Five Years of Email Newsletter* Marketing
Are email newsletters still important in online marketing?
by Meryl K. Evans, Editor, eNewsletter Journal
eNewsletter Journal started on November 20, 2002 — almost four years ago. Before that, it was called VIZible Value. At the time, we needed to make a change and that's how eNJ came to be. Over the years, we tweaked the newsletter as we learned lessons and picked up new ideas. We've arrived at a time for another change, and that is eNJ turning into eFocus Journal, or as we call it eFJ.
What does eFJ got that eNJ don't got? The most important thing: customer customization capability. Customers know they can get anything they want thanks to technology changing things to meet their exact needs. eFJ lets you take control and pick the content you want in your newsletter. Yes, the form that the link takes you to is longer than we'd like — but at least there are only two required fields.
As eFJ matures, we expect to provide you with more control. Maybe you can pick whether or not you want to receive the editorial, best advice columns and other components of the newsletter. All of this is happening as a result of Web 2.0, meaning we're entering the age of interactivity and customer experiences.
Five years ago ...
InternetVIZ interviewed Seth Godin, and some of the content is still valid. Other content has changed since then because of new technologies such as RSS, blogs, wikis, Web 2.0 and other advances that weren't around yet or were barely a blip. Forums were mainly hobby-related discussions five years ago. Now, companies use them to provide tech support, help prospects and clients and as forums where people can discuss the industry and trends.
Spam was a problem then, but not to the disgusting degree that we see today. Feeds are a way to work around that, but not everyone likes getting content through feedreaders. Even after feeds have caught on, plenty of people would still rather get their content the old-fashioned way: through email newsletters coming to them or by going to the Web site. Yet, newsletter publishers shouldn't panic because of spam. Creating email filters is becoming a norm, and we just have to remind users to add our email addresses to their "good guys" filter list.
Five years ago, email newsletters provided scary new ground. Most of us probably subscribed to at least one newsletter, but not all businesses felt ready to publish one. Now, any business that finds email newsletters fit its overall business strategy easily starts one.
Email newsletters five years ago are where blogs for business are today: new and scary. Before, businesses weren't sure about the tool and let others test the waters. Eventually, the “fad” caught on.
Fast forward to today
A car comes with tires, an engine, gasoline, radio (satellite, DVD, both: take your pick!) and so on. Email newsletters are one part of the "marketing" car. Five years ago, they were seen as an isolated customer relationship building tool. Now they're part of a whole marketing and communications strategy, in which marketers are more comfortable with electronic (emarketing) and the tools available to them.
Such a strategy may or may not include internal and external blogs, Webinars, forums and other tools. Companies and customers can pick and choose these car parts. Companies may choose to offer an email newsletter, blog and feed. Customers can choose to use one of those or all of them. What's more, in many cases, they can also choose what they get in their newsletter and feed. Numerous Web sites offer multiple feeds, and some let you pick the content and then create a feed based on your selections.
Email newsletters can also include feeds to the newsletter, Web site and blog as a way to diversify the marketing. Someone who subscribes to a newsletter may later discover feeds. So don't lose that reader by making her find the feed — include it in the newsletter, subscription page, archives and on the Web site. This is just one combination of the many available to companies.
Which tool is best to use?
When a business comes across a potential product or service that it could use, what does it do? Evaluate the product or service and compare it to the overall business strategy and goals. Every offline and electronic marketing tool should go through such an evaluation.
Companies also need to look at their target market. When asked if the company plans on adding a blog, one employee may say that the company's audience isn't sophisticated in terms of technology and wouldn't even know what a blog is. That's a good reason not to start a blog, at least an external one.
None of the current technology is a fad. Look at the fax machine. It was said to be a fad. How many business cards or contacts in your handheld device do you have that include a fax number? Lots of people regularly use fax machines, as some documents do not easily go through email.
All technology is evolving and allowing for more customization and interaction. The tools available to businesses today let us build better quality and more efficient "marketing" cars. You know you are going to have music in your car, but you have a choice in how you get that music: radio, media, MP3, satellite radio, some of these or all of the above. Choose the right traditional and electronic marketing tools for your business and gain more clients, improved bottom line, higher ROI and better relationships with customers.
* Email newsletters also refer to ezines, enewsletters, cyberzines and Webzines — similar meanings, different names.
Meryl K. Evans is the content maven behind this newsletter. She uses content to help clients build relationships with their clients and prospects. Stop by and visit her blog sometime.
