Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

I think email newsletters are totally abused.  Instead of subscribing to the "more is less" attitude, they go with the "more is more" attitude and literally FLOOD my inbox which only serves to annoy me. 

I often end up opting out, too.  Or, I sign up with the email address that I only look at about once a quarter. 

~Kim

 

I am right with Nikole... I subscribe to many of them, but only read one or two.  The others may have great content, I just can`t stomach the idea of reading any more e-mail because I have way too much noise in my inbox. 

Print newsletters are another story though.  I actually found out about SUN in a costco newsletter.  I don`t mind reading these if they are well written.

I am experimenting with the idea of quarterly e-news and a printed annual report for Trailmix.Net.

casavalridge - Interesting theory. People are so tired of e-mail that we have to return to printed newsletters. Offline is the new online! 

That brings up an interesting marketing idea ... is it better to have your own newsletter (time, expense, etc), or to gain promotion by putting your ideas in other people`s newsletters? I found SUN through their deal with WAMU. Cross-promotion is a win-win situation for many businesses!

And if you`re a small business, maybe it`s a good idea to pool your resources together and make a group newsletter. This way you all save on production costs and you can use the cross-promotion to spread your message across the networks/mailing lists of multiple companies. There was someone recently on SUN who talked about doing a community newsletter ... I think that is a great advertising source for local businesses to pool their resources together.

And as you mentioned ... Content is always king!

Let`s compare this to the low-tech world for a second. Why are email newletters for general Web sites a better idea than say, newsletters from Sears, JC Penney, or Wal-Mart?

I get a newsletter when I join an organization. I get sales flyers when I shop someplace. Why would I want a newsletter if I subscribe to a newspaper or buy a novel from some author?

In other words---what`s the value of a newsletter?

I think your job, as the creator of the newsletter, is to create value for the reader.

I am working on a site right now that sells products to nurses and nurse educators. Her monthly newsletter usually contains 3 things:
1) A "Best Practice", which is practical advice that the nurses can use to help their careers.
2) Special offers on products.
3) Other items of interest to her readers, such as news and articles.

Those things are of value to her readers.

If your newsletter is merely a sales flyer marketed as a newsletter, your response will be low.

My point is that if I`m a nurse, buying products from a site, I could care less about a newsletter. I get tons of magazines, news letters, memos, reports, demands, and other reading material at work. I already know most of what`s "news" (if I keep up in my field).

A newsletter isn`t an advertising flyer. If I shop at that products location, all I care about is possibly a periodic email notification that there`s a sale going on. If it`s targeted to my buying patterns, so much the better.

Where I can see a value for a newsletter is from an information or research site. If I regularly visit someplace that tracks endangered species, for example, a newsletter would be helpful to keep me current in a subject not covered by the mainstream press. It`s a special interest of mine, in which case I get "special news."

Hmm, what is a "newslettter"?

Many ecommerce websites provide the ecommerce owner to send a "newletter" to its` registered customers. This newsletter is essentially an email in which the ecommerce site can inform (promote) people about new products, special pricing, sales...etc and provide information/news about the site or other infomration of "value".  This is a good way to stimulate repeat business, and maintain contact with your customers.

Other websites may have a newsletter that is more informational only. About a topic related to the website or of interest to the usual viewers of the website.

~Roland

 

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So basically, I get a newsletter from Bed, Bath & Beyond every couple of weeks, informing me that they have a "new" 20% off coupon for me, that the store still exists, it`s still in the same place, and still carries pretty much the same stuff.

:-) Good thing! I hate getting advertisements in the mail.....