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[C1176]Creating A Mailing List

by William Blake, Wil

For many businesses, the need for a consumer mailing list is critical. The reason for this may not be so obvious to individuals who are unfamiliar with direct mail advertising but, to those who understand the need and the value of mailing lists, they help to bring new businesses into the fold. This is true of all types of business mailing lists -- even ones that include a bankruptcy mailing list. While some may question the possible value of a bankruptcy mailing list, others view it as an important business function.

For instance, if one's primary business function is debt counseling, then a bankruptcy mailing list would provide a multitude of potential clients who could greatly benefit from the services provided by a quality credit and debt counselor. People often have the need for a specific service, but they are not aware that such a service exists, nor do they know that the service can be offered at an affordable price.

In most cases, people who file for bankruptcy do not approach the service provider to initiate the business relationship. It is often up to the service provider to seek out potential clients, pitch the services that are offered, and then initiate a business relationship. This can be done by directly targeting a bankruptcy mailing list, which could take the form of an email list or even a traditional snail mail list.

Acquiring A Bankruptcy Mailing List

There are a number of direct mail services that have access to quality bankruptcy mailing lists. However, in such a purchasing decision, you get what you pay for. In other words, if you opt to purchase a list of names based upon a cut rate price, you may end up with a list of potential clients whose actual potential to purchase services is not very high.

On the flipside, a more expensive service may be able to provide a list of more acceptable potential clients. Beware, however, of overspending. Be sure to examine the different companies and look to see how long they have been in business. If possible, ask to see if they can provide customer references that are verifiable. This can reduce the chances of spending money on a list that does not prove fruitful.

A Word Of Advice

Purchasing a mailing list does not provide any guarantees that a customer will buy the service you are offering. What the acquisition of the list does is provide the potential for new customers from which you may be able to develop a new client base.

Not True!!

It takes a lot of time, energy end effort to build a responsive mailing list.

Let's forget everything it takes to create a proper website. Layout, content, keyword research, navigation, popup marketing, upselling, backend marketing and so on.

First and foremost, you need a web site that's getting a lot of traffic. And we all know how much work it takes to drive real organic targeted traffic to any web site. That's a full time job in itself.

Let me back track a bit. If you're in the process or are thinking of building a mailing list, it's better to have a splash page or capture page (same thing) then a full blown web site. With a splash page/capture page you give your visitors only two options:

1) Give you their contact information

2) Leave the site.

If you have a web site where you are asking people to sign up for your newsletter or special report you had better make darn sure your offer is exceptional and it's FREE! Not to mention promoted correctly and positioned correctly on your site so people will actually sign up for your newsletter.

Let me make things clear before I go on. I understand the power and value of having your own mailing list. However, most people I know want to start making money online NOW, not months from now and certainly not years from now.

Now I'm a person that uses the path of least resistance. Why would you want to spend month's maybe years developing a mailing list when you can work a lot smarter and faster?

There are literally thousands upon thousands of laser-targeted responsive mailing lists at your disposal right now. And by using these lists you can make money online right now.

So where are these lists of gold?

In Ezines!

I don't care what product, service or opportunity you have to offer there is an ezine waiting for you to tap into it.

Why spend all the time, energy and effort into creating your own list when you can utilize a list that someone else has built for you, and make money right now.

So how do you get access to these targeted lists?

Simple, you advertise in them.

I have not come across an ezine that does not offer advertising to their mailing list. For as little as $10, you can get your message out to thousands of responsive buyers.

Each ezine will have a different size readership ranging from 500 to 1,000,000 and higher. Just imagine having your ad seen by as many as 1,000,000-targeted customers.

What do you think that would do to your profits?

Yep that was a rhetorical question.

For example, let's say your target market is people who want to start their own online business or people interested in dog products, weight loss, or whatever your promoting.

You can find the ezine's you wish to advertise in by using your favorite search engine.

Google for example. Let's say you're looking for ezines about dogs. Simply type in "ezines about dogs" or "dog ezines". Or an alternative choice is to use a service like The Directory Of Ezines.

Once you've found your ezine(s) there are several steps you must do before you do any advertising in any ezine.

1) Know Yourself

What do I mean by this?

It means know your budget and stick to it. Know your target audience. Know the timetable you have for your advertising. And know your ability to write an effective ad.

Speaking of timetables. Each ezine will publish their ezine on a different day. It could be weekly, bi-weekly or monthly. Also it could take several weeks before your ad appears in your chosen ezine so be prepared for that. I have had to wait as much as six weeks before I could have my ad appear in an ezine.

2) Start Small

By small I mean ezine's that are under 20,000 readers. The cost is less and you can advertise in more then one ezine at a time and not be over budget.

Most people I have spoken to have a budget of $100 to $200 per month. Some people have less and of course, some people have more, but on average, it's this amount. Either way this is plenty of money to start a very effective advertising campaign. Remember you need to walk before you can run.

3) Be A Reader

Subscribe to the ezine's you're thinking of advertising in before you spend one penny on advertising. See what the layout (design) of the ezine looks like. A lousy layout can be a waste of money. You don't want it hard for people to see your ad. You can also access (in most cases) the ezines archives for past issues.

4) Quality

Look for the quality of the ezine. Is the content of value? You certainly don't want to advertise in an ezine where the content is lousy. Remember the ezine you advertise in is a reflection on your product and/or service. So take your time when choosing an ezine.

5) Testimonials

Try to find testimonials from people who have advertised in the ezine. If you can't find any, ask the publisher for some. If the publisher does not want to give you any, this could be a red flag. So include that in your decision to advertise.

6) Count The Costs

You want to do a cost per thousand for your advertising. And you do this by dividing the ad cost by the number of subscribers. This will give you the dollar amount per thousand readers.

I try to keep my cost per thousand below $8 and I try to shoot for $4 to $6 per thousand. Try to only spend 25% of your total ad budget on one ad source. Therefore, if your ad budget is $100 per month, you should only spend $25 per ad.

7) Where To Place Your Ad

Before you place an ad you have several different types of ad placements you can choose from, and they are as follows:

Solo Ad -- If you choose a solo ad, it will be the only ad that goes out to that ezine's membership. (my personal favorite)

Top Sponsor Ad -- Is found at the beginning of the ezine.

Middle sponsor Ad -- Is found in the middle of the ezine.

Bottom Sponsor Ad -- Is found (you guessed it) at the bottom or end of the ezine.

Once you have found an ezine or ezines to advertise in you need to contact the publisher to get more information. Many but not all ezines post their rates. If not get all the different ad rates.

Other questions you should ask are:

* Do they accept articles? (maybe you do article marketing)
* What are the ad guidelines?
* What is their publishing schedule?
* What payments do they accept?
* What is the ad deadline?
* What is the reader demographic?
* What is the subscriber base? (size)
* Do they offer discounts?

These questions need to be answered before you should even consider advertising in any ezine.

Do not advertise in an ezine just because the ezine looks pretty. Don't laugh many people do and they are advertising in useless ezines.

Regarding that last question to be asked, “Do they offer discounts”? Do not be afraid to ask for a discount. The worst anyone will say is “No”.

And if they do, ask if they give a discount for placing your ad multiply times. A bulk price if you will.

Track All Your Ads

You need to track your ads. This will be your source for information regarding the success or failure of each ad. There are many tracking programs available: such as Ad Tracker, Hyper Tracker and so on. Many of these services offer free trials as well. Or you can do a search for ad tracking programs to find the one that works for you. Either way make sure you track your ads.

Create A Control Ad

Your control ad starts out as the ad you've created to start advertising with. This ad is placed in the ezine of your choice and then you track its results. (After you have set the tracking period, usually the duration of your advertisement)

After the tracking period is over take that ad and change one element such as the headline. Now you advertise that new ad and track the success of the new ad.

If it drops, go back, change the ad back to the way it was, then change another element, and track that. What you are doing is trying to maximize the effectiveness of your ad.

Remember only change one thing at a time or you won't know which change made a positive or negative effect.

You keep doing this until you feel you have created the best possible ad. By doing this, you'll end up creating a super ad by finding what works better or worse in the ad. You can now place this super ad in as many ezines as your budget allows.

With a super ad, you can literally print money on demand.

You don't need your own list to start making money online. Sure, you have to do a little work to find the right ezine and create the right ad. But it takes a lot less effort and time to do that then it does creating a mailing list.

Oh and before I go one last step.

Start Placing Ads NOW!!!

To Your Success
Leo Emery

Article Source : The Truth About Bankruptcy

About Author

Both William Blake & Leo Emery are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

William Blake has sinced written about articles on various topics from Credit Cards, Debt Reductions and Bankruptcy Law. Struggling to every month? Learn to get your debt under control faster and save money at the same t. William Blake's top article generates over 49500 views. to your Favourites.

Leo Emery has sinced written about articles on various topics from Bankruptcy Law, Computers and The Internet and Adwords. Leo Emery is a member of one of the most respected Money Making Coaching Clubs on the Internet. If you're eager to discover how simple it is to earn a six figure income online visit him at. Leo Emery's top article generates over 2900 views. to your Favourites.