| Introduction & Boilerplate | | | | newsletters but plenty of highly valued and very |
| What does it take to successfully market a software | | | | important solo ads that were filled with text like this: |
| product using only the Internet? This is the question I | | | | F.ree mo.ney for you. No effort required. Easiest MLM |
| was faced with in January 2005. I had just completed | | | | pro.gram ever! |
| development of my first software product and I was | | | | They have to insert those periods or the SPAM filters |
| ready to conquer the world. I quickly realized that | | | | will flag the messages every time. Why? Because the |
| developing my software was just the first step. | | | | message is SPAM! Okay, I understand that SPAM |
| As I began researching various marketing avenues I | | | | filters are sensitive and sometimes you need to insert |
| made the decision to share my marketing trials and | | | | a period or two to lower the SPAM Assassin score of |
| tribulations with the world. This decision was driven in | | | | your broadcast message but these solo ads had a |
| no small part by a discussion I had with a certain | | | | punctuation density so high that the messages |
| super-affiliate. There are tons of books about | | | | approach being unreadable; I began to think I was |
| emarketing and some even provide real-world | | | | reading Morse code. |
| examples but wouldn't it be fun to actually come along | | | | For the uninitiated, a solo ad is an advertisement that is |
| for the ride? To learn as I learn? To see the real deal, | | | | sent in a single email without other newsletter content |
| blemishes and all? And so, this series was born. | | | | to subscribers of a newsletter. Generally this would be |
| Each installment is this series will be posted on my | | | | considered SPAM but the subscriber agreement you |
| website as well as on several of the more popular | | | | accept for these types of ezines contain language |
| article directories, and will also be available via | | | | stating that you agree to receive such |
| newsletter subscription. Each installment will focus on a | | | | communications. I like to call it opt-in SPAM. |
| specific marketing channel or approach. A few | | | | It continued like that for six long weeks. They were |
| examples: marketing using ezine ad coops, marketing | | | | easily six of the most painful weeks I have ever lived. It |
| using Adwords, joint ventures, forum marketing, and | | | | was interesting to note that many of the ezines were |
| website advertising, and niche newsletter advertising. | | | | not delivered via email. The list owner would instead |
| The Marketing of Affiliate Success: eBay - ezine | | | | simply send a broadcast message informing me that |
| Advertising Coops | | | | the newsletter could be viewed on their website. |
| This first installment of this series is concerned with | | | | Interesting thing though, the solo ads were delivered |
| ezine advertising coops. At some point while searching | | | | directly into *my* mailbox.eZine Advertising Coop |
| for advertising opportunities I ran across a website that | | | | Campaign Results |
| offered advertising within an ezine ad coop. The focus | | | | The result of my ezine advertising campaign was 89 |
| of the ad coop was home business related - a perfect | | | | referrals from various newsletters in the cooperative |
| fit for my product. My original plan was to do some | | | | to my ezine destination URL. I know because I created |
| focused ezine advertising but when I discovered I | | | | a specific URL with redirection code so I could track |
| could have my ad placed in dozens of ezines I figured | | | | the click-through performance of the campaign. While I |
| this would be a great deal. I must admit I was slightly | | | | have no way of tracking each individual source since |
| suspicious when I noticed that they required me to | | | | some newsletters were delivered via email, I did know |
| subscribe to each newsletter but after another hour of | | | | the aggregate results and 89 click-throughs was not |
| research it was clear that all ezine ad coops had this | | | | the level of success I had expected. More importantly, |
| requirement. Well, I thought, it does make sense that I | | | | 89 click-throughs and zero sales. |
| should be a subscriber since then I will be able to verify | | | | The campaign was an unmitigated disaster. Of course |
| that they actually run my ad. | | | | the deck was stacked against me from the start. I |
| The Concept Behind the Ezine Advertising Coop | | | | quickly noticed that 95% of the ezine publishers had |
| The general idea behind an ezine advertising | | | | dozens of ads in each newsletter issue. There was |
| cooperative depends on your perspective. For ezine | | | | generally a top, middle, and bottom sponsor ad and |
| publishers, membership in an advertising cooperative is | | | | these ads were generally demarcated very well and |
| a great way to build their newsletter membership. | | | | they probably received decent response too but they |
| Remember, in order to run the ad I had to become a | | | | were for "their" advertisers. I generally found my ad |
| subscriber to a bunch of ezines. The more subscribers | | | | near the bottom of their newsletters in a special |
| a newsletter has, the larger the potential financial return | | | | section for the ad coop. In many cases, the newsletter |
| on marketing activity and these guys are all about | | | | belonged to multiple ad coops so there might be 40 |
| marketing. | | | | ads and five coop sections in each issue! The slickest |
| From the advertiser's perspective, the value proposition | | | | trick I found was the publisher that actually had a |
| is that for a minimal cost the advertiser can get his | | | | special edition of his newsletter filled with ads. Yes, |
| message in front of hundreds of thousands or even | | | | filled with ads. Sure he also threw in a syndicated |
| millions of people. Ideally, the coop will be focused on a | | | | article that he grabbed from one of the article sites but |
| niche that the advertiser's product fits into but this | | | | it was rather clear that his normal readers ignored the |
| doesn't always have to be the case. Bottom line - the | | | | "special edition" of his newsletter each week. I know I |
| cost per pair of eyeballs appears to be very, very low. | | | | would. If Adsense has taught us anything it's that ads |
| My Campaign Begins | | | | are most effective when they are integrated into the |
| The sum required was minor - around $30. Not a big | | | | text on a page. These guys segregate ads so their |
| deal considering my ad would run in dozens of ezines | | | | subscribers don't need to bother ignoring them within |
| with a total combined readership of well over one | | | | the main body of their newsletters. |
| million people. So, although I was suspicious of the | | | | Worse though was the quality of many of the ezines. |
| subscribing requirement, I figured I couldn't lose on the | | | | The only original authorship in some of these ezines |
| deal. Look, I thought, if only one person purchases my | | | | was the editorial and by the time I made it two or |
| software I have paid for the ad and put $70 in the | | | | three sentences into that it became obvious why! If |
| bank (before taxes.) It seemed to be a very favorable | | | | you believe we live in the age of universal literacy you |
| value proposition. | | | | are wrong. It wasn't all bad though. Several of the |
| So, in a great flurry of activity I created an ad, revised | | | | newsletters actually provided some decent content but |
| it, threw it out, and created another! I worked feverishly | | | | more often than not content came in the form of |
| to perfect my ad. Night became day, day became | | | | articles culled from the article sites. I don't have a |
| night and finally, I was done. Here is what I ran - | | | | problem with article sites but I expect a newsletter to |
| ----------------> AD BEGINS | | | | provide significant original value. |
| I Made $29,000 Last Year On Just One Of My | | | | Lessons Learned |
| Websites. So Can | | | | I did learn some things though. I know that a HYIP (High |
| You! I will show you how you can make thousands of | | | | Yield |
| dollars onyour website using my software and one of | | | | Investment Program) is a really cool way to turn $10 |
| the leading affiliateprograms on the net today. One guy | | | | into $20. I found that I really needed an e-gold account |
| calls my software "Adsenseon Steroids!" without the | | | | if I wanted to achieve financial freedom. I learned that |
| Adsense! No website? Build a 27,000page website | | | | the government *doesn't* want me to know about the |
| instantly. | | | | secret banking system, that my money was not at risk |
| ----------------> AD ENDS | | | | even though they didn't have FDIC insurance, and that I |
| I will grant that it's a little cheesy but those $$ titles | | | | could truly take part in a risk-free investment that |
| really pull clicks. My thinking was that since the ad cost | | | | would double my money and pay me interest every |
| was limited to my initial outlay, I could afford to pull all | | | | single hour of the day. I learned that people apparently |
| potential traffic - even unqualified traffic. My reasoning | | | | fall for this crap. |
| behind such a generic ad approach was that I felt it | | | | I learned that I could buy "make money at home" leads |
| would be very challenging to pull any traffic if my ad | | | | by the thousands, import them into my autoresponder, |
| referenced eBay Web Services and PHP. These | | | | and then SPAM these leads. Apparently it's okay |
| words and concepts are alien to many people. I | | | | though because the nice folks on the list I have |
| planned to use my sales letter to convert people with | | | | purchased filled out a survey and expressed an |
| little technical sophistication. My approach and my ad | | | | interest in making money from home. I learned that |
| copy was different when I entered the world of | | | | people just don't understand what double opt-in means. |
| pay-per-click but that is the topic of another installment. | | | | But most important of all, I learned that ezine ad coops |
| Next, I went to the website that offered the ezine ad | | | | exist for one reason only - to dupe people into joining a |
| coop service, filled out the form, and PayPal | | | | bunch of marginal ezines so they can market their |
| transferred the cash to the owner of the coop. I | | | | crap to you. I discovered that the insult is that much |
| quickly received a response from my new ad agency | | | | more powerful because I gave them $30 for the |
| and it had some very interesting information contained | | | | privilege of being assaulted day after day with SPAM |
| within it. I had to subscribe myself to over a dozen of | | | | in the form of solo ads and substandard newsletter |
| the ezines. But it wasn't simple. Yahoo Groups hosted | | | | content. I suppose if you need to market your new |
| one ezine, several required I send emails to listserv | | | | HYIP, sell some red hot "work at home" leads, or push |
| machines, and in several cases I had to go to websites | | | | your latest get-rich-quick scheme you will find kindred |
| and fill out a form. | | | | souls in some of the ezine ad cooperatives operating |
| Ezine Ad Coop Campaigns Are Hard Work | | | | today but if you need to market a legitimate, quality |
| One hour later I was regretting my decision to forego | | | | product you should look elsewhere. |
| the slightly more expensive option of advertising | | | | Final Conclusion |
| without the need to become a subscriber to all those | | | | If you want to advertise in ezines, locate ezines in your |
| newsletters, but that was only the beginning of my | | | | niche, subscribe, and once you are sure that they |
| regrets. I next had to confirm my subscription to | | | | publish to high standards, toss them a couple of bucks. |
| various newsletters - double opt-in and all that. One of | | | | Ask the publisher what his subscriber count is. Inquire |
| the ezines actually had me wade through 15 pages of | | | | as to click-through rates on previous ads. You also |
| surveys and "would you be interested in this offer" | | | | need to insure you know where your ad will be |
| pages before finally confirming my subscription. I then | | | | published within the newsletter and when it will be |
| found that the ezine had been dormant for seven | | | | published. |
| months! | | | | Don't bother with ezine ad coops especially when their |
| Finally, after confirming that I was successfully | | | | home page feels like a trip back to 1999. |
| subscribed to all the ezines, I sat back and let out a | | | | Rest assured, most installments in this article series will |
| sigh of relief. In the coming days about half of the | | | | be informative *and* upbeat. This ezine ad coop |
| ezine owners sent me notes informing me when my | | | | episode represents an ugly departure from what is |
| ad would run. The ad runs were spread across the | | | | generally proving to be an exciting, profitable, and |
| next six weeks. | | | | informative learning experience. And please don't |
| Am I The Advertiser? | | | | misunderstand my message. I obviously did not work |
| With the ezine ad coop business behind me, I returned | | | | with *every* ezine ad coop so I can't with conviction |
| to my marketing research with the revised thought | | | | say that they all operate in this way or that they are all |
| that if only two sales resulted from the goat rodeo I | | | | comprised of solo ad slinging, no original content |
| had experienced I would be satisfied. Within a few | | | | newsletters. |
| days the newsletters started arriving, and not just | | | | |