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I've been in the ezine publishing business since 1998.

I started out in the early days with short, text emails directing my readers to my web site for articles and tips I thought would be of interest to them.

It was a crude beginning.

I used Microsoft Outlook and managed my list manually. At the time it was all I knew and you know what? It worked! For over five years I generated 100% of my small business marketing consulting clients from referrals that I tracked directly to those email messages.

Those messages enabled me to maintain contact with people I am confident I would have lost touch with otherwise. And to keep them posted on what I was doing as well as to help them by sharing useful small business marketing information and tips.

So when I was ready to launch a new small business marketing business in 2004, you can bet I turned to email marketing.

I've learned a lot about successfully publishing an ezine and using email marketing as a client attraction and relationship building tool in the past seven years.

Here are 5 tips to help you be more successful with your ezine:

(1) Publish in html format so you can track your sent/opened ratio.

Some Internet gurus will argue that you should only publish text messages; that if you publish in html your ezine will get caught in spam filters. And, too many people can't or don't want to receive graphic-intense html email. I disagree. Html ezines are easier to read, they allow you to include images so they are more interesting, and best of all they enable you to track your sent/opened ratio.

If you want to see how many of your subscribers are reading your ezine every week, you need to be able to track your sent/open ratio. This can help you determine what subject lines are most effective and what content your readers are most interested in.

(2) Use a program that has MIME capabilities so 100% of your subscribers can receive your messages.

If you're going to publish in html, I highly recommend you use a program that allows you to also publish a text version of your ezine. Use a program that has MIME capabilities - this allows you to create both an html and text version of your ezine.

Your subscribers' computers determine which version gets delivered based on their preferences. This allows you to publish in html but also have a back up for those subscribers who don't want or can't receive html messages. It's the best of both worlds.

(3) Use email marketing software or an autoresponder program to manage your email marketing - Don't try to manage it manually.

There are many programs available, some are even free, that you use can use to manage your list, your opt-ins and your unsubscribes. It's not only time consuming to try to do it manually, it can get you in trouble. You don't want to be sending out emails to large groups through an email program like Microsoft Outlook, or you may be accused of sending spam.

Spend your time writing great articles that your readers can benefit from and leave the subscription and broadcasting management jobs up to a software program designed to do just that.

(4) Always run your messages through a spam-checker before sending them to ensure deliverability.

Even if you write to avoid typical spam trigger words, it's still important to run your ezine through a spam checker before you send it out. This gives you the chance to edit out any problem words so you can increase the odds your ezine will be delivered to 100% of your subscriber list.

(5) Always write content that is of high interest to your readers. If you're not sure what that is, ask your readers to tell you.

Of course your ezine is a marketing vehicle, but if you lean too heavy on the marketing and don't include enough valuable content, your subscribers won't stay on your list very long. Be sure to consistently include articles, tips and information that are of high interest to your readers.

And make sure the information is consistent with the content on your web site and what you promised to give them when they subscribed. Keep your marketing to less than 50% of your total content and you'll maintain a fair balance of free information and promotion.

Reading your ezine helps them get to know you as well as building trust. And those who know and trust you are a lot more likely to purchase from you.

(C) 2006 Copyright Debbie LaChusa

Debbie LaChusa

Debbie LaChusa is a marketing veteran with 20 years in the business. After 13 years in the advertising and marketing agency business, Debbie founded DLC Marketing, Inc., a marketing consulting and coaching business. Her goal? To give entrepreneurs and small business owners affordable access to the same high-level strategic marketing and advertising expertise that typically only large companies with big budgets can afford.

Debbie's commitment to making marketing expertise accessible to small business also led her to pursue speaking engagements and teaching. She has spoken at meetings and conventions across the United States and in Canada. She also is on the faculty of Wellcoaches Corporation, where she teaches wellness coach trainees around the world how to successfully market their new coaching practices.

Debbie has written and self-published two marketing workbooks, "A Step-by-Step Marketing Guide" and "A Step-by-Step Marketing Guide for Your Fitness Business" which have sold copies worldwide. Her advice is also featured in Entrepreneur Magazine's "How to Start a Personal Training Business," part of the magazine's Business Start-Up Series. And she is a contributor to the San Diego Business Journal.

Debbie created The 10stepmarketing? System to provide small business owners, coaches, consultants and other independent professionals with all the tools they need to market themselves.

This simple, step-by-step system, features an easy-to-use question-and-answer format that walks business owners through every step they need to take to develop and implement their own marketing plan designed to achieve the success they desire and deserve.

On a more personal note, Debbie LaChusa is a fraternal twin. In 2004 she launched Twin Connections, a web site that celebrates the unique and mysterious bond shared by twins. She collects twin stories and hopes to compile them into a book.