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Ezine marketing, despite what some people claim, is still alive and well…at least for the people who do it right.

But, not many people do. Ezines can be a powerful marketing tool for building trust and credibility with your prospects. They are also a great first step into your sales funnel and you can monetize them without going for the hard sell.

So, whether you are just starting your ezine or you’ve been using an ezine for a long time as part of your strategic marketing plan, it may be time for a tune up. Here are some questions/thoughts/ideas to get you thinking about your own ezine and if in fact it’s doing what you intend, you’re sending the message you think you’re sending, and it’s delivering a consistent ROI.

1. Send out a solo email to your email subscribers and ask them for a testimonial/review regarding your ezine specifically in exchange for a special report created especially for them. This will give you great information and insight into whether or not the value they think you are providing is the same as what you think. You’ll also get a clue as to why they read it, what they get out of it, and what they don’t like.

In order to get specific information from each person, I would create a template for them to follow. This way, you will have information that is easy to break down and they won’t be intimidated about giving you what they don’t like.

2. Ask a couple of people that know you really well but who don’t currently get your ezine to review it for a couple of weeks. Then ask them what their impression is. Ask them how you come off in your ezine. Does the person they know and love come through in the ezine? If not, what impression are they getting about who you are? This is really important information. While I do not usually recommend for clients to get marketing advice from friends and family, when it comes to first impressions, this is a good tool. Think of it this way. If someone signs up for your ezine, you want the first read to be impressive. Why? If it’s not, they’ll likely unsubscribe and you’ll never hear from them again.

3. Does the name of your ezine draw people in? Is it a good descriptor of what people will actually read about when they get it? Don’t worry about being cute - direct and clear is better than cute. If it’s not clear what it’s about or what value they will get as a result of subscribing, they won’t do it.

4. Do you have a clear target market? You can’t write focused and valuable content for everyone. If you are in business for yourself you should have already figured out that nicheing is where the money is and this should hold true for your ezine as well. Make sure you advertise your ezine to a specific group of people and stay consistent. It will not only make people stand up and say “wow, this was written especially for me” but it will also make writing each week so much easier.

5. Do you stick to a schedule? I recommend once a week for maximum exposure. But, whatever you do, make it frequent and consistent. Don’t do it on Monday one week and Thursday the next. People are creatures of habit and they come to expect things to be a certain way. For example, I send out mine every Wednesday and I often get emails or comments from people on Tuesdays saying “I can’t wait to read your ezine tomorrow”. They come to expect it and they want to be able to count on me. So, I don’t let them down.

6. Does your ezine include valuable articles, tips, advice, etc EVERY single time you publish? This is critical. if your readers are taking time out of their day to read your ezine, it better provide value, so much so that when they are finished they think they are better off for having read it. So whether you are giving them a long article or a short tip, make sure there are plenty of takeaways.

7. Do you promote it every chance you get? Does your author resource box in your articles include a link to it? Do you offer archived versions of it for free on your website? Does your signature file include a link to it? When you meet people who are in your target market do you invite them to check it out in exchange for a free report or teleclass? Do you create PPC ads to draw in more readers? An ezine is one of the best possible ways to grow your list and create long lasting relationships with your clients. Use as many ways as possible to get targeted traffic to your ezine opt-in. Then, make them glad they signed up.

8. Are you keeping your sales and promotions to only about 25%? I’ve seen some ezines where it was more like 75% promotion and 25% valuable content and I unsubscribe immediately. Do a check of your ezine and make sure your subscribers don’t feel like they’re being sold to. You’ll be able to get info about this when you survey them too.

9. Do you have a short bio at the end of each ezine? Assume that your readers don’t know who you are or what you do and remember that people often forward great ezines to their friends and colleagues. You want these new people to have a snapshot of who you are and what you do without having to guess. So in your bio include who you are, what you do, how you can help them and what they should do next. Always have a call to action. You got them to subscribe to your ezine (step 1 in the funnel). Now get them to step 2 with maybe a free teleclass or special report. From there you can move into more paid products and services.

10. Is your company name, address, forward and unsubscribe link easy to find? Remember, you want to be transparent and you want it to be easy for your readers to take action. Make it a no-brainer.

Ezines are great marketing tools. Just make sure you are allowing it to do what it was designed to do - create a relationship with your readers, serve as an entry point to your sales funnel and make you money.