Blogs and Ezines ? Complementary?

Originally Published in my ezine, BizBlog+

(Dawud Miracle's Recent Post If You Blog Do You Need An E-Newletter inspired me to post this now)

Are blogs and ezines, a.k.a. e-newsletters, complementary? Or are ezines a thing of the past, being quickly relegated to obscurity with today's email overload and aggressive spam filters?

My main blog, BloggingForBusinessBook.com, is complemented by my ezine, BizBlog+. I offer an ethical bribe, a free audio download (with more bonuses to come), to get people to subscribe.

Why? Why do I want a blog and an ezine? Why do I want people to subscribe? What's the benefit to me as well as my readers?

I've been studying how to successfully spread messages on the Internet. The most successful way to spread your message, any message, definitely includes an email component. Email works! No, I'm NOT condoning spam, but rather email to your optin list, to people that say "Yes, add me to your list, I like to hear from you occasionally."

Bottom line: if it's in your inbox, you'll at least read the subject no matter how busy you are. If it's on one of your favorite blogs however, you still might miss it.

Having a ezine increases your footprint, the number of people exposed to your messages. Some people read blogs regularly while others prefer to receive information via email. Not everyone gets as much email as you and I probably do and is adverse to a bit more!.

Many people will read both your blog and ezine.

Blogs are informal, friendly, and easier to write than ezines, and your personality really shines through. People get to know you through your blog. Any marketing or advertising messages can easily and unobtrusively be added to the sidebars. However blogs require more effort as most bloggers post at very least weekly.

Ezines are more formal, and although your ezine should match your personality, their more formal format is less personal and requires more work. For example I'll proofread this ezine several times, as compared to a blog post which gets one quick proofread. Many people who don't enjoy writing ezines find they truly enjoy blogging and its less formal format.

My recommendation? If you blog, consider adding an ezine. If you don't blog, consider starting. No, neither blogs nor ezines are for everyone or every business, but they are both appropriate for many, and any business trying to make money on the Internet had better be using email!

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[Ted Demopoulos, Blogging for Business]

Also checkout Dawud Miracle's If You Blog Do You Need An E-Newletter, http://dmiracle.com/conversation/if-you-blog-do-you-need-an-e-newsletter/

[Google Snatch Honest Review]

E- zines in this field are at least 10 years old now and one would think they'd have had time to establish a field. Instead what we see is a vast graveyard of virtual corpses and nobody with a sustainable business model. That's kind of sad but perhaps we're still in the infancy of this market and someone will figure out a good content model soon.