Starting and building an online business takes a lot of commitment. You must promote yourself and your reputation in order to build trust among your visitors. By doing this, you will also be building and improving your business.

One of the best ways of doing this is by publishing an ezine or newsletter. Obtaining subscribers for your ezine is a great way to stay in contact with these potential customers and to create the relationship needed to establish trust. I believe an ezine is very critical to your online success.

Some of the fundamentals of a good ezine are:
1. Clean, sharp design
2. Personality
3. Quality Content
4. Reliability
5. Professionalism

**Design

The first thing you want to do is decide on the design and format of your ezine. You can take a look at some other successful ezines to get an idea of what a good ezine consists of. Find lots of ezines here:
http://www.ezinelocater.com/
http://ezine-universe.com/
http://www.freezineweb.com/subject.html

Visit these sites for more information and a free template:
http://www.e-zinez.com/handbook/template.html
http://www.websuccesscentral.com/ezinesuccess/part1.html

Keep your ezine simply designed so that it is easy to read. Do not overdo the squiggles, decorations and section dividers. Leave a sufficient amount of "white space" between sections and sub-sections. This will make your ezine easier to read and will also make it look more professional.

**Personality

There are hundreds of quality ezines available on the Internet. You must make yours unique. One of the best ways of doing this is to add your personality to the ezine. Let your readers know you are there for them. They will begin to trust you more if you let them know more about you and how you run your business. Talk to your readers and involve them in the publishing of your ezine. Let them tell you what they like and dislike. This process helps build the relationships that are so essential to your business success.

**Quality Content

I have seen a lot of ezines that had great potential, but were turned into a giant ad sheet. One of the most important things for a successful ezine is to have LOTS of quality content. Limit the number of ads you run in each issue. This leaves more room for resources and information.

Some of the things you should include in your ezine:
Informative articles
Helpful links
Useful tips and ideas
Product reviews
Original material
Free resources

Some places to find quality content:
http://www.makingprofit.com/mp/
http://www.ideamarketers.com/syndicated/

Surf the web for quality resource links and products. http://www.excite.com (search for whatever kind of content you are looking for)

Write your own articles or run an editorial in each issue. Have some content that is not found in any other ezine. This is a good place to add your personality.

Subscribe to a few discussion lists. These networking lists are a great source of information and resources. You can also join in the discussions and promote your business.
mailto:digital-women-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
mailto:entrepreneurs-network-exchange-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

I find these two groups invaluable for resources, networking and promotion.

Watch your email for new site announcements, new products, affiliate programs or great new ezines.

The supply of quality content on the Internet is endless. When you find a good bit of content, copy and paste it into your ezine template immediately. This will save time when you are finishing your current issue.

**Reliability

Always deliver your ezine on time (unless out of your control), in which case you send an apology with explanation. Making and keeping a schedule will confirm your readers trust in you. This will say a lot about your business in general.

**Professionalism

Make sure there are no careless mistakes in your ezine such as spelling or grammar. An ezine can be loaded with good content, but if it looks like a child put it together it doesn't say much for your business. Make it look professional while adding your own personal touch and you will be a hit.

Of course, we will all make mistakes sometimes, but avoid this as much as possible for a professional, quality ezine.

Next week, in Lesson 2, I will cover ad swaps, article writing and submitting, and other ways of promoting your ezine.

Terri Seymour is the publisher of Web Success Ezine and owner of Web Success Central. You can contact her at: mailto:ter02@newnorth.net Subscribe to Web Success Ezine and get two free gifts by sending any email to mailto:web-success-subscribe@egroups.com or visit http://www.websuccesscentral.com for more resources, moneymaking programs, and information.

This article can be reproduced in your publication or on your web site at no charge. All we ask is that you publish the article in it's entirety, including the author's footnote.

Click here to return to Index of Free Articles.