Ezine Advertising

If you’re an ezine advertiser who doesn’t use an ad tracker, you’re just a blind advertiser.

You don’t know what really happened when the final result is not the one you expected.

Who is at fault?

The program, product or service you promote is not very attractive for other people? Does your ezine ad not grab readers attention? Is there something wrong with the landing page? Is the ezine’s readership not the right market for your product?

You’ll never know if you don’t use an ad tracker and then interpret the results.

It’s not difficult to use such a tracker, but how do you analyse the results?

Let’s see some basics …

If the ad tracker shows 0 hits what’s the conclusion?

1) You’re tracking a link to a page that doesn’t work. Click the tracking link and see whether your page is loading or not. If an unavailable page is loading, you got the answer. If the the right page is loading, then go to the next step …

2) The ad tracker may not work properly. When you clicked on the tracking link, did the tracker record your visit?

If the tracker didn’t record your visit, check its technical features and see if the results are tracked live or if there is a waiting time before a click is recorded in the stats.

If your click is not recorded, you found the answer. If the click is recorded, go to the next step …

3) Don’t advertise anymore in that ezine.

Reason? The publisher is not a professional. Any responsible publisher will check whether your link works or not. So you should have at least one or two hits …

One click since the day you placed the order for that advert, and another publisher’s click right before sending the ad to his subscribers.

Let’s move on …

If the ad tracker shows a reasonable number of hits but very few or no sales (or signups), what’s the conclusion?

The ezine is OK and most probably your ezine ad is OK (read further to see why “most probably”).

There may be something wrong with your salesletter. People clicked on your link but the salesletter made them change their mind.

Maybe your ad contradicts the salesletter and the visiors were disappointed. Check this carefully. A lot of Earnings Disclaimers from “money making” websites contradict the promises from the ads …

Maybe your page is loading too slow because of too many images. Make some tests and remove some of the images that are not very important.

If the final target is the signup, check once again what data are you requesting from the prospects. If you ask the phone number or other private information, these are solid reasons for people not to signup.

Or maybe the price is too high. Test a lower price.

Move on …

If the ad tracker shows only a few clicks, what’s the conclusion?

Maybe your ezine ad is not very good, maybe you targeted a wrong public, maybe there is something wrong with that ezine.

Or maybe the program you promote is so old that a lot of people already signup and there is no reason for them to do it again.

You never know unless you make some additional tests.

Go to another ezine, buy a cheap ad and check the results. If the result is still poor, then you eliminated one possible reason: not the ezine was at fault.

And so on, step by step, an ad tracker and the tests will help you improve everything and get good results from ezine advertising.

Good luck with your ezine advertising campaign!

I read many materials (ezine articles, forum or blog posts) about ezine advertising and one conclusion is always highlighted: solo ads are definitely better than ezine classified ads and that’s why ezine advertisers should avoid the classified ads.

There is some truth in this conclusion, but there is also a big misunderstanding.

Can you say that the airplanes are better than the cars and you should avoid driving a car? Of course not …

(If your answer is yes … then try to get an airplane next time when you want to go to the mall … Will you?)

The same is in ezine advertising …

Solo ads are not better or worst than ezine classified ads but only serve for different purposes.

Here is just an example …

Because focusing in a wrong direction is only a big step forward to … an unpleasant failure, for copywriters and advertisers testing is a key point.

Every time when you test something, as a general rule, you should go for the cheapest option because not the sale is the target. When you test something, the target is finding the answer to a question like:

What is the best headline you should use? A or B?

What product worths to be promoted so that to get maximum benefits? X or Y?

You can find the SAME answer that you’re looking for … by spending more money or … less money.

Of course you go for the second option (less money) and therefore … if you have to choose between solo ads and classified ads, in such circumstances you should not go for solo advertising because it’s not the right choice for your purpose!

The truth is that ezine advertising doesn’t always work …

If you’re a copycat who copies some ezine ads that thousands of other people already blasted to readers until these readers became exasperated seeing again and again the same ad, I have to disappoint you: ezine advertising is not for you and it doesn’t work like this …

If you make claims in your ezine ads that cannot be supported with evidences, or even worse are immediately contradicted by the Earnings Disclaimer from the bottom of the web site you promote, then ezine advertising doesn’t work …

If you fail to appreciate your audience and promote your product or service to a wrong market, then again ezine advertising doesn’t work …

If you look for quantity (big number of subscribers) instead of quality (useful content, publisher’s professional approach), ezine advertising may not work …

If your ezine ad screams how great you or your friends are (nobody cares, believe me!), but doesn’t tell what the reader gets and how the reader’s life will be improved, you may want to hire a copywriter or step out of any advertising business.

Advertising is not a copy & paste business or a 5-minute task. Advertising is an art and the ezine advertising is a part of it, no matter whether some people accept it or not.

Yes, ezine advertising works … if you know how …

If you’re patient, if you try to understand this advertising medium, if you improve your skills, if you always test and analyze what you do, if you forget any hype, then … yes, ezine advertising works.