Email marketing is not just all about unsolicited emails with advertisements making outrageous claims. Unfortunately the abundance of spam which inundates Internet users each day has caused many to formulate a negative opinion about email marketing but savvy Internet marketers who understand how to market successful enjoy an advantage over the competition by turning to e-newsletters to reach more potential customers. This article will discuss e-newsletters and how they can be used effectively as part of an email marketing campaign.
An e-newsletter is very similar to newsletters which are printed and distributed via mail or other avenues. The most significant distance is the method of distribution. While traditional newsletters are typically mailed to the recipients or distributed in person, e-newsletters are distributed exclusively online. These e-newsletters may be either emailed in the body of an email message or may be included as a link in an email which directs the recipient to the website for the e-newsletter. In either case the recipient can read the e-newsletter while online and print it out or save it to their hard drive for future use.
The contents of an e-newsletter may vary somewhat drastically depending on the business the e-newsletter is promoting, the purpose of the e-newsletter and even the personal preferences of the business owner and the employees producing the e-newsletter. However, the general format for an e-newsletter is to include useful information in the form of full length feature articles or shorter pieces offering useful tips. The e-newsletter should also contain at least some subtle advertising for the products and services offered by the producer of the e-newsletter. These pieces of advertising should not be blatant and should allow readers of the e-newsletter to formulate their own opinions regarding the products or services.
The content of an e-newsletter should make up the bulk of the document. This may include full length feature articles which provide information for the readers. It may also include shorter pieces which may offer tips, review products or offer advice to the reader. The key to providing high quality content in these e-newsletters is to have them written by a capable writer who is knowledgeable about the subject matter. The writer may have an understanding of the subject matter or may simply be able to research the subject and learn enough to write accurate and informative articles on the topic. In either case the distributor of the e-newsletter should carefully review the content for both quality and accuracy before publishing the e-newsletter.
Distributors of e-newsletters should also consider including graphical elements into their e-newsletters. This may include product pictures or any other relevant graphics which provide meaning to the text of the e-newsletter. A graphic designer can assist you with this endeavor by helping you to create graphics, crop them appropriately and place them in a prime location on the layout of the e-newsletter.
Finally, distributors of e-newsletters should carefully consider their audience before using email for marketing purposes. The primary consideration should be whether or not the target audience is likely to be receptive to marketing in the form of emails or an e-newsletter. If they are likely to respond to this type of marketing it is worthwhile to pursue an email marketing campaign. However, care should be taken to ensure the emails sent to the target audience are designed specifically to appeal to these potential customers. This type of specialization should include the type of language used in the copy, the layout of the email or e-newsletter and the graphics used in the email or e-newsletter. Additionally, the copy should be filed with information which will be useful to the recipients. Another factor to consider is to whom to send the emails. Sending these emails to a large group of recipients who have not requested information from you and have no interest in your products and services is a waste of time. It is a better idea to ask customers and potential customers if they are interested in receiving more information and having them join an email distribution list if they wish to receive more information. Sending your emails to this distribution list ensures the majority of recipients will have an interest in your products or services and are not likely to automatically delete your emails as spam.