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In This
Issue:
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Are Email
Newsletters Dead?
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There are three
email newsletters I read faithfully, every single time they enter my
Inbox. I subscribe to over 20 newsletters, but only three
are never-miss-reading newsletters.
Would you say email
newsletters are dead because I don't read 17 immediately, or would
you say it's very much alive because of the three I read right away?
(Look at the bottom of this article for the three I love.) |
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
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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.
-
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
-
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.
-
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.
-
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
-
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.
-
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!
-
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.
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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?"
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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:

If we all did the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astound
ourselves.
--Thomas A.
Edison
Here's to your success!!
Warmly,
Karyn
Karyn Greenstreet,
Self Employment Expert and Small Business Coach
Passion For Business,
LLC
"Empowering The Self-employed to Succeed"
www.PassionForBusiness.com
www.TheSuccessAlliance.com
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