Just as it is possible to place an advertisement in a magazine, or spend thousands on a postcard campaign, an internet-savvy business owner can also place ads in ezines – digital magazines – for a fee, or use free email advertising as a direct marketing tool.

Whether it comes in plain text or html, email advertising is extremely cost effective, and while the best ezines charge for their ad-space, free ezine advertising is also available.

Email Advertising – The Basics
Email advertising is closely analogous to postcard or mailer advertising, but much less expensive. However, just as postal mail campaigns are often assumed to be “junk mail,” free email advertising comes with a very large risk of being labeled “spam.” On the other hand the benefits of advertising email, html or text versions, are greater than with a postal campaign. In a traditional direct mail campaign, a 1% response is considered great. With email campaigns, the return is often 5 – 6%, or greater.

Here are some tips for a successful email advertising campaign:

• Find Your Audience. There are two ways to come up with recipients for an email advertising campaign. You can use the “magic box” technique, which involves putting an entry box somewhere in a local business or café, and soliciting email addresses, or you can buy (or rent) email advertising lists – databases of known good email addresses. If you use the former method, it may be wise to buy an inexpensive “prize” that people can “win” by filling out an entry form that includes their email address. If you choose to acquire a list, you’ll want to find out whether the list is opt-in or double opt-in (more on those terms later), what the rate card price is (the price per 1000 names), and where the names came from. You’ll also want to find out if the list has been tested, and if the price you pay includes transmission fees (sending of the message) or not.
• Write Your Message. Remember that many users have email clients with preview panes that allow them to read the first part of a message without really opening it. For this reason, you should start your product information at the top of your message, so that it will show in the preview pane. In addition, you should consider sending your message in multipart format, so that users who do not accept html advertising email can still read your message. Formatting is also important – use bold for emphasis, as italics don’t work on all platforms, and reserve underlined content for clickable links so you don’t confuse your readers.
• Send, Send, Send! Research suggests that Tuesdays and Thursdays are the best days on which to send email, if you want it read. Before you actually send your message to your list, however, send copies to yourself, the list-owner and list-manager (if any) and a close friend, to make sure everything works. Also, double-check the links within your message – make sure they use absolute URLs (http://www.mycompany.com/ rather than just mycompany.com). If everything works, go ahead and blast your message.

Ezines and Newsletters – Other Options
If it is not your preference to use advertising email, html ezines, or newsletters might be better marketing options. Ranging in price from expensive ($250/ad) to free, ezine advertising is similar to placing an ad in a local circular or print magazine, except that the magazine is an online publication.

What is an Ezine?
An ezine, pronounced eee-zeeen, is an online magazine, and they range in type from literary collections, to industry-specific zines about cars or horses, or even women’s magazines. Famous ezines include Wired and The Onion, both of which have commercial advertising within their virtual pages. (By comparison, a newsletter can be either a website OR an emailed document, generally doesn’t include graphics, and is targeted to a smaller audience.)

To buy ad space in an ezine, there are two main options. You can buy the space directly, either by contacting the editor or publisher of an ezine that you already read, or by contacting an ezine marketer such as The Directory of Ezines. You can also offer to swap ads, where you host an ad for the ezine on your website (or in your own ezine) in exchange for ad swapping. Ad prices depend on the popularity of the ezine, and the demand for space. $250 isn’t unheard of but, like free email advertising, free ezine advertising is possible.

Newsletter advertising is generally not purchased. Either you swap ad space with another newsletter publisher, or your entire newsletter IS your campaign, sort of like a longer, slicker version of an html advertising email.

If you are going to publish a newsletter, keep it topical, and use customer questions to determine content, both of which will help you build a successful campaign.

Issues to Consider

Other than tracking issues, the largest issue you are likely to encounter with email or newsletter advertising is having your email messages sent to the spam filter. Here are a few tips to help prevent that:
• Permission is Important. Make sure you are sending email only to people who have given their consent. “Opt-in” lists include addresses that have asked to be included. “Double Opt-in” means that the user has had to request access to a given list, and then confirm their request, usually by clicking on a link in an email message. Whenever possible, be certain that your list of addresses is a “double opt-in” list.
• Identify Yourself. Make sure the FROM line of your email has your name or company name, spelled correctly and completely. Make sure the SUBJECT line is clear, concise, and has your brand or product in it. As well, make sure there is contact information for your business, including a working phone number.
• Spelling Counts. So does grammar. If you don’t want to be sent to the spam filter, make sure whatever you send is professional and crisp. Double check your text for spelling and structure, and make sure that your links all function.
• Unsubscribe. Be certain that a functioning “unsubscribe” link is included in everything you send, and make sure that, if requested, subscription removals are processed within 24 hours. This keeps you on the email a-list.
• Warn Your ISP before beginning any kind of email or ezine campaign that may generate more traffic than is usual for your business. This way, neither your incoming nor outgoing traffic will be blocked by your own hosting company.

Because it can be virtually free, email advertising is easy to use and generally offers a good return. While PPC campaigns depend on a slick website full of html, advertising email relies on text and tone for direct consumer contact. Following common sense guidelines will help keep your email or ezine campaign productive.