"Keep Your Audience"

By Deborah Anderson
Posted Monday, October 11, 2004

It is one thing to get subscribers to your ezine or to get traffic to your web site, but it is quite another thing to keep your subscribers and visitors as your AUDIENCE.

You see, there is a difference between subscribers and an audience. Just as there is a difference between an unsubscribe and a non-interested subscriber. It is very important to keep the attention of your subscribers or visitors. If you lose their attention, you may lose it for good. Go back and read that sentence again. If you lose the attention of your subscribers, you may not get it back.

You may have 10,000 subscribers or 40,000 visitors, but are they really seeing and reading what you have to offer? What good is it if they delete your ezine without reading it and surf right on through your web site without "seeing" it?

The fact that you are reading this article indicates that the ezine publisher / editor or webmaster is doing a good job of keeping you interested (or you are bored and have nothing better to do). Now how does he/she do that? Well, stop and analyze the ezines or newsletters you are subscribed to. What about the bookmarks for your favorite web sites? Do you read all of them or visit all of the web sites all of the time? Why or why not?

Let's examine some ideas here:

1. Original Content
Does your ezine or web site provide original content or is it regurgitated content from a compilation of other web sites? If this is your intent, present your ezine or web site as a list of resources. Don't try to be what you are not.

2. Relevant Content
Is your web site focused on marketing? Well, then don't fill it with deep sea diving articles. You will confuse your readers.

3. Keep it consistent
Oh, you don't feel like writing this week? You say you are just going to "throw together" your ezine to get it done with and publish a fantastic one next week? Go ahead, but you run the risk of losing your audience. One bad issue may cost you the attention of your subscribers, though they may take six months more to actually unsubscribe. .
4. Keep It Simple & Quick Don't try to re-write the encyclopedias in one issue. You will tire yourself out and not have anything left for your next issues. You will also tire your readers out and they may not take the desired time to finish reading. If you do provide a lot of information, break it into "bite-size" morsels.

5. Personalized responses Do you receive feedback from your subscribers or visitors? Respond to them personally and they will see that you are a real person that not only cares about their needs and wants, but understands their needs and wants.

6. Feedback
Offer your subscribers the ability to offer feedback and ask questions, both on your web site and through email. You want to be approachable or they will keep searching.

7. Free Exposure
Offer your readers the opportunity to advertise themselves. If you focus entirely on yourself, your business, your web site, etc., you will cause your readers to feel you are so stuck on yourself that you have no idea what is going on around you. People always love to talk about themselves, let your readers do so - they will appreciate you for it.

8. Keep it Resourceful People vary. Some like philosophical articles, some how-to. Some like quick tips. Some like contests. Whoever your subscribers are, they are most likely all looking for something that they can get out of your ezine (preferably for free). Give them something resourceful. Give them something that they can use to better themselves and/or their business or whatever their interest. Help them grow and they will be more likely to be receptive to what you publish.

9. Give them something free Just like #9 above, offer free stuff to your subscribers. Let them have a "taste" of what you are offering. If you truly are an ethical personal offering valuable products or services, they will be back.

10. Contests & Specials What benefit is it to your subscribers to remain subscribed to your ezine? Offer them subscriber-only specials or contests. They will want to view the next publication to see if they have won anything or to see what they can get for free or reduced prices

This is by far, not an exhaustive list, but hopefully it will get you thinking as to how to keep your audience.

To sum it all up - Think of your audience first and they will remember you.

About the Author
Deborah Anderson is the editor of Webmaster Tips Weekly (http://www.andersoncreations.com/subscribe.shtml) and she provides the "Web Tips" column for use in ezines and web sites across the internet - free. Subscribe free to WebTipsDigest to receive 7 Web Tips per week for your free use. Visit (http://Webmaster-Tips-Weekly.com/webtips)