the Business/Investing category, for instance, you’ll find magazines targeted at executives, financial advisers, bankers, particular cities, etc. Narrow your choices significantly unless you have an unlimited budget.

Visualize your ideal customer and ask yourself whether he would read the magazine based on the table of contents, the supporting website, frequency of publication, or distribution area. If you can’t picture your ideal customer reading it, don’t advertise there.

The Importance of Media Kits

Really good magazines have a media kit—simplified information on what the magazine is about, who its readers are, how much ads cost, and who to contact. You need the media kit. Read the whole thing and all supporting documents.

Some directories will list a direct hyperlink to the media kit, and others just list home page addresses. When you click on a web address, search for a button or tab marked Advertise or Media, or click the Contact Us button. Remember, these magazines are aimed at consumers so advertisers may need to search the bottom of the page for the correct link.

Business directories will frequently have dead links. Don’t be dismayed—dead links only mean the website moved its pages around and didn’t update the directory. Go to the home address and begin searching there.

Writing a Powerful Classified Ad

The Google AdWords model is great for composing concise ads. The restrictions really get you thinking: four lines total; 25 characters for the headline; 35 characters each for the next two lines; one line for the destination URL. That’s it.

While it’s not exactly a headline, the first few words of your ad should target the prospect’s hot buttons. Ask questions (“Are you healthy?” or “Are you a millionaire yet?”). Appeal to emotions (“Don’t lose your life’s savings” or “Raise kids with real values”). Touch anxiety (“Your job may be in danger” or “Your business is leaking profits”).

The next few words tell the prospect how your product will help. Concentrate on one benefit (not feature) per ad and create an ad for each benefit. Use small, simple words that pack a punch and cut out fluff.

Finally, include a call to action and your destination URL. “Free report from example.com” is the classic, or “Access what you need to know from example.com” might work well. Use an action verb and be clear about what you want the prospect to do. Never say the word “visit” in your call to action; that’s the weakest word in online marketing.

You may have a little more room to write for a real-world publication, but the principle stands: be brief, be concise, and write several ads so you can test response.

Tracking, Tracking, Tracking

Create a database with detailed information about the magazines you’ve targeted. Subscription base, distribution, frequency, ad-to-content ratio, reader profiles, and contact information should all be listed. Include columns to record which ads you ran, for how long, and how much they cost.

Use this database to track your efforts. Compare the number of readers or frequency of publication with response rates. Do split testing if you discover a real gem (that means run a slightly different ad in the same magazine and record response). Don’t be disappointed if response is single-digit percentages—that’s not bad. Avoid repeat advertising if your response is less than 5 percent, however. If you find one with double-digit response rates, break out the champagne!

Repeat the Process Frequently

Seek out more real-world publications to advertise your information products, and stick with the ones that work. Revisit media kits about once a year to find out if magazines have changed their information or policies. Write compelling, concise ads focused on one benefit at a time, and split test ads to find the sweet spots. Finally, track every effort completely.

Now you know the basics of how to use classified ads to market your information products. Not everyone who needs your publication spends every waking moment online. Target offline customers through classified ads and you’ll widen your circle of influence immensely.

Resources

MediaPost.com Business Magazine Directory: http://www.mediapost.com/directories/?/fa/mpDir.MPRDDetail/cat/4/subcat/17/catName/Magazines/subcatName/Business/Business.html

MediaPost.com Consumer Magazine Directory: http://www.mediapost.com/directories/?/fa/mpDir.MPRDDetail/cat/4/subcat/18/catName/Magazines/subcatName/Consumer/Consumer.html

Thanks for reading! Leave a comment below. Please keep in mind that content theft is both illegal and immoral. If you’d like to purchase reprint rights for the entire four-part article, visit Evelyn Fielding on Constant Content: http://www.constant-content.com/docDetails.php?DocID=132742.

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Most email service providers now give marketers the option to embed videos. What a blessing! If you regularly include videos in marketing emails, what I’m about to say may sound dangerous and heretical.

Use fewer videos during the high holiday buying season between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Stop spluttering. Here’s my logic.

Beginning on Thanksgiving Day, ramping up on Black Friday the day after Thanksgiving, and continuing relentlessly through midnight on December 25th, email marketers will be inundating opt in subscribers with thousands of super-fabulous discounts, sales, coupons, and offers.

It’s hard enough to get subscribers to open emails at this time of year without boring them with a three minute video embedded in the marketing message.

They want the facts, and they want them fast. “What’s in it for me?” is the primary question being asked by email newsletter subscribers, because they’re too busy to pay attention.

So give ‘em the facts: Item, item description, regular price, sale price, expiration of sale, click here to buy now. Thanks and have a fabulous day.

If you really, really need to have videos, include a hyperlink back to your website so customers can choose to watch or simply choose to buy and skip the video.

The high holiday buying season helps us email marketers hone our copywriting skills to the finest edge. Respect your readers’ time and energy: make them a great offer, use fewer words, and don’t embed a video in every email.

Good luck to you on Black Friday!

Need more Internet marketing and affiliate marketing tips? Join Chris Farrell for access to the nuts and bolts of online success (membership site, 4.95 for 7 days).

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The exciting conclusion to the 4 part series on adapting the lift letter approach for online copywriting. Read Part 1: Adapting the Lift Letter to Online Design Constraints, Part 2: Incorporating the Lift Letter Into Web Copy, and Part 3: Including Lift Letters in Product Launch Email Campaigns to get caught up.

The most powerful lift letters are larger-than-life endorsements from uber-satisfied customers, grateful donors or recipients, or genuine users of your product. Please don’t cheat and write the lift letter copy yourself. Get a real live customer/client/donor to use his or her name and real words. Edit to fit, but be honest.

Copywriters are sometimes called upon to use the lift letter approach to detail product benefits, which is not the same as a testimonial. Use these tips to improve writing power, whether it’s a third party or your copywriting self.

1. Tell a story. A true story.
2. Endorsements should be written in first person. If you’re a copywriter, call upon truthful and verifiable examples (name names, with permission). First person engages readers in the story, and names provide social proof.
3. Use emotional language, not logic or sales language.
4. At the same time, steer clear of hyperactive words like magnificent, explosive, unbelievable, astounding, shocking, etc.
5. Also steer clear of great, good, wonderful, excellent, and “really” anything.
6. Even if a third party is writing the lift letter, design the headline yourself. Use at least one good verb and eliminate little words. Read the headline out loud.
7. Focus on benefits. Help your lift letter writer by naming benefits up front: he increased his income, or he saved the environment, or his aching knee is cured. It’s best if one or two benefits are clear rather than trying to name half a dozen.
8. Don’t let the writer say anything that’s not true or is too general. Make it clear the lift letter is that person’s experience. If you’re copywriting in the lift letter style, use facts to back up your words.
9. Include key fill-in-the-blank phrases such as, “If I hadn’t tried X product…” or “I’ve joined the thousands of others who…” or other prompts. This keeps the writing focused on the one big idea.
10. Use the lift letter as an opportunity to talk about something other than the product. Stress credentials, past successes, credibility, authority, honesty, integrity. Customers buy more than products—they want to know you’ll stand behind your offer.
11. Make the lift letter stand out from your usual look-and-feel through fonts, graphics, colors, boxing it off, etc. Have a friend scan your webpage or email—if the lift letter jumps out, you’ve done a good job.

Direct mail copywriters have been using lift letters for years. With a few adjustments, online copywriters can adapt the lift letter approach to produce powerful add-ons to the main sales message.

Learn all the Internet marketing rules of the road by reading e-Marketing Strategies: The Hows and Whys of Driving Sales Through e-Commerce (instant download PDF, 18.23).

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http://www.constant-content.com/docDetails.php?DocID=138903

Here’s Part 3 of 4 on adapting the lift letter approach for online copywriting. “Lift letter” is a direct mail concept that simply means a supporting endorsement letter designed to lift response rates to the sales appeal. The lift letter leverages social proof to bring the reader closer to saying yes. Read Part 1: Adapting the Lift Letter to Online Design Constraints and Part 2: Incorporating the Lift Letter Into Web Copy to get caught up. Keep your RSS feed turned on so you don’t miss the exciting conclusion 11 Tips to Write an Effective Lift Letter—for Direct Mail or Online Copywriting.

Online copywriters use the lift letter concept to boost response in several ways: (1) by adapting it to how web surfers interact with landing pages, (2) by using it as part of web page copy, and (3) by integrating it into product launch emails.

Including Lift Letters in Product Launch Email Campaigns

An easy way to integrate the powerful lift letter approach into online marketing is to make it one of your product launch email series. It should be the second or third email, right after the enticing intros that create anticipation about the product.

A larger-than-life endorsement must be written by someone other than you—hopefully, someone with a bigger name. If you don’t have a big name to testify about your product, call upon a truly satisfied user or customer.

If you’re using the lift letter to address a potential objection or focus on key benefits (not an endorsement), let your style be relaxed and conversational. Don’t sell: just talk. Keep your enthusiasm in check and address your audience directly.

Never refer to the lift letter as a testimonial. Remember the piranha and shark analogy earlier? Testimonials are little and strike quickly. Lift letters are long, detailed copy and circle around the call to action.

Learn all the Internet marketing rules of the road by reading e-Marketing Strategies: The Hows and Whys of Driving Sales Through e-Commerce (instant download PDF, 18.23).

Please subscribe to my RSS feed so you don’t miss the concluding post in this series, 11 Tips to Write an Effective Lift Letter—for Direct Mail or Online Copywriting. Read Part 1: Adapting the Lift Letter to Online Design Constraints and Part 2: Incorporating the Lift Letter Into Web Copy.

Thanks for reading! Leave a comment below. Please keep in mind that content theft is both illegal and immoral. If you’d like a free reprint of this review for your website or blog, send me an email.

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