Monday, February 23, 2009

Guide to a Successful E-zine

E-zines are a way to keep customers informed about new products or developments in your company. They are less expensive to distribute than hard copy newsletters, and can therefore be published as often as needed. They are delivered to an audience that has opted to receive them and can directly result in more profits. Use the following guidelines to help develop your e-zine.Your twentieth issue is not likely to be as fresh and innovative as your first. Use every issue to inform readers about workshops, upcoming events, and industry surveys. You could also poll readers for their ideas about new products or reviews of current ones.Encouraging people to give their opinions through survey results is a way of building a relationship with your client community. In addition to getting customers' views, you could publish a reader profile with every issue. You could also offer giveaways or discounts. There are dozens of ways to compel people to try new products, but including them in your community or giving them something for free almost always works.This also means that you should only deliver your e-zine to those who have requested it. Dumping unwanted mail in people's inboxes can result in a bad business reputation. One way to widen your readership is to make sure your e-zine is part of a larger network of e-zines available through a directory service.There are many ways to allow people to sign up for your e-zine. You can also list your publication with a directories specifically created for e-zines. These directories are also valuable tools when you are researching competitor's newsletters.When deciding on what format to use, keep your budget in mind. Will you have the resources to devote to a glitzy ad-style newsletter with lots of graphics on a consistent and regular basis? Also consider your audience. Will they be more impressed with a text-only style newsletter heavy with content or do they need to be captivated with images?The content of the writing, as well as the style, can win over or lose and audience quickly. Stick to short and snappy titles and sub titles. They will draw the reader in to at least skim the text.Finally, make sure your work has been edited thoroughly for spelling, grammar and style. You may choose to take on this work yourself or to outsource various parts of your e-zine. Whether it is produced in-house or not, make sure that you deliver your readers useful and interesting content every time.

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