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Don’t Go PostalBy Kim T. Gordon Electronic newsletters lead the pack when it comes to successful communications tools. Less costly than paper newsletters, with no printing, postage or mailing costs, e-newsletters mailed to opt-in lists (which consist of people who've signed up to receive them) may get better readership than newsletters sent by traditional direct mail. If you're wondering whether to add an e-newsletter to your marketing mix, consider these vital benefits. An e-newsletter will build return traffic to your website while adding value to your company's services. It's also an excellent public relations tool. It allows you to get information to your customers as well as gain their feedback and learn more about them. And eventually, as you build your subscriber list to sufficient size, you may choose to accept advertisers, making your e-newsletter a valuable income generator for your company. Follow these three steps to launch your own e-newsletter. 1. Build Your List The simplest way to build an opt-in list of subscribers is to add a sign-up box to the main page of your website. It's vital to keep this as brief as possible -- perhaps as simple as entering an e-mail address. And make it clear that subscribers are registering to receive information from your company, so your communication won’t be confused with Spam. You can add a longer registration form deeper in your site, but the longer the form, the less likely visitors will be to complete it. In addition to gathering names online, ask customers and prospects for e-mail addresses in other forms of company communication. If you're a retailer, you can collect e-mail addresses for new subscribers at checkout. 2. Structure Your Content Every issue of your newsletter should have a consistent masthead that includes the name of your newsletter or company, issue date, and a hyperlink to your site. While HTML mailings are more visually interesting, 80 percent of e-mail newsletters are still sent in plain text, according to the Direct Marketing Association, to accommodate the wide range of recipients whose e-mail programs can’t display HTML. You have at least two choices concerning content: A series of short promotional blurbs with links to longer articles on your site; or a complete in-depth article interspersed with links. If you promote multiple items or products that cover diverse interests, short blurbs on various product areas or topics may work best for you. But to establish your company as a resource in its field, a longer piece that covers a relevant topic of interest will do the job. No matter which format you choose, keep the overall length relatively short -- recipients don't want to wade through ten pages of copy online. Surveys and customer feedback are a great way to learn more about your customers and make your e-newsletter relevant to their needs. In each issue, encourage readers to hit "reply" to supply feedback. And regularly survey your list. 3. Manage Your Mailings The frequency of your e-newsletter should be consistent. Whether it's monthly, bi-weekly or weekly, customers will come to expect it to arrive on a regular schedule. You can either manage your list in-house, use a free list server such as Topica (www.topica.com), or hire a professional list host, such as SparkLIST.com or BigList.com. If you choose to send your own mailings, it may be helpful to break your list into groups of fifty names or less, so your mailings won't be kicked out by the ISPs as Spam. When choosing a mailing service or list server, look for one that includes bounce management (to keep your list continually updated and free of undeliverable e-mail addresses), basic management reports, a security system and easy access to your list at all times. Soon you’ll have an e-newsletter that builds strong customer relationships and adds to your bottom line. Get In-depth Coaching on this Topic>> Kim T. Gordon's columns and articles are read by nearly 3 million small and home-based business owners each month. She is the author of two books, including Bringing Home the Business: The 30 Truths Every Home Business Owner Must Know. Copyrighted material. May not be reproduced in whole or part without expressed permission from the author. |
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