Guest Author - Theresa Wilson
Congratulations! You’ve established your website and developed your newsletter or ezine. Now it’s time to drive traffic to your site. One of the best ways to market and promote your newsletter or ezine is by writing quality articles and submitting them to a variety of ezines offering topics of writing interest to you.
If your ezine lends itself to business topics, you will submit articles to ezines listed under business directories. If your ezine has a science education, culinary, or the arts focus, you will seek ezine or newsletter directories offering those topics.
Keep in mind, you are writing articles to market your ezine or newsletter marketing tool. You have developed your ezine or newsletter in order to promote (market) the small business idea product, book or e-books you are selling. Your ezine is the “carrot” used to draw the clients or customers to your product.
As an Ezine Publisher, there are several benefits to submitting articles to other ezines:
You become established in an area of expertise as a result of quality content. If you are consistent in providing quality content, name recognition is the resulting benefit. People will tend to pause and review your information because of your track record of presenting comprehensive, concise details and descriptions.
You are able to publicize and promote other articles, books or opinions you have written on the same or similar topics.
You are able to provide a byline as part of the article (a byline is a brief background of the writer’s qualifications and can include email and other contact information).
You are able to provide a direct line to your web site, thereby increasing access and exposure.
Writing articles for other ezines is an important and necessary investment of time. It will be a “chore” only if you approach the task that way. If you’ve written a “How To” book, consider developing the article around one or two of the chapters.
Always give the reader just enough about the problem you are solving to draw them to your site for more details. If you have a product, talk only about the problem it resolves. Don’t pitch a sales presentation. Create a need to explore further. Your article should be an “appetizer” summary of the main course—your ezine or newsletter.
Keep your material uplifting, encouraging, problem-solvable, and positive. Let the reader see you as a resource, full of ideas, excited about the subject, willing to respond, and ready to assist. In an era of hard sell and gimmicks, this kind of approach will seem unique, warm, and welcoming to the weary internet traveler.
Below is a book you may find helpful, as you strategize your marketing plan. It's entitled:
Marketing With Newsletters: How to Boost Sales, Add Members & Raise Funds With a Print, Fax, E-Mail, Web Site or Postcard Newsletter by Elaine Floyd
