Article: Ezine Advertising--Ads and How to Use Them
by Dave Starner
The beauty of ezine advertising is that it's the most targeted form of advertising on the internet. If, for example, someone has subscribed to an ezine about fishing, then they are expressing a strong interest in fishing equipment, tips on improving their skills, travel packages, and an endless list of other possibilities.
This is why ezines are such a good choice. As long as your ad relates closely to the theme of the ezine, the person reading your ad is already halfway toward buying what you have to offer.
There are three types of ads that you can place in your chosen ezine: a classified ad, a sponsor ad, and/or a solo ad.
The classified ad is the smallest and least expensive. This three to five line ad is often run in a block with other classified ads, one on top of another, similar to a page of classified ads in your local newspaper. This contains just a brief description with an email or link to your web site. This costs a few dollars, generally about half the cost of a sponsor ad.
A sponsor ad is placed at the top of the ezine, often under a heading like: "Please support our sponsor." This ten to fifteen line ad will draw more attention since it is the first thing the reader sees when the email is opened. This is priced around twenty dollars.
The most effective, and naturally the most expensive, is the solo ad. This is not part of the ezine, but instead goes out as an email to everyone on the mailing list. The message is all about you and your product or service. This ad can be as long as 700 words, allowing you to go into great detail, and will cost in the neighborhood of forty to fifty dollars, about twice the cost of a sponsor ad. However, some of the larger ezines may ask for hundreds or even several thousand dollars for a solo ad.
Once you've written your ad and chosen an ezine, the best way to proceed is to think like an educator. The most effective teaching method is repetition. Experienced teachers will cover the same information in several different ways. They might lecture one day, followed by a reading assignment and discussion, and then an essay, all on the same topic.
Very few people learn something thoroughly the first time they see it. And few people respond to an ad the first time they see it. Since you are trying to educate and motivate your target audience, you want them to see your ad more than once.
This is best done by first running a solo ad, then running a sponsor ad in the next two or three issues of the same ezine. Finally, for the next five to seven issues run a classified ad. The readers will see your ad for many weeks and begin to understand the message and warm up to your offer. They need time to mull it over, compare products and prices, and decide if they really need it. Give them time, educate them, and they will buy.
Dave Starner is a former teacher and coach. Visit www.ebooksnet.com for
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