List Size Doesn’t Matter
Chris Rempel of The Lazy Marketer’s Blog gives an honest view on list size in a short video. Chris uses an actual affiliate marketing example to demonstrate how one affiliate can out sell another with a much larger list.
The Biggest List-Building “Myth” – Ever. (Powerful Example)
The fact that many large lists are ineffective is no surprise here. Have you ever placed an ezine ad or even a solo ad with a list of over thirty thousand with little to no results? I have. It’s amazing to buy a two hundred dollar ad package on a list of over 38,000 ezine subscribers and not make a single sale. I know what you’re thinking, either the product sucks or the sales copy does. The same day I purchased ezine ads on two smaller lists using the exact same sales page with much better results.
It’s important to keep your list clean. It is hard for some ezine publishers to delete old and outdated contacts because they give far too much weight to list size. It is impressive to see big numbers on a site describing an ezine’s subscriber list. Impressive, that is, until you see the actual advertising results. Ask about open and click through rates. What about bounce rates – are bounced emails part of the count? Some sites can’t let go of the numbers.
Another sad fact is some ezine publishers out there that will flat out lie about their subscriber base. The whole ‘fake it until you make it‘ concept. The problem with both of these scenarios is you will not get repeat customers. No one is going to keep throwing money at a lost cause – no matter how many lame testimonials your sales page has.
Bottom line
I recommend you subscribe to ezines that interest you and appeal to your target market. Pay close attention to the content. Content is king and if it seems sub-standard or full of ads simply unsubscribe and move on. When you find yourself looking forward to opening the next issue of a newsletter then it is time to inquire about advertising. Send an email asking about the subscriber count, open and click through rates if it is not already included on the site. Don’t be afraid to ask for references of actual customers if the investment is going to be a large one. Be sure to track the results using either your own or a third party tracking method. I recommend YourAdTracker.com but I may be a little biased since I own it 
Personal solo ad recommendation that has worked for me: Solo-Ads.com
Comments are closed.