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Are Email Newsletters Dead?

There's been lots of talk among my clients and students these days, speculating on the possible demise of the email newsletter as a powerful internet marketing tool. Funny thing: I remember having this discussion back in 2005 with my internet marketing colleagues, yet email marketing is still alive and well five years later.

Sending out weekly or monthly updates to your list has grown in popularity and importance as a marketing tool ever since the public Internet began. But now people are overwhelmed with the amount of email they're getting, so what are you to do?

There are lots of pros and cons to using email newsletters and email marketing:

Pros

1. People can get to know you through your newsletters. Not just what services or products you offer, but how you think and feel about the topics you write on.

2. If you're sending out HTML emails, you control the look and feel of your email newsletter, and can establish a solid brand and image in people's minds

3. You can track to see who opened the email and how many people clicked on the links in the email. Statistics are a crucial measure of the success of email marketing.

4. You can customize your message to segments of your list. For example, if a group of students took an introductory-level class with me, I can offer them the advanced-level class. Or if people have expressed an interest in a specific topic, I can send just those people a new article I've written on that topic.

5. Never overlook the fact that most people are time-constrained and appreciate convenience. With the overwhelming number of places on the internet to search for information, having ONE source they can rely on is a blessing.

Cons

1. There are many ways to get in front of your target audience with your content and news now: social media sites, your own blog, article bank sites like www.ezinearticles.com, YouTube, etc. Your newsletter is just one of a mix.

2. Too much email, too much junk. People are inundated and often will ignore things in their Inbox that they can't take care of right away or that have a lower priority. And don't forget those nasty filters that whisk away your email before your reader even sees it!

3. If you don't write regularly, people are apt to forget about you. Or worse, think you're inconsistent and therefore unreliable. Ewwww.

Strategy

I still believe your mailing list is the hub of your internet marketing strategy. It's the only place where people have raised their hands and said, "I want to hear from you." (Tools like Feedburner allow people to subscribe to your blog and get updates via email, so your blog becomes your email newsletter…how simple!) But you need a strategy for your email marketing.

Here are some tips:

• Above all else, offer value. When you write an article for your email newsletter (or your blog, or your Facebook Notes area), make sure you're giving good information. (Read your past five newsletters…did you serve your audience well?)

• Sixty-day rule. Remember that your subscribers are most responsive in the first 60 days of signing up for your list. Stay in contact with those folks more often than your once-a-month newsletter.

• Loyalty counts. Reward long-time subscribers with special freebies or discounts.

• One of many tools. Ask yourself, "What are ALL the different ways I can communicate with my audience and share my articles, advice, offers, and news?"

• One of many lists. Think of your email list as just one list of many. Your Facebook friends are a list, your Twitter followers are a list, and your blog subscribers are a list.

• Combine with human contact. Don't just have an email list and think that's enough for people to get to know you and trust you. Offer free teleclasses. Be available via Facebook or Twitter for ongoing conversations. Give live speeches both locally and nationally. Get out there and be seen – everywhere.

Email newsletters aren't dead. They are a strategic component of your internet marketing plan. But having an integrated internet marketing strategy, mixed with some real-life connection to your audience, is what will bring success.

Oh, the three email newsletters I read faithfully?

Alan Weiss - http://www.summitconsulting.com/

Pamela Wilson - http://www.bigbrandsystem.com/

Nancy Marmolejo - http://vivavisibilityblog.com/

Not only do they use their email broadcasts to strengthen their brand image, but I love the way they think and write, too.

Operate in a spirit of absolute certainty. Be bold.

--Les Brown

The New Logo

We're in the process of redesigning our website (fun!) and doing a slight re-brand at the same time. The green in the old logo was an olive tone. In the new logo, it's a brighter green. (The yellow and red are the same in both.) What do you think?

Old Logo:

New Logo: