What’s the Key to Getting More Business Faster: Blog Subscription or Ezine Sign-up?
In my teleclass “3 Must-Do Steps for Websites that Get Results,” I worked with Mila Ilina on her site Raw-Radiance.com. At the time, her blog design did not include a prominent ezine sign-up.
We discussed whether it’s enough to have the blog subscription. After all, in both cases, someone is agreeing to receive information. So what’s the difference?
Well, I didn’t know! Fortunately, as a member of Raw Professionals Online, I was able to take that questions to small business coach extraordinaire Sandy Martini. With her permission, I’m sharing what she said.
Your ezine/email list gives you three important advantages over your blog subscription list in marketing your business:
- With an ezine, you set an expectation with readers. Whether you’re delivering weekly, biweekly or monthly, people know what to anticipate. They can look forward to regular, predictable communication.
- The ezine list is a better tool for promotion. Whether you’re launching new programs, ebooks or other income generating items, people do expect to receive sales pieces when they subscribe. Blogs are a bit less promotional. Sandy says you generally wouldn’t devote an entire entry to promotion. That makes them a bit more limited in achieving your revenue goals!
- You can target your subscribers more effectively with the ezine list. Whether you’re using a contact management system like aweber, a shopping cart or both, you often have multiple lists based on when people signed up, what they’ve purchased, etc. For example, I have lists for people who signed up at my talk at the Raw Spirit Festival, for the fall teleclass and for my contest in addition to my regular site sign-up. Sometimes I may want to customize a communication. With blog subscribers, it’s “one size fits all” (but I hope these posts are fitting your business needs!
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So not to diminish the value of blog subscribers – and I’m happy to have mine – but do make sure you’re building your email list.
This is the kind of great to the point, time saving, stress reducing information that Sandy provides. So per her advice, I won’t write a whole blog entry on her new program “From the Vision Board to Reality: Creating Your Best Year Ever“. But I will tell you that I can’t wait for our kick-off call next week and it’s not too late for you to be part of it. Full disclosure that I’m an affiliate on this, but since I’m in the program, you know it’s because I believe in the quality of what Sandy’s going to deliver.
Thanks for the tip. I also think that it depends on the age of your viewers, because younger people are usually more adapt at blog subscriptions/readers.
Does it have to be a sign-up for an eZine or any regular thing at all? For example, I’m signed up to one person and they don’t send me regular stuff, but some messages with valuable information sometimes a few times per week, sometimes nothing for weeks. Then they always have product offers at the end. Is there an advantage to having an eZine?
I don’t think it has to be an ezine, but you don’t want to disappear on your subscribers for long periods. Makes them wonder if you care or how your business is going… and may make it look like they only give you something when they want to sell stuff.
Plenty of people also just start with something monthly until they’re more into the writing groove or have a bigger lists, too. Or go with something shorter and less formal initially – how about a few weekly or bi-weekly (every other week) tips?