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Automatic Submission
by Bob Osgoodby
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Did you know there is software and services available,
which will allow you to automatically submit your ads or
articles you have written to web sites and to newsletters?
"Wow - what a great idea!" you might think. I can submit my
ads or articles to thousands of Web Sites and Newsletters
with a single keystroke. "What a time saver!"
Some people send out a dozen or more like this everyday. Is
this doing them any good? Well maybe yes, and maybe no.
Let's first examine the different types of web sites that
accept free ads, and why.
Many web sites that accept free ads, do it purely to
collect email addresses, which they can then sell as
targeted lists. They don't really care if your ad is ever
seen. In fact, many have a high limit of 300 ads. When the
next one is submitted, the oldest is dropped, and the
process continues.
With thousands of ads submitted hourly, how long do you
think your ad will remain on their site - a minute or two -
hardly worth your time. The flip side is you will suddenly
find a lot more unsolicited email arriving daily from those
who bought your address. If you like receiving unsolicited
email, I guess this is good.
Other web sites do care if your ad is seen. So what is
their motive? They are trying to build an advertiser base,
and hope you will purchase a paid ad from them. Ads
submitted to sites like this usually have a life of a week
or more, and can be renewed indefinitely. Their goal is to
attract people to their site and hope that you do business
as a result of your ad.
The first group couldn't care less if you send them
multiple email addresses on a frequent basis - they never
see the ads. Their software automatically collects your
email address, checks for duplicates, and adds it to their
file.
The second group however, and all newsletters published on
a regular basis that allow free ads, are a different story.
When they receive ads, each one is checked manually. They
usually only permit one ad per cycle, and if you submit
7-12 ads a day, you will quickly overwhelm their processing
capabilities. To them, this is spamming. Their only
recourse is to "fight fire with fire". What they do is
automatically filter out the ads submitted using this type
of software. They will never see your ad submissions.
So what does this automatic submission software do for/to
you. In the first example, your ads might have a useful
life measured in minutes. In the second case your ads are
"blocked" from the sites that will produce your best
results.
Once you are blocked (depending on how they do it) you may
never be able to submit ads to these quality sites again -
even if you do it manually. Some block at the email address
level. Once an address is blocked, their filters will
automatically delete your incoming email, whether it is an
ad or not. Maybe automatic submission isn't the best
investment you could make.
Some companies are sending out articles written by "would
be authors" for a fee. These articles cover the gamut from
Aardvark hunting to Zip Lock Bags and are not targeted at
all. Most reputable publishers have a relationship with
authors that have been around for awhile, and have grown to
trust them. They trust not only the accuracy of their
content, but also know that their grammar and spelling are
up to par, and they won't have to do a rewrite of their
article. Most publishers simply trash articles received
like this, and for the most part it is not a good
investment.
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the "Tip of the Day" get a Free Ad for their Business at
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