Ezine Advertising Resources – How Valuable Are Other People’s Recommendations?
Today’s article responds to a question many advertisers do NOT ask (unfortunately!): “Is it good to advertise in ezines other people recommend?“
First of all, when you read a review or a simple recommendation, check whether the person who wrote the review has something to gain from that review. It may not be an honest review.
How to check? Look at the link. Is it an affiliate link or not? If it is an affiliate link or a link that redirects the visitor to an affiliate page, then don’t take into consideration too much that review.
The internet is full of so called reviews made by people who never purchased the product or service they are writing about. Such reviews are in fact not reviews but sales pages.
Example: one of the ezine ad co-ops from my advertising network has an affiliate program in place and there are a lot of affiliates who never purchased anything but still promote that ad co-op. They actually don’t know whether the ad co-op is good or not but they still recommend it.
When you find a real recommendation or review, still take care. Continue and refine your research. Why?
If someone recommends an ezine whose topic is “weight loss”, don’t jump and buy advertising space for promoting let’s say … your internet marketing new ebook. Most probably that person promoted a weight loss RELATED product or program and that’s why he got a very good result.
The simple fact that somebody else got a very good result when he promoted his product (different from yours) doesn’t mean that the same will happen to you when you will promote a different product.
Finally, let’s discuss the “affiliate members area” topic.
Many affiliate programs managers try to help you by showing you in the affiliate area a list of “recommended” places where you can promote your affiliate link.
In many cases, such help is not quite a help unless you are one of the first affiliates. Let me explain you why…
Experience has shown that many affiliates are not experienced advertisers. They don’t have their own experience and their own opinions. They follow step-by-step what the affiliate manager advised them to do.
They go to that list of recommended resources and select a few ezines. Usually they choose the ezines listed first (even if there is no particular order based on how valuable the resource is). Then buy advertising space.
The next affiliates do the same. The next … the same. Guess what happens soon …
Many people that are subscribed to those ezines from that recommended list buy the book that is promoted (or join the program that is promoted). Other subscribers to those ezines only get bored seeing again and again promotions for the same thing.
And now … it’s your turn. If you follow the affiliate manager advice, you will go to the same ezines and buy your solo ad. Surprise! The people who already purchased the ebook will never buy it once again from you, no matter how good your ad is. The people who are bored will not be happy seeing yet another ad for the same thing.
What will your result be after you followed the affiliate manager’s advice?
An expected result: close to zero!
The same happens when your upline recommends you something. Don’t always listen to his or her advice! If your upline got an excellent result, your chances to succeed by promoting the same thing to the same persons are very low.
Exception …
Of course this discussion about “affiliate members area” is valid for a product (or a program) that can be purchased (joined) only one time.
If you promote for example products from a book shop with thousands of books, then you may promote them to the same people because they have the option of buying other books than the books they previously purchased.
Conclusion: a recommendation is just a starting point for your own research. Nothing more, nothing less.
To Your Success!
Adrian Jock
P.S. For more ezine advertising tips, subscribe free to Ezine Advertising Info newsletter. Then discover the free resource that will soon become the No. 1 exclusive collection of ezine advertising articles in the world: http://www.ezineadvertisingtips.com
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