5. One of best advertising mediums out there is ezine advertising (which is why I receive so many of these bogus "joint venture" proposals). Understand though that person writing and publishing an ezine that accepts paid advertising from third parties is running a *business*. True, some publishers will accept free ads from subscribers but they are usually just starting out and offering free ads is a good way to generate new subscribers. As a result, their subscriber numbers are pretty low (only a few hundred or a couple of thousand at best) and so result will probably be disappointing unless it's an extremely targeted list. So, if you want to get your message to a large, targeted group of prospects, ezine advertising is your best bet. But be prepared to pay.

Contrary to what many people apparently believe, running an online business is hard work. It's not a simple matter of slapping up a website, posting a few free classified ads, submitting your URL to free search engines and then turning your computer on in morning to find an inbox overflowing with orders that came in overnight while you were sleeping. This is a MYTH perpetuated by authors (and VERY hard-working authors, I might add) of those so-called "secret sites" memberships and "insider secrets" marketing courses. They make their money by selling you FANTASY that it's possible to make money online without working (or that you don't have to spend money to make money).

Running an online business requires an enormous time commitment initially just to create a useful website and just as much (if not more) of a commitment to maintain it, create new content, develop products, publish a newsletter and basically do all marketing things that ANY business must do to grow, whether online or off.

So, next time you're looking for ways to market your product or opportunity without spending a dime, think about who you're approaching. If it's a free classified ad site, fine. But if it's someone just like you trying to make a living with a business of their own, ask yourself: What's in it for them to promote your product for free? Consider how you would feel if you had invested two years of blood, sweat and tears building a business in your town only to have people walk into your office expecting you to help them market your product for free. It just ain't gonna happen unless there's something in it for them. The same is true online. Don't make mistake of thinking that someone's online business is just a hobby and that they're there for sole purpose of helping you make a success of your business. They're not. They may be helpful, they may offer advice and encouragement but, when all is said and done, they're in business, just like you. Bottom line: you have to pay your way in this life and that includes online.

The following sites provide lists of newsletters that can be searched for advertising opportunities:

http://www.homeincome.com/search-it/ezine/ http://www.e-zinez.com/cgi-bin/hyperseek/hyperseek.cgi http://www.list-city.com/ezines.htm http://www.site-city.com/members/e-zine-master/ http://bestezines.com/ http://www.lifestylespub.com/cgi-bin/directory.cgi http://ezinecentral.com/ http://ezine-universe.com/ http://ezine-tips.com/ http://list-a-day.com/ http://list-resources.com/

Mike Hill runs a very successful ezine classified ad service that has brought in results. Advertisers can get their ad placed in 20 newsletters sent to 25,000 readers for $10. Visit http://hop.clickbank.net/?glenpalo/cashgalore for more information.

The least successful form of advertising for me in 2001 was use of "safelists" of opt-in email addresses. Usually, safelist operators let you email to their database of email addresses for a nominal fee. The fee is either an annual or monthly fee. Some people say they have been successful using safelists. While I did not get same results, I found that use of safelists was a good way to test ad titles (email subject).

MyLISTmaker proved to be an exception. Because of cost of joining MyLISTmaker Gold and, I believe, quality of program, revenue generated from promoting my products more than made up for upfront cost of MyLISTmaker. Also, MyLISTmaker has ability to generate a separate stream of revenue for those that actively promote service. When planning your advertising for 2002, MyLISTmaker is worth a look at http://www.mylistmaker.com/?460019

A number of clickthrough or click exchange programs brought additional visitors to my websites. The basic premise is if you visit websites, you will receive visitors to yours in return. The click exchange programs take several different forms such as popup windows, exit windows, start pages etc. The best collection of these free advertising programs can be found in a downline club called MyECom. I joined and use MyECom because of extensive list of free places to advertise. There is extensive support through one of associated groups. For more information, visit http://myecom.net/members/builder7/

In summary, to improve your results, review what you have done in past. Focus on methods that bring in best results. If you did not try different advertising methods in 2001, try new ones in 2002. That way at end of year, you'll be able to compare results.