Drive Traffic/Promos

How-to training, practical advice, checklists, and real-life examples of marketing promotions proven to reach more potential members and subscribers. Includes search marketing, affiliate marketing, social media, email advertising, and postal direct mail.

ON-DEMAND:Behavioral Targeting for Subscription Sales

Discover a new online marketing technique that can help you sell more subscriptions and increase engagement! Erik Matlick, CEO of Madison Logic, explains how behavioral targeting can augment your email marketing program, making you a true multi-touch, multi-channel marketer. Plus, learn how one behavioral targeting campaign led to a 30% lift in Webinar attendance! . . . click here

HOW-TO: Advanced SEO Tactics for Subscription Sites

Once you've explored our SEO Toolkit and gotten the basics down -- site requirements, keyword research and link building -- then it's time to explore ancillary activities that can further improve your search results. In this How-To article, we discuss four new developments that can affect your SEO and discoverability on the Web: Facebook's new Graph Search (which is a serious threat to Google for some search activities), YouTube video tags, Google+ and authorship tags, and Bing/Yahoo differences in optimization. . . . click here

HOW-TO: Best Practices for Gift Subscription Offers --5 Marketing Tips and 3 Operational Tactics

Last holiday season, more than $32 billion worth of gifts were sold online to Americans, including gift subscriptions to sites such as Angie's List and The Wall Street Journal. Here's how to get your slice of the pie. This quick how-to report outlines five gift subscription marketing tactics as well as three operational factors you'll have to consider to pull this off profitably. Plus, get inspired by real-life samples from other subscription sites gift offer campaigns. . . . click here

ON-DEMAND: Social Media for Subscription Sites: HR Policies and Protecting Paid Content

Social media is the ultimate Catch-22 - it can drive tons of traffic to your site, but it can also corrupt your paywall, threatening your bottom line. In this one-hour video, Social Media Maven Rachel Yeomans will help you: * Figure out which social media platforms serve you best * Protect your premium content * Develop HR policies that benefit your strategic goals and your employees A must-view for anyone even considering using social media to promote their free and/or paid content! . . . click here

HOW-TO: Direct Mail for Acquiring New and Expired Online Subscribers

Direct Mail has been a favorite marketing tactic for print publications, and shouldn't be ignored by online publishers. Postal mail can help you acquire new subscribers and get expired accounts to return, especially when you maintain a quality list. In this handy how-to article, we detail the best practices you need to employ to have a successful postal direct mail campaign to increase your online subscribers. Learn how to maximize your response rates and get creative ideas specific to marketing online subscriptions. . . . click here

ON-DEMAND: Best Practices for Subscription Site Trial Offers

Confused about how to set up a trial offer? Or unsure whether you're "doing it right"? In this 40-minute video, Subscription Site Insider Editor Minal Bopaiah takes you through the best practices for trial offers, from technical and payment processing considerations to marketing and design tips to improve conversion rates. Plus, learn why you might be better off with a $1 trial than a free trial offer! . . . click here

HOW-TO:Drive Traffic With Pinterest While Protecting Your Premium Content

Whether you like it or not, Pinterest is exploding, which means it can drive huge amounts of traffic to your site as well as corrupt your paywall. This how-to gives you three easy ways to protect your brand and premium content while using Pinterest to increase site traffic and search rankings. In addition, subscription and membership sites interested in marketing through Pinterest will learn what five steps they need to implement. Plus, learn what makes a great "pin," with creative samples from B2C and B2B sites! . . . click here

[How to] Getting Your Content on LinkedIn Today

LinkedIn Today can drive you tons of traffic -- for free. But it takes more than just adding a "share" icon to your site. Discover more about the algorithm that makes some stories shoot to the top of LinkedIn Today headline results, and learn 9 specific steps you should implement to optimize your content for LinkedIn Today and get your content the attention it deserves… . . . click here

Marketing through Google Books: Strategy, How-to Tips & What to Avoid

Looking to repurpose your paywalled content and drive traffic to your site? White papers and PDF downloads can easily be uploaded to Google Books and then indexed on Google Search, which will also increase your SEO rankings. But you may want to opt to sell your PDFs through your own site than through the Google Books Storefront. Read on to find out how your subscription or paywall site can use the Google Books platform to your advantage. . . . click here

[How to] Getting Into Google News

SEO is not enough to get you onto Google News, a must-have marketing tactic for any news-worthy site. This How-to will help you determine if your content is suitable for Google News and if so, how to prepare your website, submit it for approval, and then rise in the rankings. . . . click here

[Checklist] Running an Awards Program

Awards are a great way to drive traffic to your site and promote your brand - while flattering your members. However, they take a fair amount of planning and often more time than most people expect. Our handy checklist takes you through the process step-by-step and makes sure you cross all the 'T's and dot all the 'I's so that your awards program is a success! . . . click here

[How to] Launch Awards to Boost Traffic, Revenues & Retention for Your Site

Awards can be a powerful tool to drive traffic, revenue, and member retention. But it takes planning and foresight. In this quick how-to report, Subscription Site Insider walks you through setting strategy, soliciting entries, the judging process, and promoting winners, as well as selling sponsorships. Includes 15 hands-on tips from a publisher who's launched many successful awards programs. . . . click here

[On Demand] How to Audit Your Pay Per Click (PPC) Marketing

Pay per click marketing expert Paul Benson says almost every membership site on the Web today is wasting money in their PPC campaigns ... while not necessarily getting the traffic they deserve. He'd like to help you change that with the tactics you'll learn in this on-demand video including a step-by-step audit of the AdWords efforts of a member subscription site. . . . click here

[Checklist] Audit and Improve Your Pay Per Click (PPC) Advertising

Pay per click advertising is a powerful way to send traffic to membership and subscription sites. But if you're not doing it right, it can be a costly undertaking. Our checklist provides you a step-by-step way to audit your PPC advertising and optimize it for better conversion. It covers keywords, bids, ad copy, landing pages, targeting and more. Plus there's a handy glossary detailing any unfamiliar PPC terms. . . . click here

[How To] Use Free Syndicated Content to Drive Paid Subscriptions

Agora Financial offers 18 paid subscription products aimed at the consumer personal finance marketplace. Although Agora has many brands and titles, it has cleverly created one major branded free site and newsletter sent six days a week to over 500,000 readers. One major way it built that list is through content syndication which accounts for 15% of referral traffic and three times the sign ups of other referral traffic. . . . click here

[On Demand] Affiliate Marketing to Sell Online Subscriptions

Affiliate programs can be a key part of online subscription revenues if they're done right. Peter Figueredo, founding partner of NetX, shares key data and lessons learned in building affiliate programs for subscription sites like Audible.com and FinancialTimes.com. . . . click here

[Toolkit] Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Guidelines and Tips for Subscription Sites [PowerPoint Slides and Checklist]

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the use of keywords and links to get search engines to place your site's pages high in "organic" (free) results where your prospects can more easily find your offerings. Subscription sites have certain challenges with SEO as not all of their sites' content is "indexable" by search engines. In this Subscription Site Insider toolkit, you will learn about the three main legs of SEO: keywords, on-site changes and inbound links and take away specific action points to raise your site's search engine ranking. . . . click here

[On Demand] Paid Subscription Marketing via Facebook Ads: Best Practices for Ads & Landing Pages, Plus Real-Life Examples

Facebook ads are going to be even more important than Google ads for many audience development pros and membership site marketers. But, you can waste a lot of money if you don't know what you're doing. See best practices for designing ads and landing pages, plus get tips on audience targeting, bid management, and campaign monitoring to determine ROI . . . click here

[How-to] Getting Started with the Facebook Ad Manager: Six Lessons to Help You Launch Your First Campaign

Insider's practical guide to using the Facebook Ad Manager features six lessons that will help you set up your first test campaign the right way. It features advice on choosing the right type of ad, setting budgets, targeting options, and more . . . click here

[How to] Selling Subscriptions via Groupon: 7 Potential Drawbacks, 5 Keys to Success & Real-Life Examples

Newspapers and online publishers have sold thousands of subscriptions through Groupon. But before you test Groupon, read Insider's exclusive guide including details on what sorts of offers you can make (hint: autorenew is not possible), how long campaigns take to get off the ground, how many subscriptions other publishers have sold, how cash flow works, and specific tactics to improve your Groupon campaign results. Includes real-life sales data from publishers as well as creative samples of Groupon campaigns by ESPN Insider and the Providence Business News. . . . click here

[Checklist] Maximizing Online Public Relations For Year-Round Impact Requiring Little Work

Your 5-page checklist includes over 50 items to help prepare an online public relations strategy, incorporate social media and multimedia, decide whether to use a paid or free PR release service, optimize your press releases, get your network to cover your news and track & measure performance. . . . click here

[On-Demand] Referral and Word-of-Mouth Marketing for Subscription Sites

See the top 7 free or low-cost programs that turn your existing member base into a high-quality subscriber acquisition channel. This 40-minute presentation includes real-life examples from B2B and B2C sites, and best practices for using incentives and measuring results. . . . click here

[On-Demand] Subscription & Membership Site Marketing Strategy Primer

This 60-minute tutorial by Anne Holland outlines the strategic decisions you must make before you can begin to market your site, including: Targeting, taxonomy, and benefits, Lists and media, Cost per acquisition, Branding vs direct response offers, and Calendaring your marketing year. . . . click here

[PowerPoint Download] Social Marketing How-to: Twitter

Optimize your Twitter account with the practical advice in this how-to presentation. See why it's crucial to use branded company accounts, when to use more than one Twitter account; and how to make bios and profile images work harder for you. Includes examples from B2B and B2C subscription sites . . . click here

[Tips] Social Marketing How-to: Google Groups

Google Groups carries on the legacy of Usenet discussion groups. Although there are thousands of active groups, it's not a channel for everyone. Learn which niches are a good fit for Google Groups, the platform's key factors for subscription sites, and Insider's 4 recommendations for the channel. . . . click here

[PowerPoint Download] Social Marketing How-to: Yahoo! Groups

Old-school, but still effective -- See how Yahoo! Groups provide online and email-based networking that can be more effective than Facebook for some niches. Includes key factors for subscription sites, a mini-Case Study, and four steps to get started. . . . click here

[Tips] 7 Proven Secrets to Subscription & Membership Site Growth

Start growing your business today with these seven proven secrets of successfull subscription and membership sites. Includes tactics for improving retention, generating referrals, optimizing your paywall placement, and more . . . click here

[On-Demand] SEO Research for Paid Content Professionals

Check out this SEO overview for ideas you can implement today--including the five factors proven to move the SEO-revenue needle. Many of these ideas are free or low-cost, easy to get started with (you can even have your intern start on some of them this afternoon), and all will help improve your results and differentiate you from the competition. . . . click here

[PowerPoint Download] SEO Guidelines for Subscription Sites: Building Inbound Links - UPDATED

Inbound links are one of the most important contributors to your site's search rankings. Discover how the search bots judge a "quality" link, and how you can use articles, widgets and video to attract more links from bloggers, media sites and other important webpages. . . . click here

[PowerPoint Download] SEO Guidelines for Subscription Sites: On-Site Changes - UPDATED

77% of membership and subscription sites say they rely heavily on search engine traffic for sales; but, only a fraction have search-engine-friendly sites. Discover how to change your site so search engine 'bots will find it. . . . click here

[Tips] Affiliate Marketing for Subscription Sites: Budgeting & Recruitment

Similar to ecommerce sites, typical subscription sites targeting consumers -- or B2B sites with mass appeal -- tend to get 10-20% of total new customer acquisition through performance marketing partners (aka affiliates). Discover how to meet affiliates, recommended commission structures, how much you should budget for affiliate marketing, and whether you should handle this in-house or hire an agency. . . . click here

[Article Digest] FriendFinder Networks Thrives on Niche Marketing Thru Affiliates to Reap Longer Term Subs and Higher Renewal Rates
A trailblazer when it launched in 1996, subscription-based dating site FriendFinder Networks Inc. nurtured affiliate relationships to drive traffic to its 16 niche sites including AsiaFriendFinder, FrenchFriendFinder, JewishFriendFinder and SeniorFriendFinder. . . . click here

[Article Digest] How KnittingDaily.com Got Page One Organic Search Ranking for Keyword 'Knitting Socks'
Trying to get on page one of organic search rankings for a particular keyword? Here's how KnittingDaily.com did it: First, they created a free ebook out of re-purposed content. Then, they infused its title with keywords. . . . click here

[Article Digest] Match.com Uses TV, Guarantees & Mobile App to Get 20,000 New Members per Day
By September 2009 Match.com was attracting about 20,000 new member sign-ups per day. Here were a few ways North American General Manager, Mandy Ginsberg, and her team achieved that: . . . click here

[Article Digest] Ode Magazine Increases Digital Subs 10-Fold with Aggressive Social & Email Marketing
Ode, a magazine about positive social, environmental, and economic change, grew its digital subscriptions 10-fold in six months through email marketing to new subscribers, renewal subscribers, domestic subscribers, and international subscribers. . . . click here

[Article Digest] How FuelNet Creates Customer Personas to Drive Marketing Efforts
FuelNet created customer profiles or personas of its customers to advise future marketing efforts. Here's how they did it: . . . click here

[Article Digest] The Motley Fool Shares Its Email List Building Best Practices
Investment newsletter publisher The Motley Fool captured about 100,000 email addresses per month through free online reports and a less-is-more email-capture approach. Online reports, available through the website and PPC ads, required visitors to enter only an email address to get access. Once they got access a screen asked for more personal information used to target marketing efforts to them. . . . click here

[Article Digest] How Marvel Comics Markets Paid Digital Edition Subscriptions
Marvel Comics discovered the best way to attract online subscribers without cannibalizing print sales was by providing value-added comics-viewing technology and search capabilities, instead of the option to download comics onto a computer. They tested a Flash-based digital comic viewer to create value for readers, . . . click here

[Article Digest] Boost Revenue Using Relevant Content and Multi-Channel Marketing
LoanToolbox, a subscription-based training site for mortgage brokers, increased revenues 10% partially by creating highly-relevant site tools and resources, including an audio conference about how to survive the credit crunch. Using email to promote the free conference, they got 2,800 registrants and several new leads. . . . click here

[Article Digest] How The Motley Fool Gained 150,000 Paid Subscribers
Publishing more than 700 free articles per month on the website and through email helped The Motley Fool achieve a 5% free-registrant-to-paid-newsletter-subscriber conversion rate, which earned about $22.5 million in gross revenue per year from 150,000 subscribers. . . . click here

[Article Digest] How StomperNet Sold 1,000 $797 Subscriptions in 11.5 Hours: Video Marketing
StomperNet, an online marketing training site, sold out 1,000 spots for year-long subs (priced at $797/month) in 11.5 hours by limiting the number of seats offered. Prices were released the day before sign-ups to build suspense. . . . click here

[Article Digest] How Econsultancy Uses Social Marketing to Grow SEO Traffic
Econsultancy, an online marketing education site, used relevant keyword searches to find relevant social media channels in which to participate. Next, the site tested each channel to see which one had the highest ROI. . . . click here

[Article Digest] Selling eBooks & Subscriptions to Consumers Online: Hard Lessons from a Get-Rich-Quick Publisher
Shawn Casey, Founder and CEO MiningGold.com, a publisher in the 'How to get rich on the Internet' niche, sold $30 million worth of his own information products online from 2001-2009. In 2002, he revealed these tips from his own experience for mainstream publishers to learn from. . . . click here

[Article Digest] Book Marketing Update Tests $1 Teleseminar as Marketing Device to Sell $19.95/Month Subscriptions
In 2001, Bill Harrison, Publisher at Bradley Communication, found that his postal direct mail campaigns were no longer profitably selling $397 annual subscriptions to the print B2B newsletter 'Book Marketing Update.' He decided to test changing the pricing to $19.95 per month on a recurring basis (the annual offer did not automate renewals). . . . click here

[Article Digest] InvestmentHouse.com Uses Different Tactics to Market Paid Email Newsletters at Different Price Points
InvestmentHouse.com published three different stock advisory email newsletters for consumers. CEO Eric Aafedt discovered different tactics worked best to sell subscriptions to each: . . . click here

[Article Digest] VersusLaw Sells Website Subscriptions via Direct Postal Mail Campaign
At $6.95 per month, VersusLaw, a searchable online database of case law, was by far the cheapest of its peers online. Therefore Marketing Manager Tim Jones had to keep costs down and conversions high. He aggressively promoted a free email newsletter which in turn carried ads for the paid subscription service. . . . click here

[Article Digest] Cabot Heritage Markets Stock Advisory Subscription Newsletters via Ads in Competitor's Email Newsletters
Julie DeFelice, Ecommerce Director of Cabot Heritage, started testing buying ads in competitor email newsletters, such as TheStreet.com, CBS Marketwatch and Raging Bull, in late 1999. She boiled down Cabot's traditionally lengthy copy to 35-75 words for the ads, and used a mystery stock and a free offer to get response. . . . click here

[Article Digest] How getAbstract Sells $299 Subscriptions to an Online Library of Business Book Summaries
getAbstract has created an online subscription library of 5-page summaries of popular business books in English, German and Spanish. Book publishers and authors are not compensated, but hope the summaries entice more hard copy purchasers. . . . click here

[Article Digest] How Questia Got 10% of New Subscribers from Email Marketing
Questia, a subscription-based book and journal research library, revamped its email marketing strategy starting with tweaking an overlay screen to appear every time a new visitor landed on the site. The overlay greeted visitors with offer to opt-in by entering their email address. . . . click here