One of the most widely used marketing strategies on the Internet
is to buy solo or exclusive mailings in ezines.  A solo or
exclusive mailing is simply a mailing of your advertisement to
the readers of an ezine.

There are no other ads or content in the ezine.  Only your ad
copy, which could range from a few words to a few pages.  This
is an effective marketing strategy to use because your
advertisement is the center of attention creating a better
conversion ratio as compared to a top sponsor or regular
classified ad position.

There are numerous factors to consider when designing your ad
copy for your solo or exclusive mailing.  Marketers spend
countless number of hours tweaking their ad copy to optimal
levels.

One of the most important factors to consider when using this
form of advertising is the quality of the ezine that you plan to
advertise in.

You could have the most incredible sales copy written that would
make any top Internet marketer weep, but it could all be
a waste if you advertise it to a poor quality ezine list.

Here are some important factors to consider about a potential
list:

1. Does the ezine provide any valuable content in its regular
   issues?  This will determine if anyone even actually reads it
   or deletes it.  Sometimes it is easier for people to just
   delete that ezine rather than unsubscribe.

2. How many solo ads does the ezine send on a regular basis?  If
   they blast solo ads to their readers all the time, readers
   could get sick and tired of seeing solo ads and simply delete
   them when they arrive in their inbox.  I used to be
   subscribed to a few ezines that sent out solo ads every day!
   Ahhhhhhhhhrgh!

3. How did the ezine list owner get his or her subscribers?  Do
   they force people on to their ezine list if they post a FFA
   link or free classified ad on their web site?  These leads
   are not targeted prospects because they never asked to
   receive the ezine on their own.

4. Does the ezine list owner let you customize the subject
   heading?  This is one of the most important elements to
   getting your solo ad opened and read.

5. Is the ezine list targeted to your market?  Only advertise on
   ezines that you feel have the *right* readers who will be
   interested in what you have to offer.

One you have done your homework and have decided which ezine you
are going to advertise in, it is very important that you test
the results.

Taking out an ad in multiple ezines without tracking won't tell
you anything.

How do you know which ezine was responsible for bringing the
sales?  Which ezine should you advertise in again?

If you are promoting your own product or service that as an
affiliate program, simply create a dummy affiliate for each
ezine you advertise in and use the affiliate URLs.

You will be able to tell the traffic and sales that a particular
ezine brought you.  I even set up a dummy affiliate link for my
ad campaigns on pay-per-click search engines.

When you are spending your hard earned money on solo and
exclusive mailings, it is important to be advertising on the
right list!