Spam e-mail is no longer mild irritant it once was – it’s clogging corporate networks and ISP mail servers and has become a real productivity drain, forcing corporate and consumer e-mail users to spend 20-30 minutes a day dealing with this deluge of junk! According to recent figures, unsolicited bulk e-mail now makes up to 36% of all e-mail, up from under 8% just over a year ago. And, what’s worse, more and more legitimate e-mail is not getting through to recipients due to Spam filtering taking place via ISPs and/or corporate networks.

Opt-in E-Mail Marketing 30K foot Picture

Opt-in e-mail marketing is clearly losing some of its effectiveness as a viable marketing tool much to consternation of those of us who have been advocating its effectiveness for years! This is not to say opt-in e-mail isn’t a viable way to market goods and services – but ROI (read response rates) is heading south quickly and needs to be considered when assessing viability of this marketing process, as response rates have dropped on average from 10-20% to 3-10%.

However, opt-in e-mail is not disappearing off marketing horizons – Forrester forecasts spending on e-mail marketing will grow from $1.3B (USD) in 2001 to $6.8B in 2006 and Jupiter Media Metrix is even more optimistic, forecasting growth rates from $1B in 2001 to $9.4B in 2006. But, there is a dark undercurrent to these numbers that is fueling market growth and driving down response rates – some opt-in agencies, brokers and media representatives are “flogging” lists by overselling them – so caveat emptor.

Five Offsetting Marketing Strategies

To begin writing your own profit generating e-zine ads that continually bring you more sales:

1. Start with a compelling headline.

The first and most important part of your ad is your headline. It is what will set your ad apart from all other ads published in an e-zine.

To get your readers' attention your headline must engage your readers' self interest. It must tell your reader what is in it for them. For instance "How To Lose 20 Pounds In 30 Days Or Less" or "How Write Your Own Order Pulling E-zine Ads."

You can also grab your reader's interest by asking a question or by offering your reader something newsworthy or informative. People are always interested in new and interesting things that help them do something better or that make things easier for them in some way.

If possible use word free in your headline. The word free is #1 attention grabbing word and will automatically draw your reader's attention to your ad.

Avoid headlines that are cute or that are misleading. Even if you do get more visitors to your site you are unlikely to get any sales.