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8 Reasons to Add a Newsletter to Your Blog

Radz Nguyen — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 13:14:51 +0000

Almost every time I write about having an email newsletter associated with my blog (as I did yesterday in sharing how I drastically increased subscriber numbers) I get people asking me why I use newsletters?

The questions on newsletters as a medium often include:

Isnt Email old fashioned?
Isnt RSS the new way forward?
What about Social Networking – isnt that more effective than email newsletters?
Arent Newsletters very one way and not very conversational?
Isnt building a list as a way of doing online marketing a thing of the past?
Doesnt the Blog replace the newsletter?
While I can see why people would ask these types of questions – if I had to name one technology or medium that has had the greatest impact upon building my blogs readership – newsletters would be right up there, particularly since moving services to Aweber.

Let me qualify that by saying it does vary a little from blog to blog depending upon the topic and the type of reader they attract.

8 Reasons I use Newsletters & the benefits they bring
Before I go any further – let me say that I’m not talking about RSS to email newsletters that simply convert your RSS feed into emails. I’m talking about building a list of subscribers who get a weekly or monthly (or some other period) purpose written newsletter. It might point people to your blog and posts you’ve written but it’s purpose written and often includes other material exclusive to newsletter subscribers.

1. Newsletters create Loyalty
The majority of your blogs readers never come back.

The sad reality is that despite our best efforts, there’s a lot of passing through traffic on most blogs. People arrive from a search engine, another blog or website or a social media site – they stay for a few moments, consume what they can and then move on.

Unless you find a way to ‘hook’ people into returning to your blog the majority of your readers won’t return. It’s not that they don’t want to or that your site is bad – they just forget and/or have no means to remind themselves of your blog.

A newsletter is a way of giving those people who arrive on your blog a way to opt in to being reminded to come back to your blog. The same can be said for RSS but a newsletter reaches a different crowd to RSS (more on this below).

2. Newsletters Develop Relationships and Trust
After two years of sending weekly newsletters to my readership at DPS I’m now starting to get some interesting interactions from subscribers. They’re emailing me like they’d email a friend.
What I’m finding is that the weekly newsletters (in which I’ve got a photo of myself and share the occasional snippets from my life including the birth of children, trips I’m taking, things that I’m doing) are making me very familiar to my subscribers. They seem to feel like they ‘know me’. It’s difficult to explain but I guess when you get as many emails from someone as these people get from me – they really do ‘know me’ (at least on some levels).
Not only do emails build relationships and intimacy with your readership – they build trust. My newsletter subscribers respond to affiliate promotions much more than my normal blog readers. They seem to follow the recommendations that I make and try the things I suggest.
RSS and just blogging can build relationships and trust also – but I suspect adding email newsletters into the mix adds to it.

3. Newsletters Drive Page Views/Traffic
My biggest traffic days are those that I send out newsletters. I use newsletters to highlight new posts on the blog and key discussions in the forum that I run. The more helpful and topical the posts and discussions the more traffic the links in the newsletter drives.

Interestingly – if you need an ‘explosive’ burst of traffic to a particular post a newsletter can be great for this. For example:

if you’re launching a new product or service and want to kick it off well – do it with a newsletter as well as a blog post
if you’re launching a new affiliate campaign – do it the same day you send a newsletter
if you’re wanting a post to do well on a social bookmarking site like Digg – put a digg button on the post and a few minutes later send out your newsletter pointing people at the post.
These sudden bursts of traffic can really help build momentum around the projects that you’re starting.

4. Newsletters are Familiar
Most of your readers don’t know what RSS is and unless you offer them an email subscription option they are unlikely to ’subscribe’. While RSS awareness is growing, some research shows that it’s slowing and even peaking in it’s use. I personally feel it’ll continue to grow and be utilized by people (even when they don’t know they’re using the technology) but email will continue (at least in the short term) to be one of the most used forms of communication on the planet.

This is a little dependent upon your topic and audience. Some of your readerships will be more tech savvy (and RSS familiar) than others and in those cases email newsletters may not be quite as effective – but I suspect in most niches offering a newsletter will be effective.

5. Newsletters Build a Core Community and Enhance Reader Engagement
One word that keeps coming up as I interact with my newsletter subscribers is ‘membership’. I don’t use the word but have noticed increasingly that subscribers refer to themselves as ‘members’ or as having signed up for ‘membership’. I find it interesting that these subscribers don’t see themselves as just receiving an email (as a subscriber) but as having joined something or being a member of a community.

I guess signing up for something is a reader showing some level of participation and commitment to a site – by doing so they’re investing something in your blog and feel like participants.

I use the words ‘core community’ above because I find that those who subscribe to a newsletter are often among the most loyal and committed members of your blog’s community. These are people who want the inside word on your site and are telling you that they want to know what’s going on as soon as they can. They’ve given you permission to contact them – as a result they’re a powerful group of people to know and be able to communicate to (and they can actually help you grow your blog further as they can be effective evangelists for you).

6. Newsletters can Track and Target Groups of Readers
Using a tool like Aweber to run your newsletter gives you access to all kinds of interesting tools, stats and opportunities. You can track which links in your post get the most clicks (this can be used as a form of research into what readers respond to) but you can also segment readers into different groups and target them with individual messages.

For example:

You can send special newsletters just to new subscribers – for example you could send an email every month just to those who’ve signed up in that time highlighting key posts in your archives.
You can track who clicks on affiliate links in your posts and send them emails with special offers
You can send special emails just to subscribers who never open emails (testing subject lines with different strategies in them)
Really the sky is the limit as to what you can test and how you can target readers.

7. Newsletters help build Momentum
I use my newsletter not only for promotion of content and affiliate products but to build a sense of momentum on my blog. Every few weeks on my photography blog I’ll give subscribers a little extra insight into milestones that we’ve reached as a community, mentions we’ve had in mainstream media, new features that we’re adding etc. In this way I give those subscribed a sense that they’re a part of something that is growing and exciting.

I find that as I do this that readers respond very well and give me feedback on how they’ve been helping the site to grow (by promoting it to their friends).

8. Newsletters Open Up Possibilities for Monetization
Newsletters open up another avenue for profit for those of you developing online businesses.

I’ve already mentioned numerous times that newsletters can be effective when it comes to affiliate programs – but they can also be good when it comes to advertising revenue.

Selling ad space in our newsletter can be quite lucrative when you build up your readership. I’ve found that advertisers can be willing to pay quite good CPM rates because they know a newsletter subscriber base are usually pretty committed and loyal readers (and very focused around a niche too).

10 PPC Predictions for 2010

Radz Nguyen — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 15:56:59 +0000

December time is predictions time. Here are my predictions for PPC advertising next year. Bookmark this post so you can have a laugh at the end of 2010 (or bow down before my mighty foresight).

10 PPC Predictions for 2010

1. CPCs will rise

A pretty safe bet to begin with. The recession, apparently, is coming to an end and more and more businesses are getting involved with PPC advertising. I believe that some verticals are already saturated; those that aren’t will see a large rise in CPC bids

2. More Display Advertising

Market saturation in AdWords is a bad thing for Google because it means they can’t grow their revenue. After their acquisition of DoubleClick of we have seen them push display advertising a lot more in their webinars, blog posts and with the new “View Through Conversion” feature. In 2009 they have made display advertising easy to use. In 2010 they must convince more businesses that display advertising offers them good ROI

3. Conversion Attribution?

As part of their drive to push more business advertisers into display advertising Google will begin to move away from the last click attribution model that is the core of Google Analytics (and to a certain extent, AdWords). Most businesses will use whatever attribution model Google provides but some will want to look beyond this. I think we will still be talking about this one well into 2011.

4. Bing/Yahoo I

The merging of Bing and Yahoo will make their combined platform more attractive to time/cash poor businesses. Their share of ad spend will rise but this will not be caused by people moving budget away from Google.

5. Bing/Yahoo II

Bing/Yahoo will try and steal advertising budget from Google by improving reporting and the ease of use for account managers. This will not work because businesses will spend their money where the customers are, but it will motivate Google to further improve their interface and reporting.

6. Other Platforms

Other sites will introduce their own CPC auction platforms. The New York Times and Reddit have recently opened their own CPM platforms. I believe that a CPC auction will offer better value to advertisers and users so I predict that at least one online publisher will begin offering this model during 2010.

7. Real Time Search

I can’t imagine Google putting real time results on top of the organic listings without attempting to monetise them. It is interesting to think how they will do this because the keyword/bid model seems unsuitable.

8. Conversion Optimiser

Advertisers with good campaigns spend more money so I expect Google to continue to work on their conversion optimiser tool. Whether they will work on it by improving it or whether they will work on it by improving their publicity with small advertisers I’m not sure. If it is the latter then agencies must be able to prove their worth when compared with this free and easy to use tool.

9. Changes to the AdWords Advanced Exams

This is not amazing futurology since people involved in the program already know about the new advanced exams which can be taken in February. Raising the accreditation bar can only be a good thing; any exam which can be passed in a week isn’t much of a barrier to entry. Short term this will not make much difference but longer term it will result in greater trust in the AdWords certification from potential clients. On the downside people will have to spend more time reading the gospel of Google in order to pass the exam; this will result in an obsession with display advertising (see point 2).

10 Paid Search Will Dominate the SERPs

A no brainer to finish. Paid/Sponsored listings will take up even more space on the Google SERPs.

What do you think? Let me know in the comments.

Affiliate Marketing Tips

Radz Nguyen — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 02:27:41 +0000

Today, many of us want to pack up our jobs and be our own bosses. The idea of working for you attracts many. However, the reality of making it happen soon stops most. In fact the vast majority of us cannot get a business off the ground due to 2 main factors; the first being money and the second being risk.

Starting even a small business takes a fair amount of money. You need to buy or rent premises, purchase your stock and equipment and pay staff if you have them. You will also have other outside expenses such as advertising.

Risk is the factor that kills most businesses off. Even if youre lucky enough to get the capital to start, nearly 90% of all small businesses fail in the first year. If yours is one of the lucky ones, you have to keep reinvesting your time and money to build up the businesses reputation. It could be anywhere from 5-7 years before any significant profit is seen. Most of us cannot wait that long which is what makes affiliate marketing such an attractive offer.

Affiliate marketing involves you, working as an affiliate for a merchant or company. You sell either goods or services and youre paid on how much you produce. There are no costs and no risk. You put in what you choose and are rewarded accordingly.

Running an affiliate marketing business is challenging. Youll have to work very hard to build it up. However, youll be rewarded for your hard work not someone else. Getting an affiliate marketing program going may seem difficult. The truth is it is down to you and how much you want to put in. There is no sure fire way to success but there are some good tips that you can follow to make you affiliate marketing scheme as successful as possible.

There are literally thousands of programs for you to choose from. However, to get started you may want to choose something that you are familiar with. This product or service may not be the hottest thing on the current market or make you a millionaire, but you will come off more confident and sincere with something you know and believe in.

This will also help when it comes to creating your site. Something familiar will allow you to be personal and creative. Trying to create a site around something you know little about will soon become boring and tedious.

Working with something familiar will also give you the some experience in the program. You can always expand at a latter time when you are more familiar with how things work.

Another good piece of advice is to watch the number of banners that you put up. A site full of banners will make the site look ugly and put off potential buyers. Carefully place your banners and use them to accent your site. Stuffing it full will not help.

Remember, in the world of affiliate marketing there is no such thing as the perfect program. Any particular program will be stuffed full of varying testimonials. Some will be great will others will have not done so well. You need to decide for yourself and not be put of by a few bad experiences. In the end it is down to you and how much you want to put in.

Affiliate marketing is a great way to make money and work for you. The risk to you is minimal and there is no start up cost. There are many great affiliate marketing programs out there and choosing the right one may seem like a daunting task. When you first start out remember to stick to what you know. Find something you know about and have an interest in. Make your site attractive to others and resist the urge to fill it with banners. This may end up having the opposite of your desired effect. Finally remember, there is no perfect program. Some will have success where others have failed. It is all down to you. Dont give up.

Making money using forums

Cung911 — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 06:53:34 +0000

Internet Forums + Business = Money2
Internet forums are a popular way of socializing and holding discussions on any topic. These forums are popularly known as message or bulletin boards. Now, these forums have turned into a sort of a community, where members can discuss anything. They can seek advice, solve their problems by consulting with other members, etc. These forums are also divided into topics concerning various aspects like relationships, a specific product, a game, fashion, etc.

Many Internet lingos are widely used in these forums. The best thing about these Internet forums is that it also has the potential to generate some serious cash. The trick to make cash using Internet forums is simple. The following tips will give you some ideas to make money out of discussions.
Joining a Forum: This requires a certain amount of research. First, identify your potential customers and find out which websites and forums they frequently visit. If your business is related to selling super bikes, join a community that has similar interests.
Obey the Rules: When you join the forum, do not indulge in trolling and other activities that can get you banned from the forum. Read the terms and conditions carefully before joining any forum.
Offer your expertise: When you join a forum, dont start off immediately by marketing your products. We all know that time is money, but if you want to make money through Internet forums, you require a little patience to make money. When your fellow members face any problem or need some suggestions to buy a bike (or any product/ service), offer your expertise. Let them know that you can solve their problems assuring them to trust you. It would be much more easy to sell your products, once they trust you.
Develop a good marketing strategy: Strategy is the keyword for any business. While using Internet forums, remember that there are fewer dos and more donts. This is because there are many restrictions that some forums have. Try abiding to them. Dont try and sell your products forcibly. That is a huge turn off for the members. Once your fellow members are assured that you are an expert in your field, try to suggest your products and give a brief description for it. But again, dont always talk about business. Share your hobbies and interests with others. Not all forums allow using marketing links. Do a research and you will find some forums that allow their usage.
Use a signature: As some forums dont allow including links in their posts, using a forum signature is the next best thing. Your signature usually opens a new page that gives personal information about yourself. If other members like your postings, they will surely visit your profile. In order to promote your products or services you can include a link in your profile page that will enable other members to view your products.
View other profiles: Show some interest towards other members. View their profiles and get an idea of their likes and dislikes.

You can use these forums to your best advantage by advertising your business. The best way to know your fellow forum members is by posting your comments and participating in debates. Once they know that you are the expert, everything depends on your selling skills. Last word of advice, dont limit yourself to just one forum, join as many as you can.

7 Steps for PPC Keyword Analytics

Radz Nguyen — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 15:10:14 +0000

If you advertise using pay-per-click, and AdWords in particular, you may use web analytics (or Google Analytics) to track the performance of keywords, and identify ones that perform well. If you don’t, you probably should.

Google recently shared 7 steps for doing just that on the Google Analytics Blog, and expanded upon on another our blog. The steps boil down to these:

Ensure Goals and E-commerce Tracking are set up

Access the Keywords Report

Export non-paid keywords to a spreadsheet

Expand the list of keywords using other Google products

Download a list of keywords that you are already advertising on

Identify keywords you are not advertising on

Expand on these keywords and start advertising

author:anhblog

About

Radz Nguyen — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 15:56:52 +0000

Welcome to Ghosts-IT.com – a website to help you learn more about search engine optimization, internet marketing, blogging, Advertising,Software,system,……

We are Ghosts IT Group and we are interested in Information Technology. I build this website to widen our knowledge about IT and we also hope that we can help you know more about IT.

What does this website talk and discuss about ?

We will talk and discuss about Information Technology, search engine optimization, internet marketing, blogging, Advertising,Software,system,Graphic Design (Photoshop,…) … and many subjects that you need to know.

What is the purpose of this website ?

This website is entirely free. We build it with the hope that we can share out knowledge and help you find everything you need.

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8 Reasons to Add a Newsletter to Your Blog

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